Terrible Ideas

Under the Tuscan Sun — it’s one of my all-time favorite movies, and it’s chock-full of wisdom about life, love, friendship, writing, and inspiration. One of its many thought-provoking quotes sprang to mind instantly when I read this article in Inc. I could hear the voice of actress Lindsey Duncan, who played the captivating Katherine: “Terrible idea…. Don’t you just love those?” (Under the Tuscan Sun, 2003) Of course, she was talking about Diane Lane buying a villa in Tuscany, but the meaning holds true. Terrible ideas lead to the discovery of new, unintended and oftentimes amazing things.

This is the general idea that author, Yazin Akkawi was talking about in his article, “How You Can Instantly Become More Creative, According to Science.” Akkawi says, “The secret to creativity, according to science, is persistence.” And I am here to tell you that it’s absolutely key. I design and manage the design of all our publications for Monarch and there are times the ideas are just not flowing. Being on deadline and without the luxury of time, I just keep searching for ideas. The Inc. article says, “Research finds the most creative ideas tend to arise after many others have been considered and discarded, proving that the key to creative thought is to just keep at it.” I read this and thought, YES! This is my process. I’m unrelenting. I can’t walk away without at least the inspiration for the next idea. A blank page is never an option for me.

It’s reassuring when science backs up your process! As I read on, I realized I am apparently doing something right. Embracing bad ideas is necessary for uncovering great ones. Here are two reasons why:

1. Ideas that solve a problem in a unique way are usually a combination of existing ideas, many of which may seem bad at first.
2. Accepting that most of your ideas will be bad will help you move on to new ideas faster and more easily.

I can’t tell you how many times I have looked at an idea for an article and thought, that direction is not quite right. But, I try it and one of two things happen. It doesn’t work, but something about it could be changed to make it work. Or, it doesn’t work, but it sparks another idea to try. In either case, I am making progress and that’s key to staying on track and meeting deadlines.

I was thrilled to find this article, confirming my process is a positive and effective one. Because, in the world of editorial design, there is no time to sit and stare at a blank page. Bring on those terrible ideas!

— Andrea Exter, CEO and Cofounder of Monarch Media