I had an epiphany in the shower today. It was something that I've been struggling with at TopFloorStudio for the last 4 months. It was 2 ideas (one an idea one a tool to be exact) that I put together mentally, both very important ideas that had been in the forefront of my thoughts for months.
At first I was like... YES you are a genius, how did you ever think about this? Then when I got out and driving to work I realized that in fact it wasn't that I was a genius; since these things were so obviously meant to be together you could have figured this out months ago.
It's funny how our mind sometimes goes from thinking we are geniuses to thinking we are stupid. I bet some of you out there are thinking your ideas are dumb, but really you are genius! Especially my readers.
My question for you, yeah you, is how do you, find epiphanies faster? What should we be doing to find them faster? What is creativity (you don't actually have to answer that)? When do we get to congratulate ourselves for good thinking?
At first I was like... YES you are a genius, how did you ever think about this? Then when I got out and driving to work I realized that in fact it wasn't that I was a genius; since these things were so obviously meant to be together you could have figured this out months ago.
It's funny how our mind sometimes goes from thinking we are geniuses to thinking we are stupid. I bet some of you out there are thinking your ideas are dumb, but really you are genius! Especially my readers.
My question for you, yeah you, is how do you, find epiphanies faster? What should we be doing to find them faster? What is creativity (you don't actually have to answer that)? When do we get to congratulate ourselves for good thinking?
I have most of my epiphanies right after a nap.
ReplyDeleteNot trying to be funny, though it is.
I had one this afternoon, right after an hour nap. Something I've been thinking through since October just came together. Bingo! Done!
Do you consciously do anything, like think about the problem before the nap? Have you ever thought that you may solve a problem via the Nap Solution and then it actually happens? I highlighted Nap Solution because I think it should be the name of your next book ;)
ReplyDeleteTy- I dig your blog post here. I like to spark my creativity similar to the way folks do improv (I think). And what I mean by that, is the idea of "yes, and." So If I am brainstorming I let it all flow, and then do the work of judging or nixing or sorting or editing (whatever you want to call it) at a later time, and with its own separate process. So, that way, the ideas all flow, and who knows how they might connect, but the important creative bit is letting the flow happen when it's on, and actively trying not to stifle it. The subtext, of course, is somehow recording the flow, either through free writing, or sketching, or a verbal recording, or whatever works. That's my two cents, =).
ReplyDeleteI'm the same way and I think many are the same. When you are brainstorming or fishing for new ideas you should let your mind wander and not edit ideas to quickly. Then when you need to get to work it's important to focus on the efficiency and quality of getting it done.
DeleteI recently started a new project and I am using this structure to manage it:
Analysis > Strategy > Implementation > Repeat
The analysis is gathering the information so we have context and so that past strategy and work is included and developed. Strategy is part brainstorm and part business planning. Business planning is more detail oriented and may include setting goals, putting together timelines etc. The Implementation then is structured but the business planning was flexible enough for changes to be made fluidly as they are needed (timeline changes, etc). Rinse and Repeat.
Good to see your smiling face today brother.
Oh, and for me, this also means always having a little pen and notebook on hand, as my preference is jotting down ideas. Driving is a good time for the flow. So is the shower, as you noted above (however the shower's harder in terms of recording the ideas as they're happening - show of hands for anyone who's stopped a shower short to write something down and then hopped back in...).
ReplyDeleteI have my best epiphanies in non-connected activity. Read a magazine article and then play the piano. Or hear something on the radio and then take a shower. It's the combination of non-connected things that lets my mind out of the box of the source. Frequently, though, i can feel things gel prior to this and so find that i deliberately seek out a behavior that isn't connected (driving the car, painting, doodling).
ReplyDeleteYou may be one of the more creative people I know. Even if you aren't the MOST creative person I know you definitely have the strongest connotation to the word creative. I identify with being a cultural creative and find the more of this energy in Asheville the more it gives me energy. Creativity cannot be regulated, or taxed. Creativity is one of my favorite attributes.
DeleteIt would be cool to do a cross-discipline creativity festival in the vein of Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class. Knowledge-workers, artists, innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs. LAAFF meets TEDxAsheville meets Makers meets The MAP.
Whoa. Let's do it.
DeleteMaybe we can keep the AVL UnConference team going? I love doing events, but they are not easy, build a team that takes the pressure off and you are golden.
DeleteAs egotistical or big headed as it may sound, I tend to have my "Aha" or epiphany moments on days I'm feeling a little overconfident. For example, I remember the morning of the day I conceptualized DoNation, I was in the kitchen pouring some coffee and thought, "I just know one day I'll have a really good idea. I'm too smart not to." I think this thought was a combination of my dissatisfaction with working two part time jobs and living on very little money combined with the fact that I was a little hungover, but either way, it was a very positive, almost smug thought that proves that confidence in and belief of the fact that you're going to have an epiphany in the first place is probably a strong indicator that one will occur. And DoNation was definitely an epiphany moment.
ReplyDeleteWith your current determination I do not doubt you will be national with this within a year. Your words remind me that determination has been the biggest factor in my epiphanies. It's about thinking about something when I'm not doing it or going the extra mile and unexpectedly hitting a gold mine. I think smarts are over-rated and determination is the measure of a successful project. Thanks for inspiring me sir!
DeleteGary James says: I actually have found that what I usually think is an "epiphany" is actually a conscious and even subconscious process on my part. Even though I have come up with names of businesses or products in the shower myself - try explaining hourly rates on that one, :-) - they usual come when I'm NOT thinking about it. That's the beauty of our brain and process. I've found, for example, that swimming laps is a great place to have a "eureka" moment as well. I'm so busy trying not to drown that my brain is concentrating on stroke, turn head, breath, stroke, then AHA! the slogan, positioning, answer, the widget. So, I'd say to make them happen faster, immerse yourself in the project, then do something totally physical that is the opposite of thinking. Then it will happen.
ReplyDeleteAsheville has more Living Wage Certified Employers than any other city in the WORLD! <--- FACT!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Ty, great job here! as always!
ReplyDeleteWorks I guess. Gary is testing other stuff and hopefully will post later this afternoon. Thank you Gary for helping to find issues.
ReplyDeleteHi Ty,
ReplyDeleteI'll check in with you the next time I am in town.
ATB,
Kate