Where Do Good Ideas Come From?
Tags: Ideas, Business Development, Freelance Writing, Tedtalks

Good ideas can literally come from anywhere and anyone. For some people it comes natural and for others, it requires more thinking and work.

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Each of the four authors/TED presenters had their own philosophies on where individuals find their inspiration for a freelance article, company, business or a personal idea.

Diana Kelly Levey identified 12 fun and creative ways to develop new ideas for freelance writing article ideas. She said that any writer, regardless of their experience, can have a difficult time thinking of what to write about for their audience.

Some of the ideas from Levey that stood out to me were to get personal, niche for article ideas, researching holidays and special dates, and identify the problems that friends and family bring up that need to be resolved. Writing articles for a targeted audience is another problem solving tactic as long as the journalist is a fantastic listener. Many of my story ideas and assignments in the past have come from milestones and annual celebrations. Finding a niche is something that has been emphasized in Media Entrepreneurship so far and something that everyone in the class will continue to discover throughout the semester. Lastly, it’s essential for any freelance writer starting off to share their personal on current events when they are in the early stages of publishing their work.

Candice Landau also came up with hundreds of strategies for coming up with a business, but the main takeaway from the article was the importance of the brain or “good ideas are networks.”

She talks about how the brain contains 100 billion neurons that form a nervous system that allows humans to make decisions, sense surroundings and issue commands to the body. Landau said the connections neurons make with one another dictates how people think, what they are capable of and allows for people to make connections regardless of age or “plasticity.”

Steven Johnson in his TED talk said that while many people get their ideas from “Eureka!” moments, there are many historical factors that contribute to new thoughts. Who knew that the first coffeehouse to open in England in 1650 was crucial to the birth of the Enlightenment period, the intellectual movement that dominated Europe and the rest of the world for 500 years. Prior to the creation of the coffeehouse, the British population had alcohol as their main beverage throughout the day before it became coffee and tea.

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Melyssa Griffin said her spark for new ideas came from the book: “Steal Like An Artist.” The two lessons from the book Griffin talks about are to travel constantly and google everything. These ideas may seem so simple but have a lot of meaning behind them. The book talked about how it’s important to leave your comfortable environment to make your brain uncomfortable and work harder. It’s even more important to surround yourself with people who think differently than you do. The book also said the entire world lives on the internet and is where all the answers can be found. Even if your friend already knows the answer to something it can be intriguing to see how they analyze a topic or situation.