Ideas, Ideas And More

Michael Johnson relates his experiences of capturing that elusive concept that can kick-start a project.

- Michael Johnson

There’s one recurring question that consistently comes up at workshops, talks and seminars. It’s always the same question. And I think I always answer it very badly. The question? “Where do all the ideas come from?” My way to deal with it has been to develop a set of fairly stock, almost glib responses. Response number one: “By having lots of ideas.” Response number two: “By having lots of influences.” Or response number three (and this is the hopeless one): “I’m not really sure, they just happen.”

A few years ago, I began to realise quite how useless this was, especially to a young creative starting out, or a student facing a horrendous deadline. Imagine facing a blank sheet of paper and the pressing need for that killer thought. Yet the only advice you’d been given on how to do it was to “have lots of ideas.” Not ideal.

Now, as it happens, there is the kernel of some decent advice in response number one. It was just phrased far better by the American writer and scientist Linus Pauling. He asserted that “the best way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas and throw away the bad ones.”

Pauling’s point was simple: get started, and do something – anything. Stick your first ideas on the wall. Share them with colleagues or flatmates. Pull them to shreds or celebrate them – it doesn’t matter. It’s the same as writing a letter. Once you start, the rest will follow.