Discern the Need for Input

One of the great secrets to effective creativity is, if you're finding creative output hard to come by, then shift your attention to your inputs. The outputs of our thinking are largely a function of the inputs we seek.

The title we give to the practice of deliberately pursuing fresh inputs is “seeking inspiration.” There are lots of other names for it — for example, Malcolm Gladwell calls it “finding ideas,” legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp calls it “scratching,” director David Lynch calls it “gathering firewood,” multi-sport creative genius Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson might call it “collecting,” and Tina Fey calls it “stalling” — but regardless of what you call it, having tools for seeking fresh input is an essential component of the creative process.

What are your tools?

I’ll share a couple of brief observations about my own creative practice, and the inputs that feed it. The yin and yang of input and output can be understood from two directions:

First, seeking inspiration — and the need for fresh input — is a cultivated sensibility. I've noticed that whenever I'm struggling to figure out what to write about (ie my output), the simple answer is, "seek interesting inputs." It's hard to be interesting if you're not interested! Again, this is so obvious that it's almost painful, yet I'm consistently surprised what a great litmus test it is: If I'm struggling with what to share, I've probably neglected to seek out sufficiently fresh material.

What a great diagnostic tool the habit of sharing has been for my own creative reservoir!

Second, the desire to consume inputs ought to be held in check by a steady output. Just as exercise puts our food to work, we need “work out” what we are consuming. Besides being an external hard drive for the stories I collect, blogging protects me from over-indulging my tendency to consume more knowledge without putting it to use in some way. My output practice takes time away from reading, but that’s a good thing: it keeps me intellectually “fit.”

I've heard (unverified factoid) that while the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee are both fed from the same source, the Dead Sea supports no marine life, while the Sea of Galilee is one of the most bio-diverse environments in the world. What's the difference?

The Dead Sea has no outlet!

A healthy balance between input and output is essential:

Don’t know what to make? Seek input.

Getting full? Channel your inspiration into some kind of solution. Apply your knowledge to make the world, your organization, or the life of another human being better in some small way.

Related: Find Ideas
Related: When You’re Stuck, Stall
Related: The Inspiration Discipline

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