Idea Rut

Whatever a creative person does, chances are there will come a point where the ideas just aren't there. I've found myself going in and out of this feeling all through the summer. I've been fortunate enough to have been getting work experience throughout this period, and i've observed how those more experienced than myself, can take an idea, and develop it across a project, almost seamlessly.

I am not good at doing this. I'm probably not good at this because I'm still relatively inexperienced. In retrospect, it often felt like I wasn't coming up with worthwhile ideas, because I was almost trying to come up with fully finished projects, in my head, in one go. It's nonsense really, but i've found it can be a really frustrating habit to get out of. So i've tried to take a massive step back.

A truly unique idea rarely comes to anyone, we're almost always influenced by something else, and even if we think it's a unique idea, chances are, someone else has been there and done it. However, it's always possible to take an idea, and do something different with it, look at new ways to develop it.

So although it's painfully obvious, i'm now trying to come up with the smallest (perhaps even the most insignificant) idea, and then see where it takes me. In order to get out the mindset of trying to visualise a finished project, i'm trying to go right back to the very start. Hopefully, now that i've had quite a bit of experience at this 'creative' lark, these small ideas now might be a little easier for me to develop, and fully realise, into worthwhile and successful projects.