You’ve done it! You’ve had a brilliant idea. It is literally going to change the world for.ever. With a few nifty ideas in your head, you buckle up your tool belt, roll up your sleeves and start building! This dream stuff is easy, right?!
Not so fast nacho. Remember that we are on a creative journey here, if you start off without a plan chances are you won’t get very far. No one is going to finish your dream for you. It’s up to you. You can have the bestest idea in the world, but without action its just an idea in your head. Whether you are creating the next great movie or creating a new cupcake flavor, you must figure out a way to actually accomplish it in the real world. Where will you make it? Will there be any special equipment? Will people really want to eat a salmon flavored cupcakes? Before any of us can get anywhere, we have to know where it is we are going and have an idea of how we are going to get there. Which is why you need to do the unthinkable. You must question the brilliance and the validity of your initial idea.
Going forward it is critical that you understand your idea. I mean really understand it. You need to go beyond the initial flash of inspiration. Take your idea and smash it to pieces then examine the parts that you need to make it work. How do you do this task? What resources will you need to marshall? Just ask questions. Hard questions. When you get the answers you are seeking, ask even more hard questions. Play with your ideas, imagine big! Stretch your idea to other areas. Focus on the big picture. Focus on one tiny bit. Bounce your ideas off of others, get feedback and advice. Gather as many resources as you possibly can, because the more you understand what it is you need and want to do, the better the final product will eventually be.
The reason why this is needed should be easy to see. Lets say we are going to paint a forest. Ok? What are you imagining right now? Is it a pine forest covered in heavy wet snow, nestled deep in the mountains with a clear blue sky? Birds digging themselves out of cold winter snows, animal tracks from foragers crisscrossing the dark forest floor? Or maybe you see a stream running through the middle of the trees, flush with the fresh melts of spring. Wild flowers spring up along its banks to dance in the breeze? No? Must just be me then. The point is that you should be after details in this stage of the Creative Loop. Playing with your ideas and establishing what your dream is and what it is not will be critical to moving forward.
Getting these details are vital to understanding your idea before you embark. Before you start anything you need to know what you want. Are you starting an all natural cake shop? Then what menu items will you have? What ingredients? How many cakes do you plan to make or sell? Will you be able to expand? Will you make wedding cupcakes? Will you make cupcakes shaped like dragons? Not only will the answers direct you towards the things that matter but they will also help you as you gather support.
Yes, we will all need support at some point along this road. The good news is that none of us are alone in this world. Most of our dreams will require the help of others. Whether it’s financial, physical, or emotional support, it all hinges on your ability to invite other people to understand your vision. You know, the one that’s inside your head still? Having details not only solidifies the idea in your head but also in the imaginations of those who want to help you.
Now, before you rush off with your markers and hammers, let me say one more thing. All of this, the questions, examinations, the notes and planning, is just to establish a frame work. A blue print of sorts. It should be fun, you should be excited about the possibilities that lay before you. You might not know all of the answers to your questions before you start off (in fact I would bet good money you won’t) and that is perfectly ok. You might not know exactly every detail of how the heroine of your book grows such courage to overcome the villain at the end. You might not know how many dragon shaped wedding cakes you will sell. Don’t let that stop you. Some answers can only come from the act of doing. The act of creating. The goal of building your framework is to take your idea and make it feasible. Take your idea and give it form. When you are through your idea should be able to stand on its own wobbly legs.
Of course your idea is still just a bunch of notes and ideas right now. Now it’s time to actually drag that idea into our world. It’s about time you made your dream a reality. Buckle your tool belts buckos things are about to get interesting.
(This post was originally post Sept. 17th 2015)