Brilliant idea: 8 creative tips
Ask anyone if they consider themselves creative. Most of your acquaintances will say “yes." And this is the correct answer. Practice shows that confidence in one's creativity increases creativity. But faith in one’s own strength is only half the battle. need a brilliant idea?
The truth is that a creative way of thinking will be useful not only for creative professions. The ability to look at the familiar from a new angle will help advance in any career. New ideas are always a reason to start a personal business. Don't think that creativity is reserved for the elite. Innovative thinking is easy to pump, like any other skill.
We offer you several ways to raise your creative spirit.
Simplify!
Everything ingenious is simple. This short formula has never let anyone down. And the great inventors are the best confirmation of this. If you pay attention to their creations, then the basis will be completely simple thoughts. Take, for example, Elon Musk's Space X company. The brilliant idea that gave impetus to its development is obvious. What is the main difference between rockets and conventional transport? Cars, trains and planes are built to be reusable. Rockets themselves are expensive and complex designs. Moreover, for each flight, you have to re-build the stages for launch. As if a new engine had to be inserted into the car before the trip. Inconvenient, right? When Elon Musk wanted to make space available to people, he took up reusable steps. Elementary Watson! But he is an innovator in his field.
In addition, the simplification should be taken literally. It should not be thought that the task at hand is very difficult. Our brain gets scared and starts to slow down. This is its function – to prevent dangerous overloads. So don't scare yourself with unattainable goals.
New is well forgotten old
Keep this motto in mind when looking for a solution. Surely someone has already dealt with a similar problem. Surprise: this could have happened even hundreds of years ago! It is possible that you will be inspired by the stories of successful people. Carefully study any information. There is no extra knowledge. Life is a quest where clues are hidden on every corner. Sometimes truly creative people become like this because they have learned to see analogies in everything.
React to stimuli
Habit has tremendous power. This innate function of our body every day helps all of humanity to survive. Agree, without good adaptation to environmental conditions, we would have joined the ranks of extinct animals long ago. However, the title of a reasonable person obliges to distinguish between unchanging conditions and those that can (and should!) be influenced.
Pay attention to the little things that bring discomfort. Surely they interfere not only with you. Think about how you could change the established order. Most often, this does not require a global transformation, but a couple of details. This is how the vegetable peeler appeared in the kitchen. On the shelves of stores – convenient packaging for milk. Someone's brilliant idea gave us shoes for different sports. And the list of useful improvements is growing every day!
Formulate questions correctly
Solving global problems is incredibly difficult. Therefore, divide the main task into separate points. Let's say you want to start your own business. The logical question would be “What kind of business should I open?” But you can think about it for years. Let's try to approach the problem from the other side. Start by asking, “What am I good at?” Decide what you're good at. Then sketch out a whole bunch of ideas about how you can make money with this skill. Select from these ideas those that seem feasible. Ask yourself as many specific questions as possible. In the course of such reflections, a brilliant idea can light up quite by accident.
Discard bad ideas
Sounds simple, doesn't it? Actually, it is very difficult. It's a shame when what you come up with is not a brilliant idea at all. Especially if long and hard work did not pay off. There are times when perseverance works against us. It is necessary to give up attempts to break through the wall, if it is easier to get around. Turn off the pride and admit the mistake. Don't waste your time. After all, it is a very valuable resource.
Hint: It's easier to let go of delusions when there are new thoughts. We have already said that creativity can be pumped. Solve puzzles, pick up 10 new solutions to each problem. Also read special books. For example, "Rice Storm and 21 More Ways to Think Outside the Box" by Michael Mikalko.
Come up with the worst solution
Exactly. Very often, perfectionism gets in the way of generating ideas. Fear of failure is a powerful development block. To really immerse yourself in the process and start creating, you need to get rid of it. Try to find the most useless solution to the question. Terrible and unprofessional. And then start thinking for real. Every time you doubt that you are right, look at the worst idea. A new thought isn't that bad, right? Then you can safely write it down in a notebook. A brilliant idea does not always have to be born first. Perhaps tomorrow you will re-read all the points and transform one of them into something you need.
By the way, the whole methodology is based on this approach. It's called "reverse brainstorming". The essence of the technique is to analyze a bad idea and then think from the opposite.
Get out of your comfort zone
Remember: routine sucks like a swamp. Life has settled down, the route is work – the house has long been laid, and the refrigerator is full of food. Why stress again? In such conditions, even the train of thought runs along a track once laid. And this is absolutely normal. Our body strives to conserve energy. That's how evolution decreed it. There is only one minus: a brilliant idea is born in stress. The brain works at the peak of its capabilities, if you knock it out of its usual rhythm. And at the same time he tries not only to survive, but also to return to a safe environment. Change your habits, do not let your brain completely relax. Stress is, of course, bad for health. But sometimes you just need to dive into it.
Bring ideas to life
Perhaps this is one of the most important tips. It is not always possible to understand that you have a brilliant idea in front of you. You can only test its strength in action. Your ideas do not need to be hidden “on the table”. They must live! Try to implement what comes to mind. Much becomes clear already at the first stages. If the case does not go, then he is not destined to “shoot”. But if the thought is really worthwhile, you will understand it.
What can inspire better than the first successes?
Where do you see creativity? Share your thoughts in the comments and subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to read new materials.