100 Notes on Creativity

Good ideas often begin with ordinary observations.
Pay attention to the things that make you curious.
Write down ideas before you forget them.
Look outside your field for new ideas.
Question things that everyone else takes for granted.
A mistake can reveal something worth exploring.
Sometimes the smallest detail is the most interesting part.
Try combining two ideas that don't usually belong together.
An idea doesn't have to be useful immediately.
Revisit old ideas. You might see something you missed.
Give yourself uninterrupted time to think.
Creativity needs time without the pressure to produce.
Your first answer doesn't have to be your final answer.
Spend longer with a problem before choosing a solution.
Make time to play without needing a result.
Take breaks before you lose perspective.
A walk can help when thinking harder doesn't.
It's easier to think freely when you're not being interrupted.
Ask yourself when a decision actually needs to be made.
Don't let urgent tasks consume all your thinking time.
Start with a rough version instead of waiting for a perfect plan.
Make something small enough to finish today.
Give yourself permission to make a bad first attempt.
Don't compare your first draft with someone else's finished work.
You often discover what an idea is by trying to make it.
If you're afraid of getting it wrong, make a private version.
Do some of the work before buying more tools.
You don't need permission to try an idea.
Start before you know exactly how it will end.
Your work becomes easier to judge once it actually exists.
Try the obvious solution, then come up with three alternatives.
Change one thing at a time to see what makes a difference.
Follow an unexpected result before trying to correct it.
Make a version that breaks your usual rules.
Try something ridiculous. It might lead somewhere interesting.
Change the format if an idea isn't working.
Use randomness to escape your usual habits.
Experiments don't need to succeed to teach you something.
Sometimes a mistake is the best part.
Keep the versions you rejected. They might be useful later.
Make things you genuinely want to see or use.
Your interests are a useful starting point for creative work.
Learn from people you admire without copying their work.
Your experiences can make familiar ideas feel new.
Don't confuse a popular style with your own taste.
Say what you mean, not what sounds impressive.
Trying to please everyone can make your work less interesting.
Ask what you can bring to an idea that someone else wouldn't.
Not knowing the usual approach can be an advantage.
Being original isn't the same as being strange.
Fewer options can lead to more interesting decisions.
Try creating something using only one colour, tool, or material.
A rule is only useful while it helps your work.
If you always work one way, try doing the opposite.
New tools can help you discover new ways of making things.
A tool can help you make something, but it can't decide what's worth making.
Don't add an effect just because your software offers it.
Limitations can give a project its character.
The same idea can mean something different in another setting.
You don't have to master a tool before experimenting with it.
A difficult task becomes easier when you make the next step smaller.
Research can become an excuse not to begin.
If you keep avoiding a project, ask yourself why.
Take a break when working harder isn't helping.
Change your surroundings before giving up on an idea.
Try explaining your problem to someone else.
If two options both feel wrong, look for a third.
Don't make a decision just to escape uncertainty.
The easiest solution isn't always the most interesting.
You can question your work without questioning your ability.
Decide what you want your work to communicate.
Make the most important part easy to notice.
Remove anything that distracts from the main idea.
Just because something took effort doesn't mean it should stay.
Compare two versions side by side instead of relying on memory.
Review your work as though you're seeing it for the first time.
Small changes can make a big difference.
A simple idea can lose its impact when too much is added.
Don't polish the details before checking that the whole thing works.
Stop editing when your changes aren't making the work better.
Let people suggest ideas before anyone starts judging them.
People share more ideas when they're not afraid of being wrong.
Humour can make serious discussions more creative.
Let quieter people speak before the loudest voices take over.
Build on someone's idea before dismissing it.
Good feedback explains what's working and what isn't.
Ask people what confused them, not just whether they liked it.
Someone seeing your work for the first time may notice what you've missed.
Take feedback seriously without following all of it.
The best idea doesn't have to be yours.
Decide what finished looks like before you start endlessly revising.
Set a deadline if you keep putting off finishing.
Good work still needs to get finished.
Give an idea time to develop, but not forever.
Share your work to learn how other people experience it.
Don't confuse changing something with improving it.
Other people's reactions aren't the only measure of your work's value.
Finishing one project creates space for the next.
Learn from what didn't work instead of calling the whole project a failure.
After finishing a project, write down what you'd do differently next time.

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