Where do you get the most awesome ideas?

MagneticMonkey

We're going to have one month together. This isn't the most awesome thread made here but i expect a few gems of it.

The question today is where do you usually get interesting ideas. Is it in the bus on the way to work/school? Is it while laying around on the meadow? Or is it while sitting alone in a room at 4 O'clock in the morning the belly full of junk food?

I usually get interesting ideas while taking a dump. Yeah i'm not kidding.
I usually sit there in front of the computer thinking about how to solve a problem (algorithms i'm a software dev.) . And then poof it just happens while relieving myself. I often try to solve a problem by just trying trying and trying while i often get the feeling that it would be better to just go out for 20 minutes walk around and breathe a bit of fresh air.

As there are also a lot of good artists here let's see where arlong park receive enlightenment.

bartholemew kuma

^lol wut.. well for me all my ideas come to me when playing football, they seem to just hit me.

Charzonsos

I can get an idea from anything, but I get alot mostly when I am trying to occupy time… or I see something intriguing. You will be surprised what kind of ideas I get from a carrot, monkey, and two bags of Funyuns.

Cahum

In my mind.
But seriously, I don't really get good ideas.

Mr M

whentalking with people

SleepySlug

When I'm stuck on a proof for my research/classwork I usually sleep on it. Often I'll wake up with a good insight for the problem. I'm not sure how well this works for other problems but it's definitely my number one proof solving strategy…

I'm also in computer science by the way. Specifically, I'm working on my PhD in the area of computational geometry.

IceBorg

When im trying to sleep.

MagneticMonkey

@SleepySlug:

When I'm stuck on a proof for my research/classwork I usually sleep on it. Often I'll wake up with a good insight for the problem. I'm not sure how well this works for other problems but it's definitely my number one proof solving strategy…

I'm also in computer science by the way. Specifically, I'm working on my PhD in the area of computational geometry.

Hey that's cool. We need to meet on apfs irc chat to talk a bit I've some interesting problems regarding clipping/culling.

Gekko135

My best ideas form from other ideas. It usually happens when I screw up on a project and make a mistake.

Instead of starting over, I build off my mistake.

Mugiwara_no_Ice

I had a great idea for a manga/comic one week ago. I was trying to sleep, and I had to get up in the middle of the night to write it out.

In the past I wrote a lot of rap, and the texts just flew in my mind no matter the time or place. But I had to write them instantly or they would just dissapear as quick as they came.

Fire-Fist

good to see other people in computer science here. when i cant solve algo i usually start walking around. and somehow i am able to shut myself from everything else. as in i wont know where i am. who is around or anything… just problem in mind untill solution comes.

when i am in that state even if ppl shout next to me i cant hear them. all i get it noise that doesn't makes sense. my family hates it though

Kaze

While I'm in the shower.

ChesCa

I get my best ideas when I walk or sit staring at the computer screen for a long while.
For me, good ideas are sometimes like playing Sudoku: you just gotta' be patient until all the numbers fit together (or at the very least until you got 95% of them filled in).
The last ditch effort for my ideas is to just draw the story, and sometimes the work itself spawns the next page. Good ones, I mean.

MagneticMonkey

@Fire-Fist:

good to see other people in computer science here. when i cant solve algo i usually start walking around. and somehow i am able to shut myself from everything else. as in i wont know where i am. who is around or anything… just problem in mind untill solution comes.

when i am in that state even if ppl shout next to me i cant hear them. all i get it noise that doesn't makes sense. my family hates it though

Now that's an interesting ability. Are you able to stop this process or does it really go on till you've solved it?

Also nice to see that when we try to do other stuff our mind still continues to work on a problem even if we're not directly aware of it. When i spend a looot of time on a problem it even happens that i dream of it. And so clearly it's almost scary.

Fire-Fist

@MagneticMonkey:

Now that's an interesting ability. Are you able to stop this process or does it really go on till you've solved it?

Also nice to see that when we try to do other stuff our mind still continues to work on a problem even if we're not directly aware of it. When i spend a looot of time on a problem it even happens that i dream of it. And so clearly it's almost scary.

i donno… i never tired stopping in middle. but i dont think i could... donno... :s
errr... its hard to explain... i have written and erased this post liek 5 times and still cant point it lol... its like when i am thinking like that... i have nothing else on mind... all other feelings become null. like one time i spent a lot of time on something and when i finished i felt really week and hungry and then i remembered that i hadn't eaten for about 24 hours. But while i was solving i didn't felt anything and instead was feeling energetic walking here and there... so its sort of like i am so absorbed that stopping would be the last coming to mind.

SleepySlug

@MagneticMonkey:

Hey that's cool. We need to meet on apfs irc chat to talk a bit I've some interesting problems regarding clipping/culling.

IRC huh? I've actually never used it before. Shameful, I know, but this is what happens when you're a computer scientist who dislikes computers. Consequently, I even write all my proofs and draw all related images by hand before committing time to typing them up. I do love Turing machines though.

Anyway if I can figure out how to work it I'd be happy to talk with you. While I do remember the main ideas of clipping/culling from my undergraduate computer graphics class, I don't know if I can be much help. Nonetheless, I definitely like hearing about interesting problems.

cottonsocks

@IceBorg:

When im trying to sleep.

Here the same! :ninja:

Chocula

Usually in the shower, on the toilet or at night when I'm trying to sleep. Those are the situations that help me think the most. But if I really want to come up with something good (usually a song or something) it never happens. I just get the ideas out of nowhere and most of the time I forget'em before I can write them down.

Insider2000

When listening to music. I'm an unofficial writer, and I often think of some of the most dramatic moments through song. Character deaths, love confessions, or even fights.
In the shower, which is where most people think a lot (other than the toilet, which I generally stop thinking due to hand held games or labtops).

Chrissie

1. While I am walking the dog
2. While I am blasting music through my ears
3. While I am taking a shower
4. While I am trying to sleep

afan

@SleepySlug:

IRC huh? I've actually never used it before. Shameful, I know, but this is what happens when you're a computer scientist who dislikes computers. Consequently, I even write all my proofs and draw all related images by hand before committing time to typing them up. I do love Turing machines though.

Anyway if I can figure out how to work it I'd be happy to talk with you. While I do remember the main ideas of clipping/culling from my undergraduate computer graphics class, I don't know if I can be much help. Nonetheless, I definitely like hearing about interesting problems.

I'm a pacer like the other guy…also CS
Walking makes me think, jogging/running makes me stop thinking.
I also agree with the 'staring at the screen' person.

When I started we were using dumb terminals half the time. I only had one class, long ago, relating to graphics...it's a distant memory. But that doesn't matter because I don't have any artistic talent anyway.

Sea

When I am thinking.

Bucephalus

when running or biking
or when I haven't seen a single human being for hours

I mean, I can write something down if someone wants an essay or a story, and, yes, it may be good, but it's highly unlikely that I put any emotion or passion into it

Airflow

I just get them periodically. Helps if I'm alone.

iPenguin

Tend to get ideas or potential breakthrough in author's block when I am trying to sleep. Rather annoying when I gotta get up and write it down so I don't forget.

Crossword

Showering, or just simply walking somewhere. That's when I can get the juices really flowing.

Akumu

@Kaze:

While I'm in the shower.

Same here.

As a writer, I also get a lot of ideas from dreams I remember.

Hiroy

I use to write ideas down from dreams thinking it's the best idea ever. Only to read it later to wonder what the hell I wrote, and why I thought it was good. Dreaming not only affects your subconsciousness, but your common sense XD.

I get most of my ideas while taking a shower honestly. I don't know why, but it makes me feel like a new person with new ideals.

GuetaMinute

I really don't know. I'm that awesome, thanks for the compliment.

taboo

i go for walks

other than that, when im driving

Kitsune Inferno

When I should be sleeping.

Also, a lot of ideas snowball from other people, especially on this forum.

Dervish

I can't seem to get creative unless I'm pressed for time. Most good ideas come to me when I'm stressed and on a deadline. I'm not sure why. Perhaps my brain needs some motivation to kick out of neutral.

Other than that:
@IceBorg:

When im trying to sleep.

This hold true for me as well–especially when I truly need to be asleep because I have to get up early or something. Then my mind just won't leave me alone.

ChesCa

I just remembered that I also get ideas from other stories.
The Count of Monte Cristo will most likely have a subtle but needed effect on Bound: Book of Gluttony.
Doctor Who gave the Book of Greed a massive boost.
And when I was replaying Golden Sun, the plot for Thread Crashers increased at least two-fold.
I call this the Pinball Effect.
Hit the ball just right, and you got yourself a higher score than you thought you could get.

Steven D. Teach

Typically when I'm exercising, or after my third glass of scotch.

Mokenda_mint

Hurr I get most of my crack headed ideas while with my friends, having idiotic conversations, or even just listening as people spout off idiotic things.
It could be something completely irrelevant to what I produce too. I think it's just the whole concept of getting me hyped up lol

(I've noticed since I've been back in school and hanging out with my friends recently, my ideas have gone back to their old crackheaded glories :B)

"awesome" as in "actiony", on the otherhand, I usually just tend to spontaneously pull out of my butt (not literally, cuz that would be gross )

CCC

I get most of my art ideas when I'm lying in bed at 2 am trying to sleep. Or if not the ideas themselves, I like to hammer out the details of the blueprints.

All my other idea-getting and hardcore thinking takes place in the shower, where I frequently engage in monologues (either internal or voiced) which occassionally develop into dialogues between myself and a more aggressive and promiscuous Tyler Duden-esque alter-ego. Those don't usually end so well when a floormate comes into the public bathroom to take a shower in the next stall over.

Malintex_Terek

Riding the bus.

16 wheels.

kmohyudin

@metteminne:

whentalking with people

This .

iPenguin

I'd like to add "listening to music" to my list as well. Movie Trailer music (West One Music for example) is usually pretty good for inspiration.

I can agree with taboo about driving.

LaCaSiNa

There's something about showering. The steady flow of warm water pouring over you is such a pleasent feeling and if I'm in no hurry, I sometimes close my eyes and just stand there, enjoying. An excellent way to come up with ideas, since it allows both your body and mind to become relaxed.

Also, walking to wherever. Even if just going to the grocery store I bring my iPod with me and listen to music. The genre that inspires my creativity the most seems to be ambient. I love lying down in my bed, turning off the lights and drifting into obscure soundscapes. Not surprisingly, this method usually makes me come up with ideas for horror novels and the like.

eerie

Most of the time it's when I'm driving. I drive about an hour to and an hour back from my day job during the week, so aside from listening to the radio I get a lot of my thinking done during that time.

C_uggs

number 1,2 and 4 from Chrissie list

omy785

It depends…it could be while I'm surfing on the internet, while I'm going for a walk, while I'm doing number 2...

Dryish

For me, good ideas don't appear anywhere particular. They emerge and take shape when I'm deeply thinking things or processing affairs. Usually they float in my mind for a few days and while so, I try to analyze them and their possible outcome as well as I can beforehand. In most cases, I abandon them after thinking for a while, having found something bad or unpleasant about them.

Apart from the good ideas, I get the best out of me when I'm agitated. Unlike some people, my brains work better when I become slightly angry. The real nature of various aspects gets clear and my ability to make text and stand behind my opinions is greatly enhanced while going through a frenzy of some sort.

Zyordius

My mind is like fertile soil and sometimes just hearing a word or sound can be like dropping a seed in. The word/sound takes root and becomes a tree branching out rapidly. I get a lot of ideas that just kinda stay in the ground, waiting for me to water and expand it. Like Mag said, even relieving myself in the bathroom seemingly unblocks the flow of ideas sometimes. One of my favorite ways to brainstorm is to walk around very late at night under the stars and moon.

IrishLuigi

I get ideas in bed. Often infrequently, the occasional idea out of the blue.

But sometimes, very rarely, (maybe only 4 times in my lifetime so far) I get an unbelievable torrent of ideas that I actually have to get up and get a pen and paper so I could write down every idea in order to not forget them.

My last "torrent" was sometime before Christmas in 2007. Had lots of ideas for school projects, etc. Some ideas even led me to get an A in at least 3 subjects.

TLC

While listening to some exciting music and or watching a really good amv.

Or when I'm doing something random like playing with scissors and I think "Huh, no one has ever thought of using scissors in that way before".

bepo

i got lots of ideas when i try to study for my examens. i cant focus on my books but think up really wierd stuf, new drinking games or theories around tv shows/manga

misshu

if i'm trying, after i wake up. if i'm not, whenever.

Flux

When I am on the computer, or watching TV.