By: Joel Artz - 01-26-2010 - (1) Comments

My brother once told me a long time ago that ideas are like these invisible things that float around in the air, and if you listen carefully, every now and then you’ll capture one as if with a net.  When you know you‘ve got it, you put it in a jar and save it for later.  You’re not quite sure yet what you’ve got, and it’s not until you sit down quietly with it and unscrew the lid that you begin to explore the contents of what turns out to be a truly magical idea.

I didn’t give my brother’s analogy much thought then, but I now realize this is exactly how I work.  If I have learned anything in the years I’ve spent concepting and designing it’s the ability to listen.  Listening happens in many different ways.  Typically, it begins with the client.  Before every project we sit down with our clients in a relaxed atmosphere and get a feel for who they are and what the message is they are trying to convey.  Usually during these meetings I’m doing one of two things: either sitting quietly, absorbing, or am actively engaged, probably asking not so common questions in order to receive not so common answers. 

I almost never take notes.  I used to bring in a pad and paper to meetings only to find afterward that I hadn’t written anything down.  I’m not exactly sure why this is, probably because I’m listening for a feeling rather than specifics.  I’m fortunate however, that when I need the facts there are others present who are more notes oriented.  For me, at the end of a meeting I’m usually only leaving with an impression.

Ideas may take some time to come around or may take no time at all.  Usually they come at the most random of times. But when they do finally come, it’s like lightning.  I feel like “I got it,” before I even know yet what it is.  And then, when I give it my time, it begins to take form and start making sense.  All of this so far may seem ethereal, but there are some practical instructions I have learned that you might consider following in order for ideas to flow more naturally into your life.

The first is to observe.  Remember the things that strike you.  If you can, take a picture of it or if you find it online take a screenshot and keep it in a folder.  Or just keep it in your brain and save it for later.  Usually I find that the thing that caught my attention yesterday will play a role in the next concept that is being developed.  If you are constantly aware of the things around you they will recycle in an even better way the next time around.  The emphasis here is on “recycling” not “copying.”  Copying is stale.  Recycling implies the creation of something new.  Information is constantly moving through us.  Keeping a catalogue of things that have moved you is like keeping a recycling bin (not a trash can) for your creative intuition to draw from.

Sometimes, if you have an inkling to do something when you are designing but think that it won’t work, go with the inkling.  I can’t tell you how many times this has happened.  “Oh that will look terrible…Ok, I’ll give it a shot.” And then it completely rocks my design world.  What’s happening on a psychological level is your intuition is dropping you a hint but your brain rejects it because your brain is afraid of change.  Usually people go about listening to their brains.  But listening to your intuition can provide fruitful results and keep your designer palette fresh.  This keeps us from doing the same things over and over again and allows us to produce good design that is current with the times as opposed to a memory of the past.

The same thing goes for idea generation as well.  Just like there are no stupid questions, there are no stupid ideas.  Ok there might be stupid ideas but they are always worth saying because it usually triggers something else in the person you are bouncing ideas off of.  Just allow the words to come out because there is a reason for their expression that you might not immediately have an explanation for.  Never say “No” to an idea.  By telling an idea “No” it’s like telling all the idea’s friends, good or bad, not to come around.  Sometimes the ideas that I think are mediocre on first impression turn out to be the best ones after further contemplation.

Manifesting an idea happens in many different ways, and creation is happening everywhere, every single moment. What you are doing is simply to allowing the space for more ideas to float in the air around you, as my brother would put it.  This will make it easier for you to catch one the next time around.