{"id":2402,"date":"2021-01-29T20:41:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T20:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dougburgett.net\/blog\/?p=2402"},"modified":"2021-02-01T17:51:36","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T17:51:36","slug":"journal-and-sketch-your-way-to-the-best-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dougburgett.net\/blog\/journal-and-sketch-your-way-to-the-best-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Journal and Sketch Your Way to the Best Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.<\/p>Victor Hugo<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So, you\u2019re looking to improve the quality of your ideas. Or maybe you\u2019re looking for ways to generate more ideas. Either way, you\u2019ve come to the right place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact is every person on the planet, including you, has an endless supply of ideas and all it takes is a little work to pull those ideas out and make them wonderful. How exactly? Well, there are many ways to improve your ideation skills, but journaling and sketching are two simple techniques that will help you generate and refine ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mining for Ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ideas aren\u2019t always obvious. The best way to uncover them is to regularly release your subconscious thoughts through writing and sketching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take some time each morning and journal. It\u2019s good to do this before you do much else so you can let your thoughts flow and refrain from being critical. Then read your writing a few weeks later. You\u2019ll be surprised with what comes of this, even if you don\u2019t think you\u2019re producing anything useful in the moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There may be plenty of days you do not feel like writing. That\u2019s ok. Write anyways. Write about whatever comes to your mind, even if that\u2019s an outpouring of how much you don\u2019t feel like writing. Trust this process, because ideas emerge from your stream-of-conscious writing all the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping a sketchbook is another great way to uncover buried ideas. Set aside time to doodle. Make it a habit. Doodle in meetings or at breakfast. Doodle with your family or your friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t matter if you consider yourself an artist, or if you don\u2019t think you can draw. It is not about drawing. It\u2019s about making marks on paper. It\u2019s about creating visual representations of what is in your mind. This doesn\u2019t mean literally drawing what you have in your mind, although that can certainly be a part of sketching. It\u2019s about allowing space for you to let your subconscious thoughts come out in abstract, visual form, as opposed to only through words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like with your journal, revisit your pages after a few weeks. This process will open your mind to new thoughts and ideas, maybe completely unrelated to what you were conceptualizing at the time you were sketching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to generate a lot of ideas, since only a few will rise to the top as great ideas. When you keep a journal and sketchbook do not judge any activity within those pages. That space is reserved for anything and everything that comes to mind. Your goal should be to fill as many pages as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes time to review older pages, that\u2019s when you\u2019ll see what ideas actually have some substance. Or, you may have a moment when your mind harks back to something in your journal or sketchbook. That\u2019s another way for an idea to take flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just keep in mind that most of the raw material within your journals and sketchbooks won\u2019t consciously amount to anything. However, that material is key in subconsciously generating ideas. It\u2019s value cannot be understated. It\u2019s a process and volume is critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refinement <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your journal and sketchbook shouldn\u2019t be reserved simply for dumping subconscious thoughts and visuals. Once an idea starts to get some traction, your journal and sketchbook are both wonderful places for refinement. Map things out. Write your thoughts. Do what you do while mining for ideas, but now spend that time focused on a single idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your goal in the refinement stage is to dig deep. Get specific. Your ideas will start to take shape even if you don\u2019t realize it. Again, separate yourself from what you\u2019ve done and things will be more clear. Take a break. Let some time pass and revisit what you\u2019ve written or sketched. This is when refinement will really become obvious. You\u2019ll see what works and what doesn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you know it, an idea that came from subconscious material in your journal or sketchbook will get refined in those same books and become something great. Trust the process and never let up. Ideas will become something very intuitive for you, and you\u2019ll have a greater quantity of top-notch ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Factors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even though journaling and sketching can help dramatically with the ideation process, we cannot ignore other factors that come into play. These factors include other people, activities, demands, timelines, etc. These things will certainly affect your ideation but they should not deter you from journaling and sketching. Always go back to your journal and sketchbook to generate and refine your ideas. It works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each of us has an endless supply of ideas. All it takes is a little work to pull them out and transform them into gems. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2404,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creativity","is-cat-link-borders-light"],"yoast_head":"\nJournal and Sketch Your Way to the Best Ideas - Doug Burgett<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dougburgett.net\/blog\/journal-and-sketch-your-way-to-the-best-ideas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Journal and Sketch Your Way to the Best Ideas - Doug Burgett\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Each of us has an endless supply of ideas. 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