The magic of ideas
Where did the idea come from? How was it formed? And why is it that ideas arrive in different stages of formation? Some seem to arrive fully developed, with depth, colour and complex detail. Others are totally rough and might serve only as a springboard to other, better thoughts that follow.
I remember reading that Harry Potter arrived as a complete and fully developed character in J. K. Rowling’s head. Yet I’m sure that other, equally popular books took the authors years to come up with and refine.
No one seems to have found a way to control when and how ideas pop into our heads. And it seems to be different for each person. Some people might feel inspired in nature, others might need a crowded and noisy environment. Some people may need absolute solitude and a period of rest to be open to ideas, whereas others might find that the ideas come when they’re busy and occupied with a totally unrelated project.
As a creative person, I’m totally reliant on my “idea generator”. I’m lucky that - so far - it’s never let me down. I haven’t yet worked out the magic way to attract the most amazing ideas when I want them.
But I have noticed a couple of places that are best for encouraging inspiration. Here are my personal favourite spots for ideas:
1. In bed at night
I’m sure that practically everyone can relate to this. Lying in bed, with the light off, waiting to fall asleep. Suddenly you’re seized by a brilliant idea! It could be anything: a concept for a book, something you need to tell someone, an idea for the perfect birthday present, the list goes on. However, the result is always the same. You lie there thinking through the details and implications – often with detrimental results on your sleep.
These days I keep a pen and paper ready next to my bed to note down things that occur to me in the night. Recording them in that way usually helps to stop them swimming around in my head. Perhaps it’s because I know that they’re safely captured on paper and so I don’t feel the need to hold them in my mind any longer.
Still, some nights seem to really open the floodgates. I’m besieged by idea after idea. Some of my best poems were written in the middle of the night. I don’t know whether the dark hours are more conducive to the emotions and insight that’s necessary for poetry? Or could it simply be that lying down increases the blood supply to my brain? (Note to self, try this strategy with tricky translation assignments)
2. In the gym
It’s truly amazing how many brainwaves or flashes of genius have hit me in the gym. I don’t think the surroundings have anything to do with it. It could be the increased blood circulation and stimulation that comes with exercise, but it could also be the very fact that my brain has time to rest and simply float.
I’m a very antisocial gym-goer. I hate interacting with other people when I’m working out. To me it’s a very private experience, just me and my body. I concentrate on the physical sensations and when I get lost in the exercise, it becomes almost a state of meditation. I’m focusing only in a physical sense, so my mind is open to whatever thoughts might occur to me.
That still doesn’t explain where the ideas come from, but we might have to declare that as one of the mysteries of the universe!
Where do you get your ideas? Do you have any favourite spots for inspiration? Have you ever experienced an idea-shortage? And what did you do to solve it?
Thanks for reading! This is an original post written for Steemit by @Victoria-Kelly.
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The shower is always a good place. Really anywhere you can make your body work while keeping your mind free to wander, but the shower is the most natural one of those for most people.
Oh yeah! I forgot that one. Lots of good ideas there too. Although for some reason I tend to forget most of them in the process of drying off.
You have beautiful handwriting! Yes, bedtime is when genius- or to-do lists strike! I try to have a pad and paper and a booklight there but those items are often stolen by the little people that live with me, so I'm left with my phone. The downside is it's easy to get distracted on the phone, whereas with a pad of paper, I write my fill, then put it away and I'm done!
Thank you! I'm just happy that I didn't inherit my father's "doctor" handwriting (truly illegible, those poor pharmacists). Yes, phones are a mixed blessing. Too often I pick mine up to note something down and get caught in a social media app before I've realised what I'm doing.
Do you believe we create ideas or we just receive them? (or a bit of both?)
I know that I'll usually build off of the ideas I receive so there's kind of this collaborative process going on but ultimately, all of my best ideas were in one way or another, given to me. I think I'm just here to receive and do something with them!
My favorite place for thoughts is my designated morning talk and walk. I'll usually have my audio recorder on and I'll just start by talking about things I'm grateful for, then things on my mind, and then the things I want to do with my day. But basically that usually leads to some great thoughts and ideas. Ultimately just talking things out tends to be my go to thought process lately :)
I loved this post! Great concept @victoria-kelly!
That's an extremely astute question and probably gets at the root of what I was wondering about. Do we create the ideas ourselves or are they sent to us at the optimal time? This relates to some of my personal theory about the illusion of free will that I'll probably post about at some point. ;)
I definitely think that half the battle is being open to the ideas and recognising them as such when they arrive. And I think that's a whole lot easier to do if you consciously practise mindfulness. Your morning walks and taking the time to be grateful for what you have sounds like a wonderful way to start the day and guarantee that you're in the right frame of mind for what follows. No wonder you always seem so positive!
Resteemed
Elizabeth Gilbert wrote a book about the question 'do we create ideas or do we just receive them'. It is called 'The magic'. I was not a big fan of her famous book (eat, pray and love), but I found this one brilliant.
I didn't check the video before I posted this comment. I'm not allowed to make sound at the moment and no head phones ;)
Wow she has a cool perspective on it the issue. I can totally relate to what she says about going back to old ideas and realizing that they're dead, it's happened to me with old stories that I've tried to work on and felt no connection with. Maybe because when we grow and mature, we're a different person and therefore can't connect with the idea in the way we did. I want to read her book now. :D Thanks so much for sharing.
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