Over this series on creativity, we’ve been courting ideas. We’ve limited strict objectives in machine learning to let creativity surprise us (Part One), we’ve brainstormed in the best possible ways to develop awesome ideas as a team (Part Two), and we’ve learned about creativity from one of the most groundbreaking music producing duos in recent history (Part Three).

This begs a series of questions: what are ideas, where do they come from, and how do we keep them growing once we’ve attracted them?

It’s as natural as breathing to “have” an idea, but did you know there’s a whole theory that ideas are actually alive?

You can travel down a rabbit hole as deep as the center of the Earth if you want to learn about the “idea” of ideas being alive, but here’s the general outline:

1. Ideas need a human to inhabit and share them.
2. Some ideas are better at being shared than others.
3. Certain ideas have staying power while some die out over time.
4. Individual humans can be more receptive to “new” ideas vs established ideas.

One example is memes. In fact, there is an entire field of study called memetics that studies how memes are “created” and spread throughout human populations. Memes tend to imprint on your memory. They have a way of sharing a laugh or a concept in a very cutting way.

The “This is fine.” dog is a good example. That idea has staying power. It means something in a lot of contexts and can mutate without loosing the essential idea of trying to pretend things are "ok," while sitting in a house on fire.

This conversation can get creepy fast, and I don’t want to focus on meta-ideas like different religions and philosophies, which are very good at spreading. But if you do want to creep yourself all the way out about intangible, invisible ideas that might getcha at any moment, watch this video: Dangerous memes | Dan Dennett

We’ve all seen dangerous ideas at work in our society, but we’re here to talk about ideas that can help you succeed.

Let’s talk about the ideas you are courting. The ideas that will help you have a better life.

Let’s talk about ideas that will help you solve problems, fix bugs, or make products that improve life for other people.

That’s not dangerous, that’s helpful.

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The first place I heard about the concept of ideas being alive was from Elizabeth Gilbert in Big Magic.

Big Magic is a wonderful book. Full stop. It’s especially good if you are trying to make ANYTHING. Gilbert really gets into her understanding of ideas and one summary of the book put it like this:

“Gilbert believes ideas are organic and animated as are plants and animals. Like the plant or animal, she conceives of the idea as a separate entity that interacts with us, having its own consciousness and will to existence. Further, she states that human collaboration is the act that gives rise to the manifestation of an idea. She models this phenomenon as an act of possession, using the imagery of a ghost “swirling around” for “eternity,” waiting for a human host.”

Ok, it might feel a little intrusive and weird, but we all have ideas. We rely on them. I need ideas, you need ideas, and ideas need us. If it’s symbiotic, let’s go with it.

Gilbert goes on to describe the "possession" process as voluntary though, you can accept or reject an idea. That’s intuitive. We do it every day.

Sometimes ideas are pretty impatient. So if you say “no, thank you”, the idea will move on! You know how sometimes you have an idea, but sit on it for a while, then you see someone else putting that idea into action? That idea really wanted to get out into the world and maybe you weren’t the one to do it.

That being said, sometimes passing on an idea is the best move. Maybe you have an idea that isn’t the best fit for you personally. Maybe it makes sense for someone from another professional background or culture to create it. The idea can be really good, but it may not fit your interests or your story. You may lose your motivation to see the project through. That’s probably one you should let pass you by.

Gilbert is not alone, renowned sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick puts it this way:

“Once in a great while, however, [a writer] happens by chance onto a thoroughly stunning idea new to him that he hopes will turn out to be new to everyone else. An odd aspect of these rare, extraordinary ideas that puzzles me is their mystifying cloak of -- shall I say -- the obvious. By that I mean, once the idea has emerged or appeared or been born -- however it is that new ideas pass over into being -- the novelist says to himself, "But of course. Why didn't I realize that years ago?" But note the word "realize." It is the key word. He has come across something new that at the same time was there, somewhere, all the time. In truth, it simply surfaced. It always was. He did not invent it or even find it; in a very real sense it found him.”

Both Gilbert and Dick mention the phenomenon of multiple people in different parts of the world “discovering” or realizing a big idea at the same time. As if it had been born or reached a phase where it was permeable to human consciousness.

Well, ok, this is great for authors or inventors to think about, but we need to get down to the nitty gritty. How do software engineers and folx in the tech industry welcome really good ideas and nurture them into fruition?

How do you take your seed of an idea–a brilliant idea that chose you as an excellent human to work with–and grow it into a movement that inspires the world? Or gets you a promotion? Or, at the very least, helps people?

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How to cultivate your ideas.

1. Say “Yes” to the idea.
2. Focus on developing the idea.
3. Be willing to carry the idea to fruition.
4. Allow your good ideas to meet others.

Say “Yes” to the idea.

The first step of working with an idea is not only to “have” it, but to accept it. You really have to say, “This is the one for me.” If you are a creative person having ideas all the time, you might be overwhelmed by ideas. It’s possible you have a lot of ideas, but rarely get ideas off the starting line. If we accept the premise here that ideas are alive, they might start to avoid you after a while if you aren’t getting them out into the world. Having ideas is only the first step. You have to accept them and agree to make them happen.

Focus on developing the idea.

Ideas need focus and attention to grow. It’s a little bit like having a baby. You have to grow the idea on the inside before you release it out into the world. Certainly, some ideas come to you fully-formed and ready to go, but others need to be developed. You probably have had an idea about how to build a project that at its core is genius, but the details, well, the details need work. Collaborating with ideas is a two-way street. You need to put some effort in too, that’s just how symbiosis works. The best ideas have thoughtful human minds behind them.

Be willing to carry the idea to fruition.

You are working with the idea, you are mulling it over, you’ve said “yes”, but other things get in the way. Ideas aren’t committed to you. If you ignore them, they’ll leave and find someone else to help them make their way into the world. They are equal opportunity type entities. Gilbert shares an instance where she had a great idea for a book, a very specific storyline, and had even sketched out the plot and started to research. However, other things came up and the book idea got shelved. Then about two years later, another author came out with a book with almost the same synopsis. 🤯 That idea had to move on.

If you take on an idea, a unique, new idea, make sure you are ready, prepared and willing to get it out into the world. Because, trust, someone else will launch that app if you don’t. No pressure.

Allow your good ideas to meet others.

No one said you had to toil alone in a basement office to use good ideas. The best ideas are shared and iterated upon. Interesting and amazing things can happen when ideas from different people–people from different backgrounds, cultures, ways of thinking, neurodivergencies, etc–start to interact. Think about it like cross-pollination. We’ll start to get some really beautiful flowers when we share our new ideas with others. It can feel important to keep a really special idea to yourself at first. Other humans can and do steal ideas. However, it’s important to be in a community of humans that help you grow your ideas into projects, projects, and real tangible things that help people, rather than just dreams in your head.

Let those good ideas mingle and vibe and who knows what you and your team will be able to create.

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So that’s it! That’s the boundless reaches of human creativity and the “living” ideas that help us along in a nutshell. If the basics of memetics are true, then nothing ever happened in human civilization without those rules. If they’re false, then it’s just another goofy idea that sounds good, but will eventually disappear. Either way, now you have one more way to think about creativity, ideas, and work with your own approach to innovation and content development.

I will leave you with a challenge.

Bearing in mind that you are susceptible to the memes and ideas that you come across in the world, in technology, even in the way you code, I challenge you to bring three new perspectives into your mind this month.

• Listen to a talk from someone who has a different background from you.
• Do a tutorial in a coding language you’ve had a bias against.
• Set up a coffee chat with someone in a different country.
• Read a book written by someone of a different gender, race, or sexuality.

Maybe you won’t learn anything or feel different. Maybe it won’t affect your work or your programming at all… but maybe it will. Probably for the better.

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Sources:

Are ideas alive?: -timeandtimeless.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/ar.. -teemingbrain.com/2011/09/06/ideas-are-alive.. -youtube.com/watch?v=KzGjEkp772s -science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.1068489

Creativity and ideas: -supersummary.com/big-magic/summary -rogersbacon.substack.com/p/ideas-are-alive-..

How to nurture living ideas: -linkedin.com/pulse/4-stages-alive-idea-suzy.. -thecrisramos.com/ideas-are-alive-a-how-to-o.. -hbr.org/2022/05/how-the-best-teams-keep-goo..