| People
ask me, 'Where's the best place to think up good ideas?', hoping
that in the answer I might reveal the secret location of a magic
glade of ideas where the Fountain of Enlightenment bubbles up from
the Spring of Genius.
Of course, there are really almost
as many good places as there are ideas to be thought of in them.
On first glance it would seem that everybody has their own different,
special place, but when we delve deeper into the question we find
a few interesting facets to their commonality.
Many people would put it simply that
the best ideas come from a peaceful, relaxing environment, perhaps
in solitude. Some of the best places for this could be in woodland,
in a sauna or in your own specially constructed den. The author
Philip Pullman built a shed in his garden in which to write so that
he could have peace and quiet and be surrounded by his research.
But if the shed was the best place to write why did he write most
of his famous trilogy in a cafe in the centre of Oxford?
Perhaps the answer has to do with
how the brain works. It requires some form of stimulus and it requires
a structure (rules) within which to work.
So what about a library? I've spent
many hours in libraries not thinking about what I was supposed to
be thinking about and not being very productive at all.
Could this be because the stimulus of the Library is so much less
than the coffee shop? Less people, no noise, no nice smells. But
the library has structure - perhaps too much. Being in an environment
with so many rules that consciously need to be adheared to isn't
conducive to a free mind. That's why children mess about in the
places in which they're most tightly restricted, like giggling at
funerals. I feel faint and dizzy in delicate glassware departments
in shops, 'don't knock the cabinet!' says the voice in my head.
I start to sway as my subconscious interprets the instruction as
'smash all the expensive things'.
So we need a place that is peaceful
(we're not going to be too disturbed), is stimulating (but not too
distracting), is structured (but not regimented). All of these the
coffee shop provides. You have structure - a table and chair and
a drink and no-one is going to kick you out, push you around or
ask you what you're doing (choose your coffee shop with care).
Don't overlook the fact that change
is sometimes better than a rest - if you work in a busy office you
may get your best ideas in a peaceful place but if you work in solitude
and silence you may find your genius is unleashed at a crowd of
noise.
I know where my magic glade is. But
that would be telling. Find your own. |
