How to Brainstorm effectively: Tips for Artists and Writers

Brainstorming is an effective way of deep diving into an idea and turning it into cohesive concepts or furthering your progress in a project. However, it can be very easy for a brainstorming session to be ruined due to distractions, lack of direction, and loss of focus. I know it has happened to me before, and here are some tips I cultivated that may help you stay focused and productive as well!

#1: Set your intentions before you start

Write at least 1-2 priorities or goals you have for this session. What idea are you looking to develop? What area of your project needs work? Are there some rough patches in an idea that needs to be sorted out? Write all that down on a small paper and place it somewhere you can see it once you start your session. Setting your intentions can help you stay focused on your reals goals for the session and minimize getting off track.

My thoughts about researching for ideas

I believe that research can be a bit of a double edged sword. There are times where research is a great and sometimes necessary way of making substantial progress in a project, especially if an idea is still new. However, if your not setting limits it can be very easy to turn a research session into endless scrolling and searching. If your idea needs some research to develop, write some specific things you need to search and set a time limit so you don’t get off-track. On the flip-side, if your project already has some research and ideas built up, see if you can stick to developing those and limit the research!

#2: Gather all your materials together

Now that you know what idea or project you’re working on, it’s time to gather all the research, ideas , inspirations you have, and gather them all in a place you can view them offline. Also gather any of the physical materials you need like books, journals, etc. I typically do brainstorming sessions with paper and pencil. I think doing brainstorm sessions offline helps to eliminate distractions, however if you prefer to use a device such as a laptop, turn off the wi-fi so that you won’t receive any notifications while you’re working!

Tip for Christians:

Something I always do for brainstorming sessions is treat it as a Bible reading session. Pray before you start and ask for guidance, ask that God would use the Holy Spirit to reveal certain things to you about the idea(s) He's given you. I've encountered so many revelations and patterns doing it this way, and my stories wouldn't be the same without His help.

#3: Work in Intervals

Now unless you're feeling extra motivated (or the Holy Spirit is leading you to work for longer), I think it's always best to work in intervals. It gives your brain time to ponder and chew on the things you wrote or thought of during the session. Also, you don't want to wear yourself out and then lose all motivation and creative juice to continue throughout the rest of the day or week. Remember, this whole thing should be treated as a marathon, not a race! As for how long intervals should be, that's completely up to you! You could try doing 30 minutes on and off and go up or down from there. You can also choose a total work time and break it down from there!

Pro tip: When you're about to commit to a brainstorming session, be sure to be in a completely distraction free place, whether it's your bedroom, closet, or even bathroom 😆, be sure that no matter the location, you can ensure minimal interruptions during the entirety of your session.

#4: Set the mood

In my own experience, setting the mood before a brainstorming session has always gotten me into the flow faster. Some things you can do is adjust the lighting in your space, creating a playlist that fits the themes and tones of the idea/project you'll be working on. Doing things like that can also help improve the quality of the ideas your working on, since everything around you will be focused on the core themes of your idea.

When it comes to music:

I think everyone will be different in this regard. Some do better listening to music, others are better in silence, for some it depends on the kind of music. If you're anything like me, you probably fall in all three categories depending on the day. My advice here would simply be to listen what your current mood is telling you. If you feel like you'd be more productive with some music, go right ahead, if you feel opposite, that's okay too!

And for my beloved Christians:

Go with what the Holy Spirit is leading you to. I've had cases where a song was stuck in my head the whole day and when I finally listened to it, God gave me many revelations regarding my ideas and the lyrics of the song. There may be times when the LORD wants you to figure out the idea without music, and that's perfectly fine as well. Always seek His guidance first!

#5: Start prepping your mind before you start

As soon as your day starts, start gathering your collective thoughts for the idea you're going to work on. Write things down about that project when it pops into your head. Doing those things throughout the day while you get the chance to at school or work, can really help you get into the flow faster when you're finally able to sit down and work on it. This will also give you some sort of place to start when you've been stuck on that idea or project for a while.

For my Christians:

If the idea or project aligns with God's will, He will most likely speak to you in different ways regarding that idea. Whether it's be random song lyrics, or something you overhear in a conversation that just clicks, do your best to pay attention to these things and jot them down as they come to you. By the time you're able to sit and brainstorm, you should a have a sizeable list of signs you can bring back to Him so that He can confirm what you heard or saw!

Overall, there are many things you can do to help improve your brainstorming sessions. This is just a list of things I do and recommend, but I invite you to begin taking note of things that do & don't help you during your sessions.

And for my fellow siblings in Christ, as I had mentioned before, treat your brainstorming sessions as you would a bible study session. Put God and His will first, and surely He will give you ideas and concepts that far exceed what we could do on our own!

That being said, thank you all so much for reading and if you got to this point, thank you especially!

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Thank you all once again,

God bless you~