1.Rarity
Ideas are brittle sparks floating in our mind. And let’s be realistic, 95% of our ideas are crappy. If you are in some branch of a creative industry you probably know that. The process of coming out with something new, clever or innovative is painful. We strive. We wrestle with our own consciousness. And the outcome is not guaranteed.
Despite the odds, we do not bow. We are bound to generate new ideas. Make it hundred, make it thousand. To separete the wheat from the chaff. Find these that are worth it. It is only a fraction of your ideas. However, the rarer they are, the more quality they bear.
And when that idea comes, catch it. Write it down, sketch it, voice record it.
2. Execution
Let’s assume we have one of these ideas. Here comes the second thing. Execution. The complication is, you are responsible for making the reality out of your idea. You can scream and shout your idea to the world, but other people are either too preocuppied with their own lifes, or afraid that it would be stealing. In other words, if you have a great idea, and that idea might help people, be innovative, change the city you live in, and if you are exceptional, it might change the world, but still, nobody will turn it into reality but you. The idea exists only in your head, maybe on a piece of paper or just a napkin. The crucial is to make it happen. Who knows how many good ideas have been forgotten because they stayed just ideas.
When you have found the right one. Make it reality.
3. Fear of uncertainity
However, what if you thought that this was the one, but it really wasn’t. Is it that particular idea really worth it. Some ideas might appear gold at the beggining. After a while, however, they start to fade. It seemed so simple. But maybe that is just your vision, clouded by an image of hard work that needs to be done to make the idea happen. And the idea is indeed gold or at least golden. And you need to finish it. And if you persist and complete what you have started. The hard work will be seen. Even if the idea was less than perfect, the input from you is undeniable. And that work
And that work can in the end shine brighter than the initial idea.
And all that is what kind of drives me insane. I have lots of ideas. But most of them have no value, and the ones that are possibly good might need hours and hours of work. And I am afraid they would be dissapointment. I am not interested in paper projects. I admire architecture, I love going to exhibitions showing never realized, sometimes ethereal projects from architecture schools. However when I lay pen down on the paper, after the first draft I want to test the idea. I would like to make it happen and see if it works in reality. And I need means that can help me to do that. It makes me sad that our school project are just a learning tool. Many of these houses carry brilliant ideas, interesting choices and hours of work. They will live in a school archive and eventually they will be forgotten. It is a sad destiny. However I believe their oblivion will result in a higher quality of the work that will be built by us. Hopefully. And that is the daily inner battle. To overcome these thoughs and focus on the result. Pick the valuable ideas, make them happen, and avoid the fear of the result.
You might be surprised what you can achieve when you channel your energy.
Cheers
Ondrej