Where in the world do ideas come from? And where is my next good idea when I need it? Most of us in media leadership are constantly looking for ideas…for our next program…our next brochure…our next fundraising letter. And it seems like a mystery where those ideas are. Are they hiding? Do we just wait for the inspiration? What if we don’t have time to wait?

My friend Phil Cooke has a book out called Ideas on a Deadline: How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking. We can all benefit from his insight. Phil says, “One of the most destructive myths about creativity is the idea that we need to wait for inspiration.” Cooke goes on to quote artist Chuck Close, who said, “Inspiration is for amateurs—the rest of us just show up and get to work.”

From his personal experience, Phil Cooke says, “…creativity isn’t about waiting for inspiration, hearing from a muse, or having a ‘eureka’ moment. Creativity isn’t mystical, weird, or illusive; it’s simply solving a problem on a deadline.”

Over 80 years ago James Webb Young put together what has become a classic for those who must think creatively. It’s called A Technique for Producing Ideas. I could probably do a whole seminar session on what’s revealed in the little 62-page book. But let me see if I can highlight a few key principles that will help.

Young says there are types of folks who have a great capacity for ideas. They are the type who aren’t easily satisfied with the status quo and are always looking over the horizon for something new and fresh. But even for them, ideas aren’t automatic. The author, who spent many years in the advertising world, says there are principles to know and methods to consider. He likens generating ideas to Henry Ford and his assembly line to build cars.

One of the principles Young mentions is that most ideas are simply combining old elements in new ways. I have often said that there are a limited number of notes in music. No one is inventing new notes on the piano. Yet there are millions of songs, and thousands of new ones daily based on those old notes.

Young builds on this principle by then turning to the method of generating new ideas. He points to five steps that we can only mention briefly:

  1. Gather the raw information or material and try to see new relationships in this material.
  2. Think over the information you have gathered. Look at it like looking into a kaleidoscope, turning it this way and that to see it in a different light.
  3. Set the process aside for a bit. Try not to think about it. Stepping away from the process often gives you new insight.
  4. At this point, your idea may appear. It may come to you in a flash when you least expect it. (We usually call this “inspiration,” but it is part of a process.)
  5. The final step is the hard one. Take your idea out into the marketplace and see what it looks like there. Often, reality sets in and that wonderful idea isn’t as good as we thought. But with some work, it can become a powerful concept.

Of course, we have one more resource that ought to be part of the process for us in Christian media leadership. The Holy Spirit. God’s role should permeate each step of the process so that our time and efforts are centered in His will and His plan for us and the ministries the Lord has called us to.

Yes…good creative ideas are usually the result of diligent work. And just like any other thing we do, we can get better at it as we practice the process.

Isn’t that what Paul was telling Timothy in his letter to his young friend?

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 NLT

That new idea isn’t going to fall out of a tree…unless you have planted the tree and tended it and waited for the fruit to ripen. A process that can be repeated again and again with successful results.

God’s best…