Hi! Welcome to the 4 CreativeWheels newsletter — your weekly dose of insights on creativity and fuel for your creative journey.

Just like our day and year, we are in week #24! 6 more weeks and we get to #30. But before we dive in, thank you very much for your patience. It has been 3 weeks since I last published, but you’re still here. I sincerely appreciate you!

This week’s issue won’t be an episode from our “Take it, Learn it“ series. But do not worry. The 7th episode is in the works! It’ll be a special one. And the guests will be related to the guy who inspired this week’s issue. So stay tuned!

In this week’s issue, we’ll explore the idea of using what we all avoid, trash ideas.

Without further ado…

Let’s start the ride!

(Missed Episode 6? Here you go!)

Main Wheel

There is no shame in using your trash ideas. Yes, you heard that right. There is no shame in using your trash ideas.

For all creatives and craftspeople out there, ideas are necessities. They are the fuel, the life that gives the work existence. Without them, you can't even have a first step. This is why for a piece to be good, the idea from which the work stems must be good.

Hence, we all are in constant search for good ideas. I know many of us read several books. Some watched countless videos. And some added in numerous podcast hours. All in the name of finding the good ideas.

I get that. I completely understand as I've been there. It's a place we all visit from time to time. As our need for good ideas grows, the level of what is even good also grows. What was once good becomes alright.

And that's a great but scary place to be in. The ideas you used to get excited about no longer do. The light bulb moments become less frequent. So, you go back digging for more How-to's or How-I's get great ideas.

But what if there was another way? Another simple, but overlooked way to get great ideas? It's so simple that you can do it right now with the very ideas you possess but hate.

This simple way is something we all do. We all do it often when we solve our problems. However, because of how simple it is, we neglect it with creative ideas. All thanks to the legendary Brad Bird for sharing how he does it in three steps.

That simple way is to use your trash ideas. No need to explain what a trash idea is. We all know what it is. It varies from one person to another. But the sentiment remains the same. Trash ideas are hated.

For this simple way to work, you will need to be more practical than emotional. Yes, I have to admit that sometimes I have emotional connections with my ideas. Hate and love can be strong emotions. I love the good ones. I despise the trash ones. And you might be doing the same.

However, this does not help in the use of trash ideas. To use the trash ideas, we need to remove the emotions and get to work.

This leads to the first step. And that step is accepting that the trash idea is trash.

1. This sucks.

Indeed indeed.

"This idea sucks. It sucks so bad that it's trash. More than trash," the creative screamed in his troubled mind.

You need to accept that. Accept it but do not despise it, as I've done in the past. The reason for that will be clearer in the next steps. But for now, let's just see the idea for what it is.

It is a thought, a perspective, view, a try, or an attempt. There is nothing inherently bad about an idea (except if we get illegal). You and I are the ones that make ideas bad.

Trash ideas are not truly trash. They are just ideas that do not work for our current and desired context. That is the true reason why we call them trash. As they do not serve us, we throw it in the garbage area.

Their problem is they cannot help us because they don't work. Hence, we need to understand the why. We need to uncover the why behind the trash-ness of the idea.

Why does this idea not work?

2. This is why.

We already have an idea that sucks. It sucks so bad that talking about a controversial political topic during a family Christmas dinner sounds better.

We already accepted that it is bad. But as we've learned, it isn't actually bad. It just does not work in our current and desired context.

So, to use the trash idea, we need to find out why we cannot use it in its original form. We need to figure out the parts that weaken it. And we need to discover why it simply doesn't work.

This is the part where practicality and honesty are necessary. An ounce of untargeted emotion will hinder this process. Creatives do get attached to their ideas. Sadly, this blinds us from knowing what is wrong. We might feel that something is off. We might lean to push the idea away. Yet, we decide to not see the reasons.

Therefore, no progress is made. No solution is found. And you get back to trying to find the secret tips and tricks to discover great ideas. When all you need to do is to pause and figure out why it doesn't work.

When you get specific on why something is not working, it gets easier to make it work. When you understand the problem, the way to solve it is clearer.

Now, what is the next step?

3. Here is why and how I'd solve it.

Originally, this step was only, "Here is how to solve it." This was Brad Bird's version. However, I changed this step a little tiny bit. It's no longer "Here is how to solve it," but now, "Here is why and how I'd solve it."

The reason for the change lies in creativity. From the second step, you have a clearer picture of how to solve the problem. You now understand why the trash idea does not work. You know where there is a need to fix and where there is a need to adjust.

The how is now easier compared to where you were. All you need to do is execute. Execute what you have found in step 2 and make the idea work. And Ta-da! Your allegedly trash idea is now a good idea. Or simply, it is now an idea that can work.

Back to my step title change. I changed the title of this third step to take this deeper. Sometimes we can have problems. We know they are problems. Still, we don't have a reason to solve it. We don't have a necessary reason to say, "Okay, I need to make this happen."

It's easier to go again for a search for the good ideas. This is why a good reason to solve the idea is essential. A good reason can be, "This scene is a pivotal one. I can't just delete it." It can also be, "I wish I could remove this element, but to remove it would ruin the purpose." Such reasons will help you actually solve the issue.

They will help you stick around and work on the trash idea. To the point where what you dread becomes what gives you a smile. The trash idea becomes the part that elevates everything.

Again back to my step title change. If you were attentive, you noticed that I didn't just say, "Here is why and how to solve it." I said, "Here is why and how I'd solve it." The reason behind it is not my ego. It is not also because it sounds nicer and more personal.

The reason behind it abides by the truth that creativity works differently in people. We are all different, especially as creatives. Creatives are already different and strange people compared to the majority. If you add in our lived experiences, views, beliefs, perspectives, and so on, we are even different from one creative to another.

Thus, my creative friend and I can both use the same trash idea. We can both go from the first step to the second step. At those steps, we would mostly agree on what is wrong. We would both see what needs fixing or adjusting. But, when it is time to solve it, things will get messy, in a good way.

Her ways of solving it will be different from mine. That is great. And this is why, in this third step, you will need to do it your way. Yes, opinions from others will help you see what initially did not work (step 2). However, relying on another source but you, will hinder your creativity.

For you to use the trash idea, you will be the one to implement the steps that turn it great. One example I love from Brad Bird is in the book Creativity, Inc. by Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace. In this example, Pixar's Braintrust was analyzing Brad Bird's The Incredibles. Bird's colleagues found that the scene where Bob and Helen Parr had an argument felt off.

At first, it seemed that the dialogue had problems. Maybe, the scene could be removed. But Brad Bird saw that the dialogue was good and the scene critical. So, with more Brad Bird reasoning, he found his way to solve the issue. Brad Bird used Helen's powers to make her taller during the argument. It no longer seemed like Bob was abusing Helen. The scene now expresses better that these two equals are having an important argument. And that made a huge difference.

Brad Bird's colleagues are outstanding creatives. I don't even need to say that. Brad Bird knew that these people were outstanding. Yet, The Incredibles would have not been The Incredibles without Bird solving the issues the way he desired. So, even with your idea, solve it your way.

Therefore, by using the trash idea, you remove your emotions. You accept your idea is "trash". Do not despise it because it's just an idea. There is nothing wrong and trash about it. Its problem is it doesn't work. After you accept the truth and not despise it, you get practical.

You figure out what needs to be fixed or changed to make the idea work. After all of these steps, you ought to know why you need to solve it and how you would solve it. Solve it the way only you can do. From that, your trash idea will turn into a working and authentic idea. So, yes, there is no shame in using your trash ideas.

Inspiring Wheels

Here are two (or more) creative works that you’ll not regret checking out:

• "New York City's Controversial Fire Hydrant Fish Pond" - Casey Neistat | Not a grand story, nothing complex, but is sweet, interesting, and heartfelt. Another instance of Casey Neistat doing his thing.

• "what makes a great story" - Ali Gallop | Yes, another Ali Gallop video. This guy is on a generational run. I won’t spoil the video. It’s an amazing one with a wonderful lesson.

Want to share this issue of 4CW with a friend, colleague,… any human being? Just copy and paste this link: https://4creativewheels.beehiiv.com/p/October-24-2024 😉 😃

Thank you so much for reading! 

As always, feel free to reply to this email & share your thoughts, stories, and any experience related to this topic. I’d love to hear them!  

C ya next Week! 

Embracing Creativity™,

Richard M.

Want to work with me? Contact me here