Ditkoff's article gets you thinking about thinking, and tries to answer Einstien's question "Why is it I always get my best ideas while shaving?" He defines two schools of thought on thought: one that claims ideas come from individual attention and effort (the Western view), and one that claims ideas exist in a transcendental ethos, accessible by those in sync with the vibes (the Eastern view). His 14 techniques for conceiving ideas work regardless of which school of thought the reader ascribes to; you might even find you practice a few of these techniques without even realizing it. Most of the tips are concerned with manipulating either your state of mind or your environment, and they all are worth trying.
For example, tip #8 shows you how to manipulate your environment by reminding you to "take a break". This is a good tip if interpreted correctly, otherwise it can just be an excuse to disconnect and expect answers to knock on your door. It's important to add that taking a break only counts when it comes after long periods of focus, otherwise it's not a break, it's just being lazy. There's something important about the transition your mind makes from focusing to relaxing, I often find my best ideas in the few moments after I walk away from my work to do something else. I use this creative technique all the time in the form of cleaning. Doing dishes, straightening up, or doing laundry are all physical tasks that require little mental effort; I find my hands welcome the activity and my brain welcomes the rest.
Tip #3 shows you a way to manipulate your state of mind by "tolerating ambiguity". This is a great tip because it helps you realize that the penumbra between thinking and realizing a solution is not your enemy, rather, it is valuable creative space. This is especially true in creative fields like animation or music production, where the final product is absolutely arbitrary. The grey space in these situations are endless possibilities, and as things are ruled out and decisions are made, the project begins to take form and become less ambiguous. I believe tolerating ambiguity could also include allowing yourself to let go of a certain idea and plunge further into the grey space in order to conceive of a better idea. Sometimes I'll come up with an idea for a scene or character and I'll be so excited to be out of the grey zone that I'll want to call it finished, but rarely do these first draft ideas stay the same. After some time and reflection I'll be comfortable enough to scrap certain details, or whole concepts altogether, and re-enter the grey zone to see what comes out the other end.
Finally, tip #10 and #11, when lumped together, provides a great example of how you can simultaneously manipulate your environment and mental state to get better ideas. Tip #10 suggests "hanging out with a diverse crowd", and #11 suggests "brainstorm". Staying around the same types of people creates a comforting routine, but both 'routine' and 'comfort' are antagonists to great new ideas. It's hard to come up with new, inspired ideas if you always do the same things and hang out with the same people. Providing a little contrast in life will at least challenge your perspective, which usually results in new ideas. We've all heard about tip #11 at some point, but this article emphasizes the group aspect of brainstorming. It takes more than one cloud to storm, just as it takes multiple minds in discourse to come up with an idea. As a writer, I really value the benefits of a good group think session. There is a certain dynamic to group work you can't have if you work by yourself, unless you have MPD. If anything, more minds increases the odds that someone will think of something. More people also means more feedback, a very necessary component to any good idea.
Exercise for #4: "Make New Connections"
Nouns: boot, street, shrew, fence, wire, zombie, trunk, mud, tire, egg
Verbs: squint, drop, roll, search, holler, twist, count, stack, balance, consume
Adjectives: old, fierce, salty, soft, enormous, iconoclastic, orange, eight, wet, near
Intriguing connection story: I had quite the experience searching for easter eggs when I was eight years old. My search of the backyard yielded disturbingly low returns, so I decided to go down the hill and see if any eggs had rolled into the graveyard. I tried to vault the old wooden fence, but I slipped in some soft mud and whacked my head something fierce on a stone. When I came to, I could feel salty breath and a figure looming very near to my face, so I squinted to try to make out what it was. The figure was dripping wet, and upon further inspection, I found it to be missing an enormous chunk of his trunk. My heart jumped to up my throat and dropped down through my pants: it was Manfred, the village zombie. With a holler and a twist, I was back over the fence, loosing my boots while booking it back to the street.
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