Have you ever had a shower moment? Or a time when you had a sudden clarity of thought that solved a problem, helped create a new product or business, and made a difficult decision simple or just made you go "AHA!"?
I would put money on the fact that your
"Aha" moments are when you aren't thinking of the idea or problem. You were most likely driving, in the garden, taking a shower or thinking of something quite random.
Where do ideas come from? Why are ideas important? And how do we become more creative?
I believe that ideas are everywhere, we just need to train ourselves to see them. Celebrated poet Henry David Thoreau said, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
Some believe that creativity comes from taking risks and that you have to have the ability to back yourself when pitching the idea. I agree, but you have to have the idea first!
My experience shows that you have to be curious. Ideas come from the questions you ask (or are asked), the research you do and the ability to look at a problem in many different ways to determine the most creative solution.
Great ideas don't just happen, or appear, although sometimes it may seem that way when you have a Eureka moment. But, when you reflect on how you came up with that idea, did you think about how long it took to connect the dots, and what actions you took to realise this great idea?
"Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected," says novelist William Plomer.
