| Where Do Ideas Come From?
Here are the facts: Ideas are everywhere, all the time. Everyone is creative and capable of generating countless ideas. In fact, it is easier to generate many ideas than it is to generate one or a few.
Now you are probably thinking, "Yeah, right." But every word of the first paragraph is absolutely true. Feel like the creativity train left the station without you? Generating ideas is not a talent that some have and others don't--rather, it is a skill that everyone can learn and use. Why does every first grader thinks he is an artist, while very few adults think so? Probably because in first grade you are free to think as an artist. We become more exclusionary is we get older. By the time you reach adulthood, you've been told to color inside the lines for so many years that it's nearly unthinkable to stray outside them.
But that's where the ideas lie--outside the lines of conventional thinking. Generating ideas is seldom the "eureka!" kind of explosive inspiration that we make it out to be. Instead, ideas are really combinations of thoughts that lead to new alternatives or options. You'll find the kind of people who regularly generate ideas to be thoughtful listeners who look for mutliple ways to solve a problem or challenge. They know what you need to know--that ideas are born of creative skill--a skill that can be learned by anyone and improves with practice.
First things first. Let me back up a bit. What is exactly an idea? The best definition of an idea that I have heard is by Jack Foster, who says in his book How to Get Ideas, "An idea is a new combination of old elements." In English, that's taking things you are familiar with, and combining them to come up with something different. Sounds simple, right?
Ideas are combinations of things we already know or are familiar with. We can only think of new ideas in the context of what we already know. The more we know, the more potential connections there are between bits of knowledge that will yield ideas. That's why most "highly creative" people have one thing in common--an insatiable appetite for learning. They are constantly feeding themselves new knowledge, the raw material of ideas.
Developing a creative mindset that yields new ideas begins with a constant flow of input, which can come from a variety of sources. Music, media, movies, books, lectures, television, educational classes, prayer, people, nature and the environment, hobbies--all of these are great sources of input. Generating ideas is a matter of taking that input and applying it to challenges or problems in a number of ways.
Connection and Expansion. Connections are the heart of ideas. You can find ideas by asking simple questions like, "What if I combined these two things?" or "What if I took this existing thing to the next level?" By taking what you know or have learned and connecting various elements or expanding on thoughts, ideas will be generated. In fact, the majority of all ideas fall into this category--taking an existing idea and simply building on it.
Lateral Thinking. A whole class of idea generating techniques can be found under the heading of "lateral thinking," which suggests unconventional or irrational solutions to challenges. Lateral thinking techniques include "random input," using a random element to generate a connection or idea.
For example, the problem is "We need additional volunteers in our Preschool Ministry," and a random word is "banana." What connections can you draw between them? Often lateral thinking techniques force the mind to make unconventional connections, which sometimes lead to radical but practical solutions. Get a random word right now.
Brainstorming. Brainstorming is an open discussion of thoughts on a subject. It's best accomplished in a small group--say, less than 10 people. You can do brainstorming on your own, but it's much less effective with just one brain--the real power of brainstorming comes when ideas begin to bounce from person to person, yielding additional suggestions and paths to follow.
Questions. Inquiry is a great idea generation technique. First and foremost, questions can lead to a better understanding of the problem or challenge. Questions can also be used to reveal new ideas. Instead of asking, "How can we improve a guest's worship experience?" ask, "How could we make a guest's experience worst?" The answer to a negative question can often lead to a positive idea. Get a random question right now.
Streaming. Streaming attempts to capture all thoughts as they come to you, regardless of whether or not they are germane to your problem. Select a period of time, say ten minutes, and write continuously all thoughts that come into your head. Usually there is a moment during streaming where the mind wanders and comes to a "mental block" where no thoughts are generated. Powering through this period, even by writing "I can't think of anything," will sometimes lead to a new area of thought that may be useful.
Quotas. Sometimes setting a quota or goal for idea generation is an effective way to get the idea process going. Time constraint works in your favor for creative tasks. The brain is an organ in the body--but treat it like a muscle. Push the brain and it will become stronger. Ask a person to come up with one good idea in a week and they may have difficulty. Ask the same person to come up with ten ideas in an hour and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
And there are many more methods for generating ideas. The short answer to the question, "Where do ideas come from?" is "everywhere." Ideas, big and small, practical and impractical, are easily discovered with a little thought and perhaps a simple technique or two.
 For Further Reading On This Topic...
> Click for more books and periodicals on dreaming (imagination).
About the Author. Eugene L. Mason has more than two decades of experience in ministry communications and technologies. More...
|
