A technique for producing ideas

by | Jan 27, 2023 | Blog

Something light for the weekend, lol. No biggie.

Coming from a book (a pamphlet, actually) I read today called … wait for it … A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young. I read about it in an email from Shawn Twing and bought it immediately.

(Shawn is André Chaperon’s business partner, and they have been a good source of ideas in my business life.)

I was hesitant to summarize it because the book and the technique are so nuanced. But I can’t resist a good, numbered breakdown.

The technique comes from advertising but is applicable anywhere ideas matter. It rests on this assumption: All new ideas are old ideas put together in new ways.

Here it is:

  1. Gather your materials – You need two kinds of materials:

    1. Specific materials – Pertinent to the project at hand
    2. General materials – Fruits of a lifelong pursuit of curiosity
  2. Consider your materials – From all angles, trying many combinations
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  3. Let them sit undisturbed – Further proof that wisdom = giving space
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  4. An idea arrives – It feels spontaneous, but it’s due to steps 1-3
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  5. Test it out and try again – Put it into the world, find its flaws and adapt
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Looking back on my own ideas (songs, businesses, creative ventures), it rings true.

Actually, there’s another assumption in the technique. It’s that you’ve undertaken a lifelong pursuit of curiosity. That you’re fond of following your nose (and remembering what you’ve found).

If you haven’t, there’s no time like the present!

Happy nose-following,
James