The creative process is shrouded in mystery. Original ideas areimagined by some to come from thin air. Their creators are put on a par with shamans, thought to coax new ideas from vapor through use of voodoo or black magic - the bigger the animal sacrificed, the bigger the idea. It makes for nice drama, but it's untrue. It's time for demystification.

It's my contention that regardless the discipline: be it advertising, engineering, or baby sitting, if a person needs to generate an "original" idea, or a better way of accomplishing something, the method used is similar, whether the author realizes it or not. The creation of any idea is an ordered process of research, systematic thinking, and inspiration. Further, if you're aware of how the process works, your chances for a satisfactory outcome improve dramatically.

Most of us are aware of the third step in the process. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn a great many people think the third step is the process. The third step is the "Eureka" phase. When my generation was children, there was a television program, which may be in reruns today, called Bewitched. The premise is an advertising executive is married to a comely witch. Because he's in advertising, he is regularly in need of ideas. I can't remember if the witch figures into his eventual ideas, but he consistently is thunderstruck with one wonderful idea after another—seemingly from out of the blue. And, in fact, that is how the third step works, but not if one fails to do step one and step two properly. And step one and step two are easy to rush through or ignore altogether, because they involve hard work.

Do your homework

Let's assume you need to come up with a big idea for your job. Your boss, your company, and your client are counting on you. But where do you start? Do you simply sit down with your yellow pad of paper and a pencil and wait for inspiration to strike? You could, but without some preparation first, you might sit there for a long time without success.

The first step is a logical step. I call it the homework phase. This is when the person challenged does his or her utmost to learn everything about the problem at hand. You ask questions of knowledgeable persons, you use references available through the library, you check the Internet, you read product literature and technical brochures, you watch films, consult a psychic, if you like; in short, do whatever you can to become as expert as possible on your subject.

Then you condense and organize the material and your notes into concise data that's easily referenced. There's little glory in conducting research. Spending hours pouring over material looking for the essence of the problem you're trying to solve can be tedious work. There's no immediate reward. There's no hero's welcome at the office or home for bucking up and mushing through. It doesn't make you more attractive to the opposite sex. It won't fight tooth decay. But it will provide the kernels from which great thought will grow.

It's my personal belief that with the possible exception of math and the sciences there are no new ideas, simply new combinations of existing ideas. There are still a lot of great discoveries to be made however. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "know nature and then know thyself." Many of our great and most useful inventions are an extension of that thought, and are ideas adapted from nature. The movement of many machines is based on human anatomy. The geodesic dome is a structure found in plants. Velcro is the result of an inventor hiking in a field and getting cockleburs stuck on his socks.

Some might argue that computers today are creating product names that are new combinations of letters. The idea to develop the naming program was an outgrowth of lists on paper. And the names themselves are derivatives of others.

So, we now have our raw material for generating "new" thought. What's next? How do you proceed toward finding the answer? Each person will have his or her own preferred technique. My personal favorite is to sit down with a pen or pencil and a yellow legal pad upon which to jot down thoughts. Step two is the perspiration phase. I think it was Thomas Edison who said any new idea is ninety-nine percent perspiration and one-percent inspiration, or some such figures. This is when you think through and write down all possible combinations. At this point there is no such thing as a bad idea. Any thought counts. Whatever pops into your head makes its way to paper. Once you've exhausted every solution you can think of, you put it all away.

Now comes the fun part: step three. This is where you get to play, or go to a movie, or go fishing or whatever your heart desires. Do anything to put the problem out of your mind. But, for this step to be successful, you must be honest with yourself. Have you really done your homework and then labored over new combinations? If so, your hard work will bear fruit. If not, you can wait until Christmas without success.

And then, it's Eureka!, the answer you've been searching for. I've known professionals who've perfected their skill in the use of this technique to the point that they'll have several ideas incubating simultaneously. Their brains become assembly lines cranking out one useful idea after another right on schedule, just like clockwork.

A few years ago I saw Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones interviewed. The interviewer asked him the source of the tune for the Stone's signature rock anthem Satisfaction. Richards responded it came to him in his sleep. He said he'd been thinking about the song, plunking around in the studio on his guitar. He awoke in the middle of the night with the now famous opening chords in his head. Being awakened in the middle of the night with the big idea is so common that many notable thinkers sleep with pen and paper at their bedsides. When the mind's relaxed, the subconscious comes to life. Big ideas often come when shaving, waiting for a train, or while seated in a movie theatre.

If you're a driven person, you might find it hard to relax and put your problem aside, at first. Once you try the four-step method described here (step four is yet to come) and find it works, you'll find that the next time it's easier to let your conscious mind rest while your subconscious mind goes to work.

The final step, step four, is sharing your new idea with others. What do they think? In the opinion of others, is the idea a winner or a clunker? I've had experiences where an idea seemed brilliant in the dark of night, but, when brought out for close examination in the bright morning light, a lot of warts appeared.

It doesn't matter how good you think the idea is if you can't sell it to others. A word of caution here though. Others repeatedly refuse many great ideas, especially novels. The man who invented the original Weed Eater took his design to one manufacturer after another. It was refused by all. Finally he raised the money and manufactured the product himself. Interestingly, for many years afterward, all similar products were licensed for manufacture under the same patent, with fees going to the inventor. So just because others don't take to your idea doesn't necessarily mean you struck out.

So that's the formula. Although it won't necessarily make you a creative genius, it will improve your opportunity for success. As for how the subconscious mind works and where the ideas come from, that's material for another discussion. But, in the meantime, do your homework, then relax and have a great idea.

Email Ed