After I graduated from university my first real job was playing the role of junior copywriter at Canada’s largest ad agency.
I had an office, clients – even a secretary to type memos and schedule appointments. I was in the company of Mad Men…almost.
The thing that excited and scared me most was coming up with that ‘Big Idea to Wow the Client’ – my chance to shine and live up to my department’s name.
This usually started with a brainstorm and I’d walk into the room ready to take centre stage. And then…brain freeze.
The creative director, senior writers and art directors and producer started joking and batting around concepts and before long the walls were plastered in sheets of paper, each with its own Sharpie-sharp idea. I was too scared to say anything.
I started to worry that I would be exposed as a sham and fired since I wasn’t contributing my fair share. I finally got up the courage to ask my creative director what his secret was.
And he gave me a piece of advice I never forgot. (He was a comedian and coincidentally, it’s the same as the punchline to the old joke, ‘how to do you get to Carnegie Hall’?)
PRACTICE.
You can’t wait for inspiration or the perfect gem to arrive fully formed in your mind. You just have to jump in and give it your best shot. Over and over again. And then you have to do it some more.
Here are seven ways to unlock ideas that lead to breakthrough content:
- Ditch your self-consciousness at the door. Don’t be afraid to speak up. If you don’t say it, no one will know.
- Take a hike. I mean literally. When I have a problem I can’t solve, I go for a walk. I keep my smart phone tucked in my pocket and let my mind wander. And I always manage to come up with something good. The same is true for running, swimming, meditating… Just remember to have a pen and paper handy. It’s easy to get lost in a reverie and when you land back on earth, you may find you don’t remember a thing.
- Freely associate. Take out said pen and paper or sit in front of a blank screen and just write what pops into your head. Don’t self-edit or put any restrictions it. Just spew it all out. And don’t stop till you’ve filled a few pages. Then let the list simmer and see if you’ve got anything of value. If not, start again.
- Use a magnifying glass. That is, pay close attention to the world around you. Listen in on a conversation at the next table, notice the way the sidewalk is paved, window designs on houses, which models of cars are parked on the street… It’s amazing what you see and where it can lead you.
- Mix it up. If you always do things a certain way, don’t! Take a different route to work. Go to a new café for lunch. Buy a shirt that’s not coloured blue (sorry, that’s a note to self).
- Make sure it fits. When I was a standup comic, my persona was that of a naïve, but eager Midwesterner. I once came up with a dark joke I thought was really funny. But when I delivered it, I got booed. Why? Because it didn’t mesh with my persona. I gave it to a comic whose act was more cynical and he killed. Your ideas have to fit what you’re trying to do.
- Listen. To what the other folks are saying and build on their ideas.
Sometimes your first lightbulb is the best. Other times, it takes a lot of slogging.
The secret is to not give up. There’s always another idea waiting in the wings.
Do you have any other ideas on how to find ideas?
A version of this post was originally published on SpinSucksPro.
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