The first mistake people tend to make after they have their brilliant idea is to assume that it is indeed brilliant and perfect and utterly infallible. I am here to ask you to consider that perhaps it is not. The creative idea you have is just an idea at this point. It is a start, but if you want to make it a reality you will need to put in a bit of work. So lets start building this thing already!
Not so fast nacho! Remember that we are on a creative journey here and like any other journey you need to know where you are going. There is no one who is going to finish your dream for 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. How will you get funding? Will you need any special equipment? Will people want to eat a salmon flavored cupcake? 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 are needed to make it work. How do you do this task? What are the results if I do it this way? Just ask questions. Hard questions. When you get the answers you are seeking, ask more questions. Play with your idea, 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 level of understanding is needed should be easy to see. Lets say you want 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 winter snows, animal tracks from foragers crisscrossing the forest floor? A clear stream running through the middle of the forest, flush with the fresh melts of spring? 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 isn’t will be critical to moving forward.
Now, before you run 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. With these questions we are establishing the skeleton, the structure, that the rest of your ideas, actions and dream building will be based upon. 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 that you won’t) and that is perfectly ok. You might not know exactly every detail of how the heroine of your book grows enough courage to overcome the villain at the end. You might not know how many salmon flavored cupcakes you will sell. Don’t let a little bit of uncertainty stop you. Some answers can only come from the act of doing. The act of creating. The goal is to take your idea and give it structure, give it form. When you are through, your idea should be more than just a fanciful dream, it should be a small, impossible reality.