Request HN: How impact you stimulate your creativity on a day esteem this present day?

Constraint.

Limit your work in a synthetic contrivance. This is in a position to maybe also amplify and focal point your thinking.

Via a silly (and classic) illustration: strive writing in a contrivance that forbids inclusion of that overall Roman glyph stumbled on ahead of F and following D.

(And in actual fact imagine it! Don’t simply decide for words you existing in a book of synonyms!)

Aspiring novelist here.

Plenty and tons and tons (and tons) of strategies written down and left un-judged. I’m taking anything that pops for your head. Typically getting an thought, any idea, written down affords the brain the probability to personal bigger and toughen on it over time even subconsciously and this is where a complete bunch fair precise strategies contrivance.

One aspect display here: don’t need you’ll endure in thoughts an thought it’s most likely you’ll personal. I will’t count how over and over I’ve idea, “oh I’ll write that down later” completely to neglect what it was once entirely. Extinguish whatever you’re doing and jot the root down somewhere. This could occasionally be very tense at 2AM.

I watched a author’s room work on a comedy existing I take advantage of and so they talked about how for every episode they plot for approximately 30-40 jokes, which requires round 300-500 strategies be written down. No idea was once mocked and every part was once written down and taped to the wall. As a rule fair precise strategies superior from some that had been at the starting place half-baked.

When I’m shopping for strategies – I salvage letting my creativeness roam whereas doing menial tasks corresponding to cleansing, yard work, or even driving helps so a lot. The combo of no longer wanting to listen and no distractions seems to free my thoughts.

When I’m ready to commence exploring that concept – a cup of coffee, someplace serene, no screens, a pencil, and a few easy sheets of paper turned horizontally (landscape).

Dwell you plan? Are you visual? I question because I delight in the employ of a pencil to brainstorm on a sheet of paper (or a marker; I dislike pens). I are inclined to write down gigantic strategies or mindmaps, though, and surprise if other folk sketch strategies as an different.

I impact no longer plan, I’m horrible at art unfortunately. I employ a pencil for that very motive, when I sketch out strategies I veritably should always erase and personal corrections because what’s in my head and what my hand locations down are veritably no longer the same, haha.

I visually sketch out the guidelines and employ labels and arrows to additional existing. Despite my horrible drawings, I restful salvage “an image is charge a thousand words”.

Come by it or no longer, placing down books, stepping a long way flung from screens, and simply getting the blood flowing via deliver is a noteworthy formulation to particular the thoughts and simply let it sprint. I’m furthermore reminded of strolling meditation. Extinct to work with a math PhD who would shield breaks to shuffle around the automobile automobile parking suppose smoking his pipe.

Rather then that, I dangle out in forums esteem HN and obvious subreddits that appear to spark strategies in me. Just a few of them are hobby particular (I’ve obtained at the least a dozen strategies for apps for search and rescue), however some simply advance out of left field or I quiz a peril I personal and would really like to resolve.

I am going to furthermore add that I employ org-mode and live in emacs, so taking a display is barely a couple of keystrokes away, and disk storage is cheap. I will constantly simply archive it later, so I’ve never preferred the root of throwing out so-called ineffective strategies (was once from a whereas/job administration system, can no longer endure in thoughts which), as I will constantly set the suppose to CANCELLED.

Same part as you! I furthermore obtain to confirm with strategies I’ve written down and contrivance them. Typically I am going to impact copywork, and simply style out or re-write a chunk of writing I basically preferred, simply to in actual fact feel what it’s obtain to write down one thing I preferred… I cribbed this from any individual else, I will no longer endure in thoughts who. I delete all of it after, however it no doubt will get my strategies flowing evidently.

So, you are author! I endure in thoughts studying a chunk of writing by Peter Drucker[1] a whereas advantage about how diverse other folk have faith in every other case (obviously) and one which resonated with me was once other folk that write — i.e., take a seat down and write your thoughts and construction them to contrivance an thought or POV. I’m 100% this, versus advise a visual or auditory brainstormer.

Dwell you delete it all since you are terrified about holding it? I shield my notes however infrequently return to them.

[1] https://signallake.com/innovation/managing_oneself.pdf

Ah—I simply meant I’d delete the copywork, which is the essay of any individual else’s I simply typed up! I simply figured it wasn’t mine, plus I get some puny satisfaction of “cleansing up,” esteem a really non-sacred model of colored sand in Buddhism.

Frigid hyperlink. I wish to exhaust beyond regular time with this, Peter Drucker is candy. It sounds corresponding to you and I write equally, I’m a meticulous outliner.

I basically esteem inform dictation as a writing different, however I’d also restful be basically focused. e.g., I tried “freewriting” by inform when I was once cleansing the john once, and it turned out sloppy.

Thanks for starting this matter btw, noteworthy quiz and I’m basically liking the dialogue.

Inventive other folk to soar random strategies off.
Physical deliver with the above (glide on a shuffle with any individual, play a sport).
Queer stimuli and contexts (when you happen to never glide peek at contemporary art, glide to a contemporary art gallery and personal a look at your strategies there).

Its kinda fun to alternate between google earth / google maps satellite tv for computer see and wikipedia as you scroll alongside Alexander the Tremendous’s direction or visually check out the pyramid complexes in Egypt or quiz ghost cities within the US west, or that unfamiliar linear string of meteor craters all via the american midwest.

I endure in thoughts around the flip of the century a man who mapped out infrastructure for some grad college project getting his time duration paper labeled for having contrivance too significant detail about electrical switching infrastructure ancient aspects. Nonetheless even in 2020 there’s tons of stuff to quiz on militia bases both famed and no longer famed, and its furthermore fun to shield overhead toddle of one thing esteem the Empire Builder railroad line and overview it to my recollections of taking that trudge in person. Furthermore national parks peek attention-grabbing on google earth, at the least to me.

I delight in this, though it hurts to learn as we’re going precise into a COVID lockdown here on Sunday. Anyway, I delight in the root of up-to-the-minute art + exceptional stimuli every now and then.

I know I will be downvoted however a little bit of marijuana on occasion is mana for creativity. Accurate to get it began. Smoking quite tons of pot is a extinguish

Can any individual provide the stylish 2020 weblog youtube pinterest or whatever platform same of the 70s/80s “Pc Recreations” or “Newbie Scientist” columns from Scientific American journal from that technology?

I mean yeah its attention-grabbing to peek at cutting-edge for the time “Sport of Lifestyles” and constructing tic tac toe AI “computer programs” out of match containers and human energy, however I’m racy where you ogle that extra or much less stuff in 2020?

Currently here on HN, esteem this morning, there was once an attractive dialogue of up-to-the-minute pseudorandom amount technology and that seems esteem the extra or much less matter that would personal been turned precise into a “Pc Recreations” column or contemporary media same.

The closest acknowledge I will advance up with is about a of the language koan sites or perhaps project euler or rosalind.info project.

In the occasion you esteem doing EE hardware/firmware however completely 4 times per year I guess there’s the Adafruit box program. I personal all of them and so they had been all rather fun, however completely for a couple hours per quarter…

I guess the abilities I’m making an are attempting to repeat is esteem quite tons of gen-x computer other folk I once obtained a duplicate of SciAm journal within the mail and two hours later I’m writing a really leisurely however working mandelbrot fractal program in interpreted overall on an 80s dwelling computer, no longer since the execution velocity was once rapidly however since the enhance time was once rapidly and it was once a fun and engaging experiment.

There should always be one thing esteem that this present day?

My completely decent creativity direction of:

Need one axis of curiosity, advise “velocity”, quantize it precise into about a blocks, e.g. geological, glacial, lifetime, milisecond

Then one other with as microscopic regard for basically the most indispensable as that it’s most likely you’ll imagine, let’s glide alongside with “monsters”. e.g. titan, rabid elephant, blob, abolish hornets.

Then you fair get out every box as to what the heck the intersection of these two axis mean.

Geological abolish hornets? “You quiz what you invent no longer learn about carribean islands is that they are attacking north the US and that’s the explanation why it’s making an are attempting to lag away …” crazy stuff esteem that.

In the occasion you impact this with extra rigorously chosen, work associated axis it basically works neatly too. It be indispensable to get out the full containers though, the toughest ones quit up being basically the most attention-grabbing.

This furthermore works with coming up with existing strategies.

The full direction of is supposed to force juxtaposition and consideration of strategies which you veritably couldn’t advance up with via associative links.

I note all my strategies the employ of FreeMind (http://freemind.sourceforge.win/), and veritably indicate it.

It be no longer basically being actively maintained, however since it’s in an commence knowledge format if it ever stops working that it’s most likely you’ll simply export your knowledge into whatever format org-mode uses.

In overall I invent no longer get round to doing projects till at the least 5 years after having the root, so my strategies are inclined to contrivance microscopic by microscopic over the years till the time is elegant to at final pursue them. So this format lets me shield note of the diverse strategies as I slowly impact extra compare and put extra idea into them.

I spotted you furthermore personal a weblog. Did you ogle that helps?

I personal a day-to-day journal where I log strategies/observations however it no doubt’s organized by date on GitHub (and I get paranoid about having it within the cloud, TBH). The premise of organizing round strategies or matter trees makes extra sense, though.

I strive and coach myself one noteworthy part per year, and then by hook or by crook impact a writeup to existing how I taught myself that part. And yeah, FreeMind certainly helps for that furthermore.

Intellectual now I’m about a years at the benefit of simply attributable to constructing my startup, though I personal a 20Enough+ note put up that simply wants one final round of juvenile edits heh.

When it involves matter trees, yeah the principle support is that forcing yourself to put collectively your strategies this trend helps you to personal new strategies, simply basically based on being in a suppose to quiz the relationships between things that it’s most likely you’ll no longer personal in every other case been in a suppose to quiz. This is my weblog put up that goes extra in-depth on the benefits:

https://alexkrupp.typepad.com/sensemaking/2012/09/program-ab…

For creativity in narrate fixing, if the narrate is neatly outlined, I’ve stumbled on that gentle bodily deliver has been really handy for clearing my thoughts and returning to the job with a refreshed viewpoint.

When coming up with inspiration I veritably strive and have faith backwards. Backwards within the sense that I’d commence with some idea which is concrete and, commence enraged by it’s extra summary kinds. So, as an illustration I’d personal in thoughts a pencil as a concrete part. I’d commence enraged by writing instruments. I’d then commence enraged by HIDs. From there that is a really perfect world to search out.

Now working remotely I are inclined to soar elegant into work and compare out to impress my projects asap, however after gazing a documentary about how ingenious other folk are procastinators I are inclined to head for a lag or ogle unrelated thunder (avoiding politics) corresponding to philosophy arts and history. Having your brain switching context has helped me coming up with new strategies.

Engaging! Dwell you utilize them on a conventional foundation (e.g. weekly, monthly) or is this a contrivance you put collectively will personal to it’s most likely you’ll personal a explicit narrate and also you are stuck?

Same part as you — studying, taking a peek at art, taking photos. The trick appears to be like that it’s more straightforward to commence up the “ingenious” section of my brain by enticing with work other folk personal done than making an are attempting to soar elegant in and invent one thing myself.

In reality glide and personal a vogue of projects. In the center of you’re going to get a complete bunch extra strategies. Write them down somewhere as you impact.