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Ideas form the basis of actions. Artists always need new ideas, whether it’s ideas for songs, album artwork, stage moves, or otherwise. In this post, our founder & editor David Andrew Wiebe reveals a simple but effective process for generating more and better ideas.

This post originally appeared on David Andrew Wiebe. There are no alterations except to enhance clarity, cite more resources, or offer more up-to-date information.

Quick answer: Read a book. Listen to a podcast series. Take a course. First, take in relevant and inspiring information. Then, take a break. Take a shower. Go for a walk. Drive. Meditate. As your brain works on integrating and synthesizing the information you’ve been consuming, fresh ideas will begin to form. Rinse and repeat until desired outcomes are reached.

Now for the longer answer.

Step #1: Consume Relevant & Inspiring Information
Here are several sources of valuable information:

- Blog posts
- Articles
- Books
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Courses
- Mastermind groups
- Coaches and mentors
- Live events

Experiment. Try staying with a concept or topic for an hour or more. Then, try jumping around from topic to topic as you finish articles or podcast episodes.

Keep digging, reading, listening, or watching until you begin to feel excited and/or inspired.
Step #2: Take a Break & Step Away for a While
Once you’ve consumed one or more value-adding resources, try:

- Taking a shower
- Going for a walk
- Going for a drive
- Meditating

Fresh ideas should begin to form in your mind. If not, go back to the first step and try again.

Capture your ideas, such as with a journal or voice memo app.
Additional Resources on Generating Ideas
I believe James Altucher to be the foremost expert in this field. Check out his article on becoming an idea machine for more information.
https://productivityformusicians.com/throwbackthursday-how-to-generate-more-and-better-ideas/