It happens without warning. It just appears from nowhere. Where did it come from? How did you do that? You were just zoning out at your desk in a post Taco Bell coma and it hits you. Inspiration! Your brain is an amazing machine, and we really don’t know how it works. Where do great ideas come from?

Not to long ago I wrote a disappointed review of an article in Scientific American about new research being done on the subject of creativity. There is a similar article published in the new issue of Wired (November 2009) called “Flights of Fancy: Why an idling mind is the mother of invention” written by Clive Thompson. He talks about daydreaming and studies that are being done on the brain when it is idling. The conclusions seem to be that rather being time we are wasting it is actually a critical and complex brain function. It is similar to storage backup on a computer because the part of your brain that is active when your mind wanders is responsible for processing long term memories.

The article goes on to talk about the implications that this could have on business situations that focus on efficiency and productivity. Since daydreaming can’t be considered “billable time” it is safe to say that most businesses don’t encourage it. In reality, this could be some of the most valuable we spend at work. I am sure you can remember plenty of times when you had an insight to a problem come into your brain seemingly out of nowhere. That seems to be how our brains work, often hidden and unknown. You can’t force yourself to be creative.

The part of the article that I disagree with, however, is the recommendation that “unblocking” the social internet sites would somehow increase our daydreaming time. Letting your mind wander is not the same as updating your Facebook status or watching Flight of the Concords on YouTube. Surfing the web is an activity that requires thinking, no matter how mindless it is. Killing time and procrastinating isn’t going to lead to a breakthrough in creativity.

I would go a step further and say that surfing the web might actually stifle the creative power of daydreaming. Surfing the web, although lots of fun, keeps our brains constantly “on.” The brain is a muscle that needs to relax, too. It is the resting that is critical so that our brain can do it’s magic. Like I said when I wrote about the link between dreaming and creativity, sleep allows our minds to do things that we can’t do when we are awake. The same is true of daydreaming – if we give our minds the chance. We can’t use daydreaming as an excuse to be unproductive, but next time you come back to consciousness at your desk after a good daydream maybe you can feel a little less guilty.

I suppose I have pretty much based my design career on my intuition. Through trial and error I have pretty much stumbled upon a set of concepts that work. While this has served me well, trusting your gut can only get you so far in the business world. If you really want to have an impact you need to supplement the intuitive mentality with concepts that can be appreciated by people who aren’t interested in trusting somebody else’s gut. And let’s face it, that is pretty much everyone. When paying thousands of dollars for an advertisement, a logo, or a website there are very people in the world who would be satisfied by the rational of “take my word for it.” I believe that is probably the biggest reason for the disconnect between “creative” and “non-creative” professionals. You can create a masterpiece logo, but if you can’t communicate why it will be effective, you will be sent back to your desk to execute client requested tasks that you know will make the logo worse.

Many designers are happy with this arrangement. Endless client revisions translates to more hours, which translates into more cash. It is easier to accept the destruction of your work if you can cash bigger checks as a result. Some designers can’t handle the hypocrisy and either drop out or become the stereotypical designer making fun of the clients behind their backs.

Luckily there is an alternative besides occupational hypocrisy and pessimistic burnout. The answer is to entrench yourself in the psychology and research behind what powers your intuition. Trusting your gut is important, but it isn’t enough. Your intuition works for a reason, and you can learn to explain why. If this type of thinking appeals to you, I urge you to read a few of the books I have been enjoying recently. They are:

“Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” is a great look at why people are fooled by marketing. I think that too many people assume that the public is dumb, when in fact people are amazingly consistent and intelligent creatures. This book comes to conclusions that you couldn’t arrive at if you simply trust your intuition.

“Predictably Irrational” is a book I am just starting but I am already hooked. The problem with trusting your gut is that it makes mistakes because so much in the world is counter-intuitive and irrational. Learning how to predict the irrational is a great skill to have.

Here is some practical advice if you are trying to supplement your intuition. Study your reactions to marketing, art, and design. Sensitize yourself so that you can take mental inventory of things that you see that “work” and what doesn’t. Question everything you see. Never take anyone’s word for anything. Filter everything and never accept surface level answers to questions that seem straight forward. As you carefully study your own responses to your surrounding as well as the reactions of others you can start to apply the things you learn to your work.