What to do with an idea???

What to do with an idea?

Many people have ideas, but very few take action and bring their ideas to life. Having an idea is easy; it takes intentional action to make it a reality.

Since I was young, I’ve enjoyed making things out of paper, particularly by wetting the paper and then sculpting it into something. As a kid, I had no idea that paper clay was something you could purchase. I just knew that I wanted to create 3D objects. I had access to paper, flour, toothpaste (which may seem like an odd choice, I know, but it was sticky and helped to hold things together while also ensuring that my projects smelled minty fresh), and other odds and ends that I would mix until it resulted in something that I could sculpt with. My recipe for paper clay has changed over time, and it no longer includes personal hygiene products.

My love for creating with paper has remained true throughout my life, so when I discovered the blog ​Hom Sweet Hom​ and saw the fantastic objects she made from paper clay, I knew that I HAD to explore this magical material for myself.

Like many other people, in 2020, I started to grow houseplants. I’d always believed that I didn’t know how to keep plants alive, so I started with plants that were supposed to be hard to kill. Four years later, either those plants are HARD to kill, or I’m better at caring for plants than I gave myself credit for. I also learned about propagation during this time, and my plant collection has grown, causing me to run out of planters.

I used paper clay to make new playful pots for my plants.

Idea: Create planters with paper clay

Once I have an idea, I add constraints to focus my concept. For the first round of this project, I determined that I had to make the paper clay from junk mail and scrap paper and that I would build the armature for the planters from things that I already had at home.

What are constraints, and why should you add them to your ideas?

Constraints are rules that help you focus your idea and reduce the number of decisions you must make. In my example above, without constraints, I could have spent endless time and money looking for and purchasing items I could use to build armatures. Instead, I quickly explored my stash of plastic pots, gathered my dowel rods, and empty yarn cones.

Constraints can be related to the size of your work, the amount of time you’ll spend creating it, your color palette, the materials you use, or even your processes.

The goal of adding constraints is to help you focus on making the decisions that matter and let the “rules” you’ve put in place make the rest of the decisions for you.

Action: Reflect on your idea and write down 1-3 constraints.

Break down your idea into small, actionable steps.

We often need help moving from idea to execution because there are things that we still need to understand, or the idea is too big and feels daunting to try to get to the finished result.

Answer the following questions:

• What do you need to better understand about your idea?
• What must you practice to help you feel more confident in your idea?
• What experiments do you need to do?

Let’s go through another example together.

My husband loves to make pizza, and he’s been making and perfecting it for over a decade. When he shares his pizza with others, they always have questions—my idea is to create a picture book about pizza that addresses the questions posed. I want the book to be informative, easy to understand, and playful.

What do I need to better understand about my idea?

1. The different types of pizza that my husband makes
2. The science of making pizza dough
3. How I want to present the information in a book format
4. How I wish to represent Dan, my husband, as a character in the book
5. Who are my primary and secondary audiences, and how does that influence/inform the work?
6. What do I want the illustrations to look like?

When you’re struggling to move from an idea to taking action, it indicates a gap between what you need to understand about the concept and what you know. By writing out a list of all your questions, you’re building a path of research and experimentation.

After creating the list of things we need to understand better, we need to seek that information. I can ask my husband for questions 1 and 2 above and take notes. 3,4 and 6 are really about experimentation and practice. Let’s look at how I would break those down.

How I want Dan, the character in the book, to look

1. Take photos of Dan making pizza, capture various positions and movements
2. Create 5-10 versions of “Dan”
3. Reflect on the many versions, determine what I like and don’t like, and turn that into the final character

What I want the illustrations to look like

1. Go to the library and check out 15-20 picture books and 5-10 cookbooks.
2. Review and make a note of what I like and don’t like. Take photos of what I enjoy and/or trace a few of my favorite elements.
3. Take these ideas and create rough layouts for 3-5 spreads.

Take Action: Based on your list of things you need to better understand about your idea, what are 3-5 steps you need to take?

Hopefully, you can see how I’m progressing toward my final goal, refining my idea, and documenting my thought process.

At this point, you’ve created constraints, researched, and practiced, providing more direction toward bringing your idea to life. You might have discovered that your idea has changed, and that’s okay; it’s part of the process. Too often, we dig our heels in on our first idea; instead, allow your idea to guide you and change as you learn and grow.

It’s time to bring the whole version of your idea to life.

Review your notes and sketches; what do you like and why? What don’t you like and why? Make a note to let go of the parts you dislike.

You have all the information you need to bring your idea to life; the last step is adopting a mindset that believes YOU can do the work.

If you’re still having trouble moving forward, take a moment and think about what is holding you back.

• Are you afraid the work won’t be good enough and you won’t receive praise from others?
• Are you afraid that you might not earn the grade that you want?
• Are you worried that even though you’ve spent a lot of time researching and practicing, there still might be a gap between your vision and what you can create?

Those feelings are a normal part of doing anything new. Some people might not like your work, but that’s okay; focus on those that do, and make sure you’re proud of what you’ve done and how you’ve spent your time. You might not earn the grade that you want. That’s a tricky part of life: focus on what you can control. There might still be a gap between the vision that you have in your mind and your skill level, and the only way to improve your skill level is to keep going.

How do you go from idea to finished piece? Start and then

Keep going.

​This post is sponsored by The Breakdown. ​

For creatives striving to bring their ideas to life. This NEW 2 week email series will help you take action. It’s 100% FREE. You’ll be checking things off your list before you know it.

If you need help generating ideas or want additional support helping you to keep your ideas moving forward, I’ve got you covered. ​Experiments with Marks, Materials, and Meaning,​ is FILLED with prompts to give you endless ideas.

​Experimentation Notecards​ : Experimentation notecards make it simple to introduce an experiment into your work at any time. Pick one or more of the 52 prompts, read the prompt, and take action.

​Art Creation Cards​: Art Creation Cards are your sidekick, coach, cheerleader, and idea generator. Gather your favorite supplies, pick a card, follow the instructions, pick another card, and keep going until you’ve filled your page. Go through the cards as many times as you wish.