a bright idea or spark of creativity

Photo courtesy of Johannes Plenio of Unsplash

Have you ever given any thought as to why an image of a light bulb (usually lit) is a visual metaphor or graphic symbol of a great idea or a spark of creativity?

Some experts turn to Edison’s 1879 patent of the first electric bulb. Citing the incandescent bulb as one of the most important inventions ever, it seems natural to use that as a symbol of a Eureka! moment.

But Tom Jacobs questioned that in a post written in 2010 where he says, “The notion that achieving an insight is akin to shining a light on a darkened space has been traced back to Plato.”

The question I am most often asked about my blog is how I come up with such varying topics to write about.

To be honest, when I was first considering blogging, I was a tad fearful about running out of things to say. But months before I started writing, I studied the concept of blogging and realized there were many avenues to ideas.

There are lots of bloggers who focus on one primary topic in every blog such as food, fashion, the art of selling, technology, or even my own field of public speaking.

My creative marketing friend Michelle Coe encourages me to write more often about presentation skills. So you may have noticed a slight uptick in the number of posts that mention public speaking or give advice about that subject.

But from the beginning I committed to writing material that would help my readers:

  • think from a different viewpoint
  • find ways to be grateful
  • learn new skills
  • smile

So I took my own public speaking advice about keeping an idea notebook.

Ideas are everywhere!

In the early days, I’d spend an hour or so through the week jotting down thoughts as they came to me. Stories from my past, interesting anecdotes I’d come across, experiences I’d had, books or articles I’d read…any tidbit I thought about went into the notebook.

Even now as I add new ideas each week, I mark off those that I write about. I’ve used about half of my original notebook ideas.

I jot just a snippet of information about the idea….enough to remind me of the main point.

Because ideas can be like dreams. You know the feeling; you wake up from an amazing dream and believe you’ll remember it always. Not true. Unless we almost immediately take note of our elusive dreams, they fade quickly.

The same is true of our ideas. Care for your ideas by jotting them down, either on paper or electronically. They came to you for a reason, even if you can’t discern the reason at the moment. Give them time to simmer and then go back to them.

Here are the questions I ask myself when I go back to an idea for writing:

  • Where can I go with this thought?
  • How can this be helpful to others?
  • What slant can I put on it to bring my email readers rich content?
  • How can I develop this so Lifted Up’s Facebook followers will truly feel the time spent reading it was a good investment for them?

Because yes, just like in public speaking, it’s not about ME. It’s about YOU, the reader. How interesting I think an idea is doesn’t count nearly as much as what you think about it.

Here’s the best single piece of advice I can offer about writing or public speaking:

Remember that your audience is the most important person in the room.

That room may be a conference room, a jobsite, or an auditorium.

Or even, as in this case, on the screens of my readers.