Good morning! here are some ideas about, coming up with ideas!
A lot of people can confidently say that they’ve brainstormed at some point in their life. Chances are you’ve had to brainstorm in the past! In fact, you may even be trying to brainstorm some ideas at the moment. But it’s important for us to understand what brainstorming really is. It’s the production of ideas. And it’s that word – production – that we should be attention to.
For many, brainstorming involves nothing more than sitting there with a few notes and staring at them until something happens. But what you really need to do is expand completely on the possibilities of an idea. You need to build up notes, plans, ideas, images, and more. When you brainstorm, you should be building something. Get the right plan and motivation with these tips.
Getting help
You shouldn’t be afraid to enlist the help of others. If you know anyone who’s especially creative, or has expertise in your chosen field, then consult with them. Ask them to join in this process with you. There are even professionals out there who specialize in helping people put thoughts to paper. Of course, if you want this to be a heroic solo journey then you might be a little restricted here!
Challenging assumptions
When it comes to producing ideas, a lot of people know they should challenge assumptions. But they rarely turn the target of that advice onto themselves. They all want to challenge the assumptions of others.
Pixabay
But these ideas should be coming from within, right? So the most important thing for you to do is challenge your own assumptions. You may not think you have any. But you’d be surprised. Define your creative challenge, then name all of your assumptions about that challenge. These are the things you have to try working against.
Visual prompts
The brain responds very well to exciting images. In fact, it often responds creatively to these things much more than they do words. They help bring intuitions and emotions to the surface much faster than words. This sort of thinking is what has helped resources like Pinterest become so big in recent years. Pinterest makes for an amazing brainstorming tool. Of course, words will have to be used at some point. But they can be presented in a more visually exciting way. Look into mind mapping.
Bad ideas
Here’s some advice you may not have thought would actually be useful. When you’re brainstorming, you should do your best to come up with the worst ideas possible. Don’t hold back. While you shouldn’t go into the realm of sheer fantasy, you should come up with some pretty outlandishly terrible ideas. This is often easier than forcing good ideas into your mind. It gets you thinking. It brings ideas to the table, even if they’re bad. And the best thing about them? Bad ideas often trigger very, very good ideas.
Relaxation
Doing all of this gives your brain a good workout. It builds up a great frame of material that your brain can then work creatively with. Once you’ve had a good brainstorming session, take some time to relax. Have a bath, or – better yet – go for a brisk walk. Allow your mind to wander. It’s often in such a relaxed state that amazing ideas just wander in.
What do you think? I especially like the suggestion of coming up with bad ideas; that seems to help eliminate worst-case scenarios.
