Why is it the best ideas come unbidden at inconvenient times?

When these stereotypical moments of inspiration happen for me, the ideas arrive in one great, sudden, unwieldy package. All at once I receive a complete story, rather than single lines or paragraphs that trickle in at a more manageable rate. More a spectator than a participant, I stand on the sidelines of my mind and marvel at the intricacy and completeness of the ideas passing by.

Despite the power with which they come, the ideas are ephemeral. The trick is to capture them before they get away.

If you fail to capture an idea, you’re like a surfer who misses a wave: you’ve lost all the energy that propels you forward into action. Once that initial wave is gone there is no way to recapture it. You may find a different wave later or you may be able to make your own, but the one that slipped away is gone forever. And for creative people who live or die by good ideas, every missed opportunity hurts.

To have any hope of gleaning something of value from these moments of transitory inspiration, you must develop the habit of capturing ideas as they occur to you. As Louis Pasteur famously said, “chance favors the prepared mind.”

An important part of being prepared is surrounding yourself with the right tools. Naturally, my most important tool is a sketchbook. I also use less analog methods, including a voice-to-text app on my smart phone and an array of Google docs (especially for writing projects). In a pinch, I can get by with a pen and a napkin.

Choosing the right tools has everything to do with your preferences and your process. Experiment. Once you understand how you create your best work, it will be easy to find the right tools to support your process. The best tools are flexible, allowing you to capture ideas regardless of where you are, and attractive enough that you want to carry them with you everywhere.

That said, what I use to record the idea is less important than the habit I’ve developed of always carrying a sketchbook. After nearly thirty years, my sketchbook and drawing materials have become a helpful added appendage. And whenever I have a burst of inspiration, the habit of capturing ideas is so ingrained that I can do it without breaking the rhythm of whatever else I was engaged in.

While I have developed some good habits, I am by no means flawless. I still wonder what could have been if I’d captured more of those elusive waves of inspiration. Or better yet, what could be if I find a way to make my own waves.

But that’s for another post.