Top 10 ideation tips to help you come up with big ideas.

As an advertising copywriter, ideation is a critical part of my job description. The other writers, art directors, and web designers that I work with are expected to come up with “Big Ideas” every day. Which isn’t always easy.

In fact, being creative on demand can be really challenging, especially if you’re tired, the product is boring, or you’ve worked on the account for two years and have already explored every possible angle.

But creative professionals all have ideation techniques they use to generate great concepts, even when they’re uninspired. Here are ten tricks they use to come up with original ideas:

My old creative director was impressed that my partner and I always came up with five or six good ideas for every assignment. But what she didn’t know was that we had to think of 500 in order to get any that didn’t stink.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Even the best creative minds have bad ideas 90% of the time. What sets them apart is that they generate so many ideas that some of them are bound to be good.

Babe Ruth led the American League in strike outs five years. If you want to eventually connect, you have to take a lot of swings at the ball.

And write down everything you think of.   Everything.   Been done before?  Doesn’t matter.  Too hard to execute?  Not necessarily.  Too expensive?  Write it down any way.  Lots of ideas that aren’t brilliant at first, turn out to be diamonds in the rough.  With a little polishing, you just might have a jewel on your hands.

Think about your problem for a while, and then go do something else.  If the schedule permits, sleep on it.  It’s amazing how many times the solution to a pesky challenge will miraculously come to you the next morning.

There’s a reason that advertising agencies have pool tables, dart boards, and ping pong tables in the creative department.  Exercising your body – even a little – can unlock your mind.  When you concentrate too hard, your muscles tense and the blood flow to your brain is restricted.  Next time you’re stuck, take a walk, bounce a ball, or play a game of Twister.  I promise you, it will help.  If you’re stuck at your desk, smile.   Then, hold it until you feel your mood lighten.  If you need help smiling, watch this:

Something astonishing happens when you put people together who think with different sides of their brains. That’s why agencies team up art directors with copywriters. The ideas they come up with together are vastly superior to what each could have produced on his or her own.

Don’t believe me? Think about the ultimate creative team – Lennon and McCartney. Together, they were unbelievably creative. Apart, they weren’t really that special. Find your own sweet guy or bad boy to bounce ideas off. The more different they are from you, the better.

Even if it’s arbitrary and self-imposed.  I can’t tell you how many times the “Big Idea” didn’t appear until the last possible moment.   If there’s no deadline, you‘ll never be done.

There’s an apocryphal story about the CEO of a drill-making company who was at his wit’s end trying to figure out how to sell more drills.  Then he had an epiphany.   He realized that his company was not in the tool-making business, but in the hole-making business. The distinction helped the organization see itself differently, and before you knew it, they were selling lasers by the score.

Americans believe that if you’re having a good time, you’re somehow shirking your duties.  But the truth is that companies that foster a fun work environment are more efficient, more productive, and have higher employee-satisfaction scores.  Even if you work alone, decorate your workspace with things you enjoy and find amusing.

Any really great idea is a little bit unexpected.   That’s part of what makes it great.  Several years ago, I was in the Boise Airport, and I ran across a vending machine that sold live worms.  These days, bait shops are few and far between, many people come to Idaho just to fish, and those who do wouldn‘t know where to go to buy bait.   Genius, I thought.  But you can bet that the idea was initially greeted with more than a little skepticism.  Some times, others won‘t share your enthusiasm for your idea.  When that happens, use your passion to convince them.

The more you worry about coming up with a great idea, the harder ideation becomes.  Relax.  Tell yourself that you’ve done this a thousand times before -- even if you haven’t.  Think about the rush you get when you do have a moment of brilliance.  And have complete confidence that the perfect idea is out there, it just hasn’t come to you yet.

If you follow these simple steps, you'll likely end up with more great ideas than you know what to do with.  Enjoy the process.