Perpetuum Mobile: Using Creative Thinking to Get Infinite Blogging Ideas

Internet marketers blog a lot – such are the specifics of their trade. However, after a year or two, many of us feel as if we’ve “hit the wall”. There is nothing left to say, it seems, and not a single blogging idea comes to mind. Well, this is because very few people are actually endowed with the ability to be ceaselessly churning out new ideas.

Is there a way out? Sure, there is. There are several simple techniques one can use to generate a virtually limitless number of blogging ideas. What’s important to understand is that A NEW IDEA IS NOT THE SUM TOTAL OF YOUR OLDER IDEAS, and the most unproductive way to create something new is just to reshuffle or amass something old, in a technical sort of way. While in fact, each new idea requires some creative thinking, a new twist and a fit of inspiration, I’d say.

So, let’s see what those creative thinking techniques are.

Different perspective = novelty

Which one do you see: a young or an old lady in the picture?

Sometimes, it’s all a matter of the perspective. Most things and concepts are multi-facet. So, by exploring new facets, you come up with new ideas.

Say, a hot topic has already been covered dozens of times on dozens of blogs in your niche. Well, so what? Has anyone considered looking at it from a completely different angle? In my experience, posts covering a hot trend often echo one another. So, find an interesting stance that no one has assumed yet and write about the subject from THAT perspective!

Dig deeper

Very often, it helps to look for scalable subtopics on the Web (or in real life). For example, there is a blog post that you liked. And there was one point in the post that was very interesting, but the blogger didn’t dwell on it too much and had not exhausted it completely. So, you’d like to add something.

Well, you could just leave a comment, or you could zoom on that particular point and turn your comment into a full-fledged blog post!

Leverage the power of association

Another thing about things and concepts is that, as a rule, they are interconnected. Think of it as the World Wide Web – a huge interlinked space with lots of hyperlinks leading from one webpage to another, etc.

I came up with lots of blog post ideas in the past JUST because of the things other authors had mentioned in their blog posts, often in passing. In most cases, there are many ways to navigate from the main topic and tap into another one connected with it. So, use such hints if you see them. The trick is not to overlook those possibilities.

Quite often, these would be little-explored or complicated topics that no one dares to go too deep into.

Make a U-turn

What happens if you turn the mug upside down? It does look different, doesn’t it? Sometimes, changing the polarity of the viewpoint brings forth a completely new idea.

Have you always believed that chocolate was good for the brain? Try looking at it from a diametrically opposed point of view. Could chocolate be harmful? Huh?

Get inspired – draw parallels

Think of something that you enjoy doing, something that fills your heart with joy and always puts you in a good mood. This could be a hobby or some small things that you fancy.

The point is to draw a parallel between the things that inspire you and the topic you’d like, or perhaps need, to blog about. Sometimes, brilliant ideas come out of things not connected with your professional life, for example, friends, family, hobbies or passions.

I have a friend who admires Brazil. She simply likes the culture, the people, the music – everything about this country. So, when she needed an idea for an advertising campaign, she made it Brazil-esque. Came out splendid, I must say.

Build up on non-verbal content

Sometimes, you may come across a really inspiring, niche-related image, video or infographic. In which case, don’t miss the opportunity to convert it into a blog post. There is nothing wrong with spreading the word and providing your own interpretation of it. Well, just remember to credit it the appropriate way.

The mistake that some people make is they assume that, beyond any doubt, everyone has already seen this awesome piece of content. Hence, there is no need to talk about it. Well, this is often not the case.

Seek and you shall find

The last tip I’d like to leave you with is to NEVER GIVE UP. One may argue that it should not be singled out as a separate creative thinking technique. However, I believe that inspiration plus zero hard work creates nothing.

As the French saying goes, “appetite comes with eating”. Same is true of creativity – it comes when you simply get down to the creative process. What I’m trying to say is that, perhaps, even with all the tips provided in the post in mind, you might not come up with tons of ideas right away. Let that not discourage you. Keep on using the techniques, and you shall succeed!