Where do you have your good ideas? (creativity)

[Melllvar]

If INTPs are stereotypically "idea" people, I'm curious where people have their good, innovative, unusual ideas and sparks of creativity?

A lot of great ideas have been sparked by noticing something peculiar (e.g. the possibly apocryphal stories of Newton's apple or Archimedes' bathtub), but I was more specifically interested in the times and places that people find themselves experiencing a spark of insight.

Example: William Rowan Hamilton discovered quaternions while out for a walk with his wife. Leo Szilard had his ideas on both the theory for nuclear chain reactions and reconciling phenomenological and statistical theories of thermodynamics while also out for walks. I similarly remember reading another physicist/mathematician who claimed soaking in a bathtub helped his creativity.

Personally I've noticed I have a disproportionate number of my ideas while either walking my dog, swimming or taking a shower, or playing video games (this one occurred to me during Dead Space 2).

Anyway, enough talk, I wanted to hear what other people had to say. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

Walking, certainly. Even just pacing around the house.

I get lots of ideas while in lectures at uni. ' Makes paying attention somewhat difficult. Also while reading.

 

[Jesse]

Mostly before I seep which is why I try to drown it out using music. I can play with how many ideas are coming into my head so I can do it anywhere. The less I am doing something the more my ideas take over. Hence I get less ideas while reading, watching , doing ect.

 

[Yet]

in bed
somehow I usually wake up with ideas. I'm a slow waker... lie in bed 'thinking' about what I woke up with for quite a while.
Haven't got a clue why my brain decides to work out my problems for me while I am asleep but it is mighty handy.

 

[Anthile]

Dark rituals, mainly.

 

[Yet]

brushing your teeth might/could be a daily dark ritual

matter of fact: doing the dishes is definatly a dark ritual in my household ... fighting all the micro organisms and food-origined-mutated-legs-growing entities on the stove, fridge and the darkest of the darkest black hole (my daughters room which I do not enter with hoover or mop cause it would spit me out) are all dark rituals.
But sadly they do not inspire me ... I usually perform them dark rituals in stead of suicide. After it's done I just feel a bit better (relieve that it is done and does not need doing for a while). ... but does not make me very creative no ... it kills my creativity for the rest of that day.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Before sleep / Waking up / Walking / Zoning out

 

[Zionoxis]

-In the shower
-During math class
-Chemistry
-Any time I try to focus on something...... (why?)

Those are my main times. Of course, sometimes, I will just wake up to an idea on the top of my mind or it will just come to me randomly during the day. Either way, they can sometimes be rather useful.

 

[GYX_Kid]

in the shower, the lightly dissonant atmosphere + warm comfort + not much else to focus on besides thoughts is a great area for it.

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

Showers are just too short for any real thinking, imo. I need my mind to wander for hours.

 

[Lobstrich]

I don't think I have any of these stereotypical (Yeah, I think it's stereotypical) "Thinking spots" Or maybe I just haven't find what really makes me think yet.
But like Eyes, I do get alot of thoughts when I'm tying to fall asleep.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

After I shower, (where I pretty much let my mind blank) I towl off and just sit down on top of the toilet lid. Not always my best thinking, but thinking comes very easily there.

 

[Fallenman]

When I wake up sometimes dreams will leave me with interesting thoughts.

I think a lot almost any time im in the restroom.

Often times when I'm reading anything. I don't necessarily mean the ideas of the work will be going through my head, but because of something I read I start thinking about aliens using black holes in order to space travel to different points in history, from reading 'my old black cat walked across the street'.

And right after I've had caffeine.

But it tends to be incredibly random. I wish I had more control of it.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

brushing your teeth might/could be a daily dark ritual

matter of fact: doing the dishes is definatly a dark ritual in my household ... fighting all the micro organisms and food-origined-mutated-legs-growing entities on the stove, fridge and the darkest of the darkest black hole (my daughters room which I do not enter with hoover or mop cause it would spit me out) are all dark rituals.
But sadly they do not inspire me ... I usually perform them dark rituals in stead of suicide. After it's done I just feel a bit better (relieve that it is done and does not need doing for a while). ... but does not make me very creative no ... it kills my creativity for the rest of that day.

You have a very.. "dark" sense of humor.

 

[IzlaRoza]

If INTPs are stereotypically "idea" people, I'm curious where people have their good, innovative, unusual ideas and sparks of creativity?

My good ideas are typically randomly inspired.
Most of them come to mind while in the shower, or on the bus, or those last few minutes while laying in bed right before i drift off to sleep.

Also when talking to friends. I love people's expressions lol so often times, i find myself trying to out do not only my friends thoughts, but also my own craziness for a unique expression. lol

As far as artistic ideas and my creations, i usually picture something and plan it out mentally, and when i actually try to make it, it usually comes out all wrong and usually then is when another idea comes to mind, that usually is much better than my original plan.