I recently came across these Top 10 Creative Rules of Thumb from Chic Thompson:
- The best way to get great ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.
- Create ideas that are 15 minutes ahead of their time…not light years ahead.
- Always look for a second right answer.
- If at first you don’t succeed, take a break.
- Write down your ideas before you forget them.
- If everyone says you are wrong, you’re one step ahead. If everyone laughs at you, you’re two steps ahead.
- The answer to your problem “pre-exists.” You need to ask the right question to reveal the answer.
- When you ask a dumb question, you get a smart answer.
- Never solve a problem from its original perspective.
- Visualize your problem as solved before solving it.
Which of these tips rings true for you ? And how do you stir your creativity?
Lisa’s Cheap Therapy blog 
I like #1. I need the reminder to try lots of ideas, not just try to think of the perfect one. Thanks, Lisa.
When I see things like this, I’m reminded of a quote from Einstein……”I never came to any great conclusion through my rational mind.” My feeling is that the most creative ideas come through out intuition and gut feelings, not our rational thinking.
tom~ i loved your quote from einstein, hadn’t heard it before~
my own creative ideas come from visiting my “dream state” when i am awake. i go to the place in my sub-conscious which is de-tached from where i am at as i type this. my “dream state” is the place where i like to image my soul lives.
thoughts coming from this place are without judgement,
and know no boundaries~
this is where 100% of my creativity comes from, however….
the “creative idea” (for me) is 10% of the process~
the other 90% is the work of transferring the manifestation of this thought into form. both parts of
the process are my favorite…
I personally like gathering lots of ideas and throwing out the bad ones! And sometimes, after consideration, some of the “bad” ones turn into “right” ones!
These days, #5 rings for me—truly!. The problem is, I forget to look back at what I wrote, or can’t remember where I put whatever I wrote on!
Mary Louise- I am so with you on the not remembering what I wrote things on! I have sticky notes everywhere and a million notes! Glad to know there are others like me!!!!