When searching for inspiration, people tend to make a lot of analogies about creativity. You hear a lot of talk about muses, creative juices and treasure troves of ideas... but I seem to see things a little differently. To me, ideas are like rocks.

A rock? Why a rock? It doesn't seem like a very good fit at all, at first glance, but I assure you that I'm not joking. Ideas are like rocks, and when you've collected enough good ones, you can do just about anything.

I Got A Rock

Sometimes the creative process is cruel. You go out, as we all do, seeking inspiration and new ideas, and while it seems like everyone around you is being rewarded for their efforts, you realize that instead of something sweet, you've got a rock. In fact, you've got a bag full of rocks.

What in the world are you supposed to do with a bag of rocks? They're not at all what you were expecting. You may become angry or jealous. You may wonder why everyone else got all of the good ideas and you got all of the bad ones.

Not all inspiration is created equal. Sometimes you may think your idea is a dud, but maybe it just deserves a bit of perspective. There are a lot of things you can do with a single stone.

Making Ripples

It's easy to discard ideas that you deem worthless, but wait a moment before you do. Could it be that your rock is actually a tool? This idea isn't the end - it's the beginning of something much bigger.

So, instead of throwing an idea out, why don't you throw an idea out there? It's amazing the effect a single stone creates when making ripples. Let your thoughts make waves!

Stone Soup

While a stone on its own doesn't seem very tasty, and a rock is something I'd never actually want to find in my soup, sometimes our ideas need a little help to reach their full potential.

Like the story of Stone Soup, it's okay to ask other people to aid in our creative process. We may not have more than a stone to contribute on our own, but with the help of those around us, we may discover that our idea has helped foster creativity in wonderful ways!

Shattering Expectations

Sometimes even good ideas can sit static and go to waste, but it's so easy to neglect a thought that you don't even think is a good one. We need to give our ideas momentum, even if we don't think it will do any good. You may surprise yourself with the results.

Try looking at your stone in a different light. Throw your ideas around and see what sticks. Many ideas can surprise us when we breathe some life into them, but when a rock shatters your expectations, it can be mind-blowing!

Diamonds In The Rough

At least when life gives you lemons, you can work with them. But what are you supposed to do with a bunch of rocks? When we really need a creative jump-start and we get less-than-stellar results, we become disappointed. We didn't get the boost that we needed, and we neglect the ideas we've collected that are admittedly not very impressive.

But what if it's holding a secret? What if we need to bust the idea wide open to appreciate that we haven't been dealing with just rocks? We've been given real gems of ideas, but we just hadn't been looking hard enough to realize that we've had these marvelous stones the whole time!

Next time you're feeling frustrated and uninspired, look around at the ideas you may have neglected in the past. Rummage through your collection of rocks. Make ripples, shatter expectations, create something bigger than yourself and find your true potential. I know you have it in you.