Last night I was sitting watching some mind numbing television and a commercial came on that really stuck in my head. It was a commercial for some inventors and said something like “100 years ago the patent attorney said.  Everything that can be invented has been already. Since then millions of new patents have been created.” Please forgive my recollection of the exact facts but the meaning is what stood out in my head.

Are there really no more original ideas? Do we just borrow bits and pieces of things to create new ones?

My answer would be, no and yes. I think that ideas are just a collaboration of thoughts that are taken apart and then creatively constructed back into something new. As designers we are constantly borrowing from others, from nature, pre-existing structures, emotions, colors, and on and on. However, I think there are always opportunities to create something new. Something that no one has done before. It just takes that little spark in the imagination and the wheel starts to move. As it begins to roll there is no stopping what can be created, especially when collaboration begins to take place.

When you are stuck on something or need a spark of inspiration to think of something new. Find someone who you can sit and bounce around your thoughts. You will be shocked at how a little brainstorming with someone, who knows much or nothing, can get you unstuck and cause the ideas to just flow. Ideas are what make life interesting. How boring would life be if we all just did the same thing and nothing new was created.

In an age when “original and unique” seem to be the buzz word of the day, creative ideas are the only thing that call you out from the masses. Good luck and keep always dreaming.