The myth of ideas that emerge instantly
When we hear stories of people who had revolutionary ideas, often they are told in a way that leads us to believe that these ideas suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
There is, in fact, a widespread misconception that creative ideas bloom in our minds in an instant. That in a moment of blinding creativity, an idea can be revealed to you. Although this notion is somewhat romantic, it may not be truly accurate.
HOW DO IDEAS REALLY EMERGE?
It is a subject that has been studied at length by psychologists and scientists, and almost unanimously, the reality turns out to be quite different.
Ideas, it seems, do not suddenly appear as if from nowhere. Rather, they tend to arrive little by little and, at first, in an incomplete form. Usually, ideas start as hunches or random bits of thought. It is when these ideas and thoughts are allowed to grow and incubate in our minds that they will emerge as something complete and revolutionary.
Take, for example, Einstein's theory of relativity. We often hear this story about how he imagined himself "riding" a beam of light and looking back at the world, and suddenly everything fell into place. But let's not forget that he had been thinking about this problem for years first, and had actually published the theory in an incomplete form as the "special theory of relativity." That "ahhh" moment was actually just the last piece of the puzzle.
Similarly, the iPhone, which is now one of the flagship products of the technology industry, is actually just an iteration of the iPod, and when it was first announced, the App Store that all Apple consumers know today and that arguably led to the iPhone's success was not there at first.
REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS ARE RARELY THE RESULT OF INDIVIDUAL EFFORT
Research and surveys show that in most cases, ideas come to fruition through a team effort. Remember, ideas are more likely to be revolutionary when they are allowed to develop. And one of the best ways to incubate these ideas is to talk about them.
Inspiration happens when we combine different ideas and when our thoughts travel from one topic to another, leading to unique combinations. This very closely reflects how conversations evolve over time, as we move from one topic to another.
Ultimately, if you want to encourage the creative flow of ideas, the best way to do so is to discuss your ideas. This realization that the process, not the result, is creativity, is a very powerful idea. This moves us forward. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can come up with the next big idea of the century overnight, all by yourself.
