New Favorite Word: Ideation

When I grow up, I wanna be an ideator.

Realization #1: I love and thrive on creativity, ideas, and innovation.

Realization #2: I get bored easily.

Are you like this too?

While at the gym today, I was listening to a podcast I’d downloaded nearly a year ago from Ideasicle.com. Gaurav Suri, a philosopher, author, fMRI specialist (no, I don’t know what an fMRI specialist is) was speaking on what happens in our brain when we create. The podcast, though a bit dry at times, was tremendously inspiring and made me forget my workout–always a good thing.

Listen to it here.

Suri, through his research and other smarty-pants things, deduced that the ‘ah-ha’ moment an idea is birthed in our conscious (though often unconscious) mind, massive amounts of dompamine are released into the brain. In normal people language: when we have a cool idea we feel awesome.

(Side note: cocaine and nicotine have the exact same effect on our bodies.)

People actually make a living of doing this idea-making thing. Some license products, or even ideas, to companies who desire to produce the ideas, market them, and sell them to the public. Apparently the process of formulating ideas and concepts is called ideation. And it’s my new favorite word.

Dreaming up ideas is a lot more fun, and healthy, that smoking a cigarette. Or using cocaine.

And it’s cheaper. . . not that I would know. Just guessing.

Honest.

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Author: Andrew Zahn

I'm a son, husband, dad, business owner, actor and good sleeper/eater. On this blog, I pave a highway for creative growth by providing food, water, and shelter for those wishing to live, work, and play with creative zest.

2 thoughts on “New Favorite Word: Ideation”

  1. It is a nice rush we give ourselves when we come up with a fresh idea, and even more so when it’s a good one.

    BTW, I am an MRI technologist and have read many articles on functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). They use these studies to capture how brain signals change with a controlled stimulus, i.e; lying, frightening images, and other emotional responses. Very interesting stuff. (translation: wish I had thought of it first!)

    1. I can really geek out on this stuff!

      It’s a wonderful, natural high isn’t it? If you ever get to work on one of those projects, please blog about it and let me know (if you’ve not already done so).

      Thanks for reading.

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