On how to grow an idea
Creativity is the combination of unlikely things.
If you just rolled your eyes or tuned out, I get it. We’ve all heard that. The question I think about is HOW do we get combine them? How the heck do I find the unlikely pairings?
For me, it starts with a little thing called curiosity.
I looked up the definition of curiosity. This one caught my
... See moreThe idea of taking your time to find the right idea was central to my experience. As a graduate student, I was sent all around Europe to present papers at various conferences. The meetings themselves weren’t the point. It was the conversations that mattered—one good idea, sparked on a rooftop in Bologna or beside Lake Geneva in Lausanne, was worth
... See moreCal Newport • How I Learned to Concentrate
Build pockets of stillness into your life. Meditate. Go for walks. Ride your bike going nowhere in particular. There is a creative purpose to daydreaming, even to boredom. The best ideas come to us when we stop actively trying to coax the muse into manifesting and let the fragments of experience float around our unconscious mind in order to click... See more
Maria Popova • 13 Life-Learnings from 13 Years of Brain Pickings
When we make assumptions about what seeds won’t work or may not fit with what we believe to be our artistic identity, we may be prevented from growing as creators. Sometimes the purpose of a seed is to propel us in a completely new direction. Along the way, it may morph into something hardly resembling its original form and become our finest work
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