How to Produce Ideas
Introduction
I have recently read A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young (a well respected man in and contributor of, the advertising world). In the short read he explains personal involvement and experience with respect to advertising. One day he was confronted with the blunt question, “How do you get ideas?”. Upon pondering the question he set out to break apart the process and to find an answer. His answer consists of five steps. He makes a point that many people are aware of these steps but many do not actually utilize them. And even less use them in order.
Ideas: The Recollection, The Definition
Having produced poor, good and great ideas (as I’m sure you have throughout time) I challenge you to recall the process(s) that resulted in your better ideas vs. your lesser ideas. I would not be surprised to find that the ideas which you may have originally defined as good or great came as a result of this five step process, whether you intentionally followed it or not.
Young defines two distinct principles surrounding this process, both of which are found on page 30…
- An idea is simply a new combination of old elements.
- The ability to make new combinations is heightened by an ability to see relationships.
Following these principles he insists that there is truly a technique, a process if you will, that occurs Every Single Time an idea is produced, whether consciously or unconsciously. He goes on to mention that the technique can, “consciously be cultivated, and the ability of the mind to produce ideas thereby increased.” The five steps are listed below for quick reference, but I highly recommend reading the book A Technique for Producing Ideas to fully absorb what James Webb Young has to say. The list remains in the words of James Webb Young, I have simply culled the steps from the text.
The 5 Steps of Producing Ideas
- Gather raw materials of your immediate problem and the materials which come from a constant enrichment of your store of general knowledge.
- Work over these materials in your mind (Young suggests that the mind also has a second wind and that delving into your materials is vital, only move on to the next step after you have truly mulled over your materials)
- Let something other than the conscious mind do the work of synthesis.
- The birth of the idea, the “Eureka! I have it!” stage.
- Shape and develop the idea to practical usefulness.
The 5 Steps of Producing Ideas Interpreted
- Become engaged with your problem/subject by becoming knowledgeable or becoming an expert. This in conjunction with personal knowledge and personal interests results in separate and distinct elements with which you can find and develop new connections and relationships with.
- Brainstorm*, get the connections that are developed in your mind out into the tangible world. Write them on paper, index cards, etc. Then mix, mold and massage your results. Take a break if necessary and brainstorm again, use different brainstorming methods and get exhausted.
- Leave the work and go play. Go do something totally different, preferably something athletic as you have just had a mental workout, it’s your body’s turn. Just live your life, engage and disengage, work then play.
- The idea(s) surface, as your unconscious mind continues to mull over what you have recently learned, its fresh. The mind attempts to make connections with knowledge and experience both past and present. When a connection is made an idea results.
- The idea may be great at best, but it can be better. Again massage and develop the idea as to obtain a well rounded or more concrete result.
* Brainstorming methods can be found in the article How to Brainstorm (in progress).
Ideas: The Equation, The Analogy
Engagement + Disengagement = Ideas
engagement : work hard :: disengagement : play hard
Summary
In summary, ideas are simply a new combination of old elements and an individual’s ability to make these connections aids the process. As a result the creative mind may come up with more ideas as the creative mind can develop and/or see relationships that may not as easily be detected by a “non-creative”. Though more ideas does not equate to better ideas, more may lead to better (steps 2 and 5). Engage then disengage.
