As a followup to the previous week, this post will concentrate on how we can expand our field of vision. Below is a list of places, sources, and whatnot to help you find ideas so you can make those precious connections. Please note this is not a comprehensive list. More like a sampler.
Ideas in the shower & other places:
Many people say they find their best ideas in the shower. The reason? Well, when you’re doing a mundane task, something repetitive that doesn’t require concentration, your mind wanders and the creative side takes over. It’s healthy to allow your mind to swim in the ‘stream of consciousness’ now and then. If it’s not the shower, it’s taking the dog outside, enjoying a walk in nature, any task you have mastered that doesn’t put you in danger, like driving. In fact, there is scientific evidence that this is a legitimate way of boosting your creativity: The science of why you have great ideas in the shower.
Practically speaking, it’s difficult to take notes in the shower. I have composed entire scenes but completely forget the golden sentences by the time I got to a notebook. If showers are the only place you can concentrate, there are products online like pen and paper sets that work underwater, or devices that take voice commands. Where there’s a will, there is a way. Find what works for you and figure out how to make it happen.
Television and gaming:
Building on what we learned from finding creativity in mundane tasks, watching TV offers both a timeout and inspiration. I love to relax in front of the TV. That is why I keep my phone close so that if I get a good idea, I can type it out immediately. The same goes for gaming. Now, it’s important to take things in moderation because if you overdo it, that relaxing habit becomes work, and the magic it brings to your creativity goes out the window. This is exactly what happened to me. I ended up pausing and typing more than I was watching. Don’t let something you love turn into work because you’re just hurting your mental health at this point. More on this in another blog post. This, of course, does not apply to documentaries, where it’s encouraged to take notes.
Vacations:
Vacations take you out of your norm and out of your routines, forcing your mind to pay attention. They offer new experiences that are intense but sometimes easy to forget. Which makes it the perfect opportunity to start a Sensory File. A sensory file is where you can dump all your physical sensations and observations to use later. I recently went to China to learn how to snowboard. Until then, I had felt snow ten years prior for only two days, and another decade before that. I completely forgot about that odd, rubbery sound snow makes when you rub it with boots. So during the vacation, I sat down and wrote about every sound, smell and touch. Even though I would not write any snow-filled stories just yet, I preserved the memories on a piece of paper.
Never rely on your long-term memory for such senses because you will forget. Several months ago I went to Egypt for a family wedding and even though I was confident in my memories of the desert, there were a lot of sensations that took me aback. I forgot the gritty feeling on my cheeks when a slight wind brushed my skin with fine sand. Unfortunately, there was hardly any time to write, and I missed a great opportunity.
Remembering my lack of writing during the Egypt trip, I wrote everything down this time. Now, even though I wasn’t planning to write any snow-based stories, ideas kept pouring through. As I was writing it all down, from the sounds, smells, sights, the locations of the common rooms and the beginner’s area with the gentle slopes, I wrote about my first-time experiences as a snowboarder. I hatched a funny short story about a character learning how to do the same. I had so much fun that I wrote a followup story with magic and mayhem. Don’t restrict your imagination. Even though you are recording your senses, if a story wants to come out, let it come out.
Meditation:
A more proactive way of setting your mind at ease and allowing it to unburden itself is meditation. But this takes patience and practice. Nowadays there are a lot of meetup groups you can join. YouTube offers a lot of advice, and many fitness apps have dedicated meditation lessons on hand.
Homework: Go on an adventure
- Find what relaxes you and gets you into that daydreaming zone. It could be a walk outside or a repetitive activity at home.
- Change your routine by doing things in a different order or taking a different route to work so you can get those sharp observation gears working again.
NEXT:
Please look forward to the next post: 1-3 Sources of Inspiration