When it comes to many professions, it pays to have laser-like precision and focus. If you are a carpenter, it helps to know exactly what materials suit the job and the best way to utilize them. If you are an accountant, it helps to have a great understanding of the numbers and what they mean, rather than getting distracted with the history of Excel spreadsheets.
Creative jobs are different. From freelance writers to music composers, there’s something to be said about loosening that focus. The thing with creativity is that you never know where it may lead you, so what may start out as an inane idea could ultimately mature into your greatest work.
That’s why, in many ways, creativity is incompatible with common sense. It’s not logical to pursue what appears to be a random and useless thought. It would make more sense to pursue the idea that is already bearing fruit, but it is precisely by going down the less explored path, the less conventional path that you have the opportunity to discover something amazing.
From a business standpoint, certain decisions must be made. This is true. You will have to go down the more conventional paths quite often, because these are the ones that will pay the bills. And there is nothing wrong with doing this, but it is only when you embrace the chaos of holding a million ideas in your head at the same time that you can experience that lightbulb moment of pure inspiration. Sometimes, you just have to catch the beat and see where it leads you.
The embrace of chaos is the idea put forth by Malcolm Gladwell in the video embedded below. He is the author of such books as Blink
Spock will tell you that sometimes the illogical is the most logical choice.
With the new projects that I am working on at school, I have found that you have to take everything, logical and just off the wall bizarre and look at them all with no preconceptions. If you don’t you will miss some great idea’s from something you wouldn’t consider credible.