The sun shone bright but it didn’t make him feel any better. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Nevertheless, he whispered under his breath as he headed out for a more than brisk walk, “what am I missing?!” The question felt futile and his dejected sigh didn’t calm him much as the warm sun hit his face and his eyes squinted in defense.
A few deep, worried breaths and he was off, headed around the block at a brisk, choppy pace. As his head cleared a little bit, and he took his eyes off the problem that was looming and his mind started to wander. A few dozen steps went by and then, quiety, it hits him – the answer to his problem is delivered without fanfare. Of course, that’s it! He runs back to his desk to give it a try.
Sound familiar?
The fleeting nature of ideas
Ideas can be like faint stars that are easier to see when you look away. So how can you reproduce this effect reliably, on demand? Inspiration, when you look at it directly, hides from view.
It’s routine that creates inspiration. It feels sudden but really you train your brain to serve you up more of what you think about on a regular basis. It sounds simple, but this century has been one of constant distractions. And it’s making us forget about inspiration.
Repetition can seem boring at first, but this practice is what makes you good at what you do at a moments notice. Like a child taking piano lessons in the summer, what you sacrifice now can pay you later tenfold.
And these days, who needs inspiration when there are so many tools out there to give us answers? Digital fireworks everywhere, drawing your attention and your mind’s eye away from what’s important. Keeping you away from the very thing that can serve your need for ideas – your own brain.
Lucid dreaming, manifestation, positive thinking all rely on being the thing you want to create and they are techniques proven to hone your brain into a creative powerhouse. Big ideas and results have training and practice as their foundation. Your brain is a powerful tool when fed good fuel.
We often forget what’s required to turn ideas into execution fast.
To get from an idea to execution faster you need to practice your craft and think more deeply, and regularly, about what you want to achieve. Focus is key. Knowing what you will do is as important as knowing what you won’t do.
When you go to bed at night tell your brain what you want to achieve it it will start serving you up inspiration that at first feels like it’s coming out of nowhere.
Capture those thoughts first thing in the morning, in the shower, on your commute, while you’re on the bus. Always have a notebook or recording device ready so you don’t miss the moment. Nothing feels worse than a lost idea when you’re trying to be creative. It’s demoralising, and you can lose the motivation to keep trying.
Hoard your ideas
Of course not all ideas are gold but they will always be helpful and lead you somewhere. You have to hone your discernment while you grow your well of ideas, just don’t say no to an idea before you give it a chance.
While my family and I were travelling between 2016-2018 I did not have access to my bass guitar or any physical instruments, but I did have an AKAI mini midi keyboard and my computer. I set myself the challenge of “100 days of beats”. At the end I had 100 song ideas and the dedication I achieved (as someone who presents very strongly as ADHD) was astounding.
I wrote an album of music based on those 100 songs and released it to the wild in 2023.
Rest is vital
A big part of this practice is rest. You must allow boredom to set in. Boredom is not the opposite of inspiration it’s the inhale before the rush and the calm before the storm. If you’re never bored you’re most likely overworked!
Luck is preparation to the point where the timing of inspiration no longer matters, you can turn it on at a moment’s notice. You have built a stockpile of thoughts and ideas to draw from so they are waiting for you when you need them.
Your brain is a tank for ideas
I have a water tank in the backyard and it’s always full even if it hasn’t rained in a couple of weeks. When it’s dry outside I can still water the plants. That water otherwise would have gone to waste down the wastewater line.
The same is true with ideas.
If all you have to do is turn the release valve, you have successfully optimised your idea to execution time.
This relates directly to my work life. I plan my day first thing and that tells my brain to mine for ideas in my tank. Keep the list small, no more than three things total and do the hardest thing first and save menial tasks for later.
The water in your tank are all the ideas, strategies and techniques you’ve built up to handle creative problems. The more experienced you are the bigger the tank is.
Then, when you have an idea, you can make it happen fast; just turn the spigot to open the flow.
