Alphabet Soup vs. SpaghettiOs
Much has been written about the creative process with respect to generating and refining ideas: i.e. output. But a critical aspect of the creative process is often overlooked: input.
The creative process does not begin when you attempt to generate ideas; it begins when you fill your head with impressions of the world around you, either intentionally or unintentionally; consciously or subconsciously. For many, the output half of the process is done with great scrutiny while the input half of the process is done on autopilot. I’d like to argue that the same level of scrutiny and curiosity should be applied to the process of filling one’s head with ideas - specifically, I’d like to focus on the importance of variety in the input process.
Creativity is used by everyone, whether you know it or not. And whether creativity is being applied to art, business, science, problem solving, or envisioning one's own future, the basic principals of creativity are shared. Creativity is taking things that already exist: words, colors, sounds, concepts, etc. and finding unique ways to recombine them to create something interesting, meaningful, or useful.
As many of us know, the creative process often requires that we work through many throwaway ideas before we get to anything worth keeping. I find it useful to think of our mind as an idea soup; everything we perceive and remember, all of the content we consume, makes up our idea soup. The process of creating is like repeatedly dipping a ladle into our idea soup, seeing what we pull out, pouring out scoop after scoop until we come up with a spoonful that's interesting enough to keep. You can use whatever scooping technique you like, but the variety you get out will always be limited by what you put in. If you're scooping for a new word, but all you eat is SpaghettiOs, you can scoop as many times as you want, but you'll repeatedly get "oooo" or "OooOO" or "ooOooOOo”. But you could use the exact same scooping technique with much more interesting results simply by eating Alphabet Soup. A richer variety in consumption, leads to a more fruitful idea soup from which to scoop.
So as you refine your creative abilities, ask yourself "In which endeavors might my ideas benefit from a greater variety of input?"
Are my ideas at work influenced mostly by my coworkers or competitors? Might I draw inspiration from another industry?
Can I access renewed inspiration by exploring music and movies of a different genre, mood, or culture?
Do I follow thinkers who's interests are different from my own?
Is my living space design based entirely on binge sessions of HGTV?
Is my concept of how to live life influenced largely by my inner circle of friends and family? Might I investigate people who live drastically different lives to see if there is an idea or two worth copying?
In what areas of your life might you replace SpaghettiOs with Alphabet Soup?