Raise Anchors & Detach
When we feel there’s no ideas worth pursuing, it’s usually due to friction between other unfolding processes in the mind. Those may be completely unrelated to us wanting to catch an idea. The friction may also occur because of the wish to get a great idea itself. The mind may feel empty then, but it’s actually super intense and rigid, like in a cramp. It’s not dissimilar to trying to catch a memory that’s slipping through our fingers the more we try to hold onto it.
Although this is often interpreted as a »creative block«, it’s perfectly treatable by stepping away from the pursuit. Getting new ideas doesn’t work by forcibly pressing a mental button. Instead, it requires an inspirational/discovery process. Only by focusing on something other than the goal to get an idea, can we start to form or discover it.
So let’s RAISE ANCHORS & DETACH. We can:
🚶 Go for a long walk, alone (for me, nature works best)
🎨 Go to a museum, gallery and/or a concert
🗺️ Traveling
🧘 Meditation
🤸 Physical exercise
📚 Read a good book (perhaps a new genre?)
🍛 Try new foods
🏬 Walk into a boutique store
🫂 Meet new people
New ideas require fuel. Having new, transformative experiences stimulates the brain: it starts creating new connections. In turn, it thanks us by forming new ideas.
There’s only so many dishes we can cook up using the same ingredients over and over again. How do you season your mind?
P.S.: Being mindful and »present« within these activities trains us to be better observers and thus, spot ideas faster as they form in our minds.