You were the best idea I’ve had all year.
You came to me early in the morning, while my thoughts were still fuzzy and soft. You were a whole world, a universe to explore.
But I rolled over and went back to sleep without making a note. Please come back.
Missed connections happen all the time. As a creative, we have to be ready to capture those ideas when they come, because they show up unannounced, like that random person on a city street that you never saw again.
Creativity comes in fits and starts. It’s not something you can force. In fact, forcing it will make it elusive.
Allowing creativity to arise, that’s when it’s at its best.
But having a process for catching your creative ideas can make all the difference.
Instead of reaching the bottom of the barrel, you have a reservoir to draw from when things aren’t feeling creative.
Growing Your Idea Reservoir
Analog, pen and paper:
Paper notebooks, like a small Moleskine tucked in your pocket or bag. Jotting down a sentence or two when an idea occurs is easy, low friction. (assuming you don’t misplace your notebook)
Digital, where’s your phone:
Apps like Evernote, Drafts, Notes, OneNote, Notion, Obsidian, etc. make it easy to capture an idea. And since it’s on your phone, you have it handy and nearby. A couple of taps and you can even speak your thought directly into text. Nearly frictionless.
Chaos style, anything you can write on will do:
This one is a little tongue in cheek, but any random piece of paper will do. A receipt, a napkin, old envelope, a paper plate, anything you can write on. Of course you have to make sure you hold on to it, that it doesn’t get cleared away to the trash.
Use a Waterproof Notebook:
If your ideas tend to show up in the shower, this one is for you. You can write down the idea before it goes down the drain.
