Great ideas come from three mental processes (divergent thinking, problem-solving and idea generation), and they tend to arrive when you are busy with something else rather than staring at the problem. The case made here is that creativity is not a gift handed to a few geniuses. Some people are born with faster, better-connected neurons, but for everyone else it is a skill that can be practised and built.
This article follows the argument step by step: what creativity actually is, how the three mental processes work, and the five sources that ideas come from.
Watch the full video here, or skip to the breakdown below.
How great ideas happen at a glance
- What creativity looks like at its highest level
- You do not need to be da Vinci
- Divergent thinking: do something else
- Problem-solving: define the problem first
- Sharpen the analytical side
- Idea generation: the five sources
1. What creativity looks like at its highest level
Start with the people who stand out. David Lynch left his films unresolved, so you never quite know how they end. Hayao Miyazaki made Studio Ghibli films that are technical, emotional, even philosophical, and they are cartoons that grip adults as well as kids.
The list goes on: Hemingway, Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath, who may not have been seen as creative in their own time, plus Marie Curie, Steve Jobs, Isaac Newton, Walt Disney, Jimi Hendrix and Beyonce. Creativity shows up in many forms.
But the script argues that nobody tops Leonardo da Vinci. Four decades before Copernicus, he wrote that the sun does not move. Two hundred years before Newton, he described weight falling toward the centre by the shortest possible way. Four hundred years before Darwin, he said that man and monkey shared an origin. He also painted the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and the Vitruvian Man, and designed flying machines.
Creativity is the ability to generate or recognise ideas that help you solve problems, communicate and entertain.
2. You do not need to be da Vinci
Nobody has come close to his level since, and you will not either. What you can do is open up the ideas and possibilities already sitting in your own head.
At work, that might mean being the person who finds a different and unusual way through a problem. The way in is to understand the psychology of creativity, then use it to let yourself think more freely.
From a cognitive point of view, creativity rests on three things: divergent thinking, problem-solving and idea generation.
Some brains fire and connect faster, but the rest of us can still practise our way there.
3. Divergent thinking: do something else
Divergent thinking means generating ideas by looking at many different solutions. It is spontaneous and free-flowing, and a lot of it happens on its own without any forcing.
That leads to a counterintuitive rule. You get your best ideas when you are not trying to get ideas, so the best way to switch it on is to do something unrelated to the problem. A hard hike is ideal because it pulls your mind into the moment while your idea brain keeps working in the background.
- Surfing, cycling across the city and skiing work because the scenery holds your attention.
- Reading and craft activities are good for it too.
- A great conversation about something that has nothing to do with your work can shake ideas loose.
The thinking has to be active, though. Watching TV or scrolling social media does not help, because a large part of your brain switches off while you do it.
Active thinking on something else beats passive time in front of a screen.
4. Problem-solving: define the problem first
We are at our most creative when we respond to a problem or a challenge. So the first step is to identify and design the problem fully: look at the existing limitations, the gaps in knowledge and the opportunities for improvement. Most of that, apart from the opportunities, can be found through research.
These skills transfer. If you can solve problems in a hobby, you can solve them at work, so start with personal challenges that push you out of your comfort zone. A photographer could set out to capture the whole alphabet in everyday objects and designs, which trains attention to detail. Taking on an unfamiliar project at work or joining an improv group builds the same muscle, since you have to think on your feet and leave space for other people to build on your ideas.
Pick small, specific challenges and the skill carries over to the big ones.
5. Sharpen the analytical side
We were taught that people are either analytical or creative. That is not true, the script says: the better those two sides communicate, the better you are at both.
It also helps to widen what counts as a problem. A problem can be a big obstacle, but it can also be a detour, something that takes longer than it should or does not flow as nicely as it could. So look for the thorn in your shoe, not only the mountain.
The example is a manufacturing plant where production is down, costs are up, deadlines are slipping and profits are falling. Break it into parts: equipment downtime, inefficient workflows, supply chain disruptions and people calling in sick. Then give each part its own technique. Root cause analysis uses maintenance records, performance data and operator feedback to find why machines break down. Mapping the workflow from start to finish shows where work gets stuck.
The same method fits personal problems. If you keep missing deadlines, analyse why, look at the parts of your life involved and match each to a technique.
Breaking a problem down is analytical work, but it is also a way of thinking differently.
6. Idea generation: the five sources
The last piece is idea generation, and the script says ideas come from five key elements:
- Observation and experience
- Knowledge and expertise
- Collaboration and interaction
- Creativity techniques
- Inspiration from art and culture
All five are things you can start working on today, on your own.
Five sources, none of which require you to wait for inspiration.
Let go to get the idea
Creativity rarely comes from staring at a request and hoping for the best. It seldom even comes from breaking the request down and trying to solve it. It comes when you least expect it, through immersion and experience, while you are focused on something different.
That is why the skill has to be built in a way that is not obvious. It is like tricking your brain into opening a door that society taught it to keep locked. The idea comes from a fun, little-known part of you that you have to coax out without pressure. It is a bit of a detour, and a worthwhile one.
FAQ
Where do great ideas come from?
The script says ideas come from five key elements: observation and experience, knowledge and expertise, collaboration and interaction, creativity techniques, and inspiration from art and culture.
What is creativity?
Creativity is the ability to generate or recognise ideas or possibilities that might help solve problems, communicate with others and entertain yourself and other people.
What is divergent thinking?
Divergent thinking is a thought process that generates ideas by looking at many different solutions. It is often spontaneous and free-flowing, and it works best when you are busy with something unrelated, such as a hike.
Why do I get ideas when I am not trying to?
The argument is that your best ideas come when you are not focused on generating them. Active, unrelated activities give your idea brain time to work in the background.
Can you learn to be more creative?
Yes. Some people have neurons that fire faster and connect better, but for everyone else creativity takes more work and can be practised and built.
Does scrolling social media help creativity?
No. Watching TV or scrolling social media does not help because a lot of your brain switches off while you do it. Active thinking matters more than passive thinking.
Keep reading
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