Spontaneous Sparks

The Role of Unplanned Ideas in Creativity

Are spontaneous ideas the best ideas? Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. But what unites them is a certain magic that the rational mind seems to overlook, and thus, naturally, we miss something.

But how do we evoke it? You cannot force it. At the same time, however, it cannot be said that they appear purely by chance and uncontrollably.

For me, for example, they appear most often in times of distress: in time, in energy, and certainly in some other form. In short, when I lack something (time, I'm hungry, I'm tired...), the subconscious begins to speak up more forcefully, overwhelming the tired rational mind, and spontaneous ideas begin to flow freely.

I realize, though, that this is not the best method - to work to exhaustion and then go on even further - and moreover: it doesn't always work. For what is essential are the conditions that accompany the spontaneous ideas. Are we open to them at all? Do we let them in? What is our focus? Are we concentrating on one thing, or are we thinking in a hundred different directions? And we could go on and on...

So, spontaneous ideas can be defined as glimpses into our unconscious. "The unconscious does not simply serve the ego; it is the source of our most spontaneous and authentic ideas," Carl Jung once said. And it really is true. This is after all what has happened and is happening to me when I am exhausted, but it can also happen in other ways.

When we allow our minds to relax, when we let go of the tight grip of overthinking, the unconscious can emerge, bringing with it a host of ideas - both unexpected and profound. Or, as Jung later noted, the key is to eliminate 'critical attention', thus creating a vacuum in consciousness.

According to him, we should simply concentrate on a particular mood and try to become as aware as possible of all the fantasies and associations that arise. The aim was to allow the imagination to play freely, without leaving the initial affect in a free associative process.

You may hear inner words, perhaps only fragments or seemingly meaningless phrases, but even if it doesn't make sense to you at the time, write it down. It is these ideas, these fragments, that will later lead you to new discoveries.

I really liked that.

What about you? Do you use spontaneous ideas in your work? What techniques do you use to bring them out? Let me know in the comments.

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