If you ask many people how they come up with ideas, they will describe it as a magical process, where ideas appear at random times and places, such as in the bath, or just as they're falling asleep. But something, somewhere will have enabled that idea - whether by design or chance inspiration.
Back in the early 20th Century, social psychologist Graham Wallas proposed a 4 stage creative process. It starts with preparation where we define the problem, need or desire and gather together information, research and background material. We also clarify what would constitute an acceptable solution. We then step back from the problem and let our minds explore and process it - this is the incubation stage.
In the illumination stage, ideas and insights arise from the mind. This might happen while we’re out walking, in the shower or doing the washing up, it can be quite unexpected and you’ve probably experienced this. Unlike the other stages, illumination is often very brief involving a rush of insights within a few minutes or hours. The final stage is verification where we gauge the success and quality of the idea.
For an alternative approach, let’s look at James Webb Young, an ad man from New York who wrote about his creative process in his book A Technique for Producing Ideas. He distills the creative process down into five steps.
The first step is to gather raw material. Young argues that most of us stop too soon in the process of examining the problem. Young also recommends further gathering - this time of general material. While the first kind of gathering is a current job, the second should be a life’s work.
Next comes the task of looking for relationships. What you’re seeking now is the relationship, a synthesis where everything will come together in a neat combination like a jigsaw puzzle.
Then it’s time for the mental digestive process: do something else, anything other than trying to have an idea or thinking of what you’re trying to have an idea about. The process enters the domain of the unconscious mind.
Young predicts that if we have followed every stage fully so far we’ll surely experience the fourth stage, where the idea appears. As he says: ‘it will come to you when you’re least expecting it’. Finally in the ‘cold grey dawn of the morning after’ comes shaping and development, this is when you have to see what others think, and shape and tailor your ideas to requirements.
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