Where do Ideas Come from?

I'm doing a lot of walking at the moment. It's supposed to be good for you.

But winter definitely makes it tougher to get out there. Cold, dark, often wet. I'd rather just stay inside, thanks.

So when I do make it outside, I like to try to make the most of it. Maximise my time.

I always make sure I have some new music, a new podcast, an audio book, or a YouTube tutorial to listen to.

But I now have so much stuff I want to listen to that I think I might need to walk to visit my daughter at university to get through it all (and she's over 300 miles away).

It's also kind of annoying as I now spend the first 10 minutes of every walk trying to decide what to listen to. Constantly switching between choices in case I'm missing out on something better, wiser, more entertaining.

So when I set out to walk to the gym yesterday, I decided to just stick on a 10 hour playlist and pay attention to the world around me for a change.

And I started to notice things. And think about things. Like you lot and what you might like to read about this week.

You see, these days I'm a creative. I write. I make music. I make videos.

My spreadsheeting days are behind me.

But it does mean that I get asked this question a lot and it's never an easy answer:

Where do you get your ideas?

It sounds simple, but anyone who’s been asked, knows it’s surprisingly difficult to answer. Ideas don’t arrive on a set schedule.

There’s no single method, no magic formula. And yet, somehow, writers keep writing, musicians keep composing, and I keep putting together this newsletter every week.

So, how does it happen?

The Myth of the Lightning Bolt

People love the idea of inspiration striking out of nowhere—a spark that delivers a fully formed idea.

And yes, every now and then, I’ll get a moment of pure creative clarity. But most ideas don’t arrive that way. They come from paying attention.

Great ideas are often a mix of observation, experience, and subconscious processing.

You read an article, overhear a conversation, or remember something from years ago—and suddenly, connections form.

A small detail sticks with you. It nags at you. And before you know it, an idea starts to take shape.

Input = Output

You can’t create in a vacuum. If you’re not feeding your brain, you’re not going to get much back from it. Every book, movie, song, or conversation is potential fuel.

That’s why curiosity is one of the most powerful creative tools.

When I’m stuck, I go looking for something interesting. I read weird articles, watch documentaries, listen to new music, or scroll through the obscure corners of Reddit.

I don’t necessarily go looking for ideas—just things that make me think, “Huh, that’s interesting.”

Ideas come from those little sparks.

The Power of Routine

It sounds counterintuitive, but structure helps creativity. There’s a reason so many successful creatives have strict routines.

Stephen King writes every morning. Beethoven had a bizarrely specific coffee ritual. I love him more since I found this out. Me too, Ludwig.

Why?

Because waiting for inspiration is unreliable. Creativity isn’t about having ideas—it’s about making space for them to show up.

If I waited to write this newsletter until I felt “inspired,” I’d miss a lot of deadlines.

Instead, I sit down at the same time each week and start writing, whether I have a good idea or not.

And, weirdly enough, ideas usually show up when I do.

Stealing (The Right Way)

Good artists borrow, great artists steal.

Stealing doesn’t mean copying.

It means absorbing influences, remixing them, and making them your own.

Every idea is, in some way, built from what came before. The trick is to take pieces from different sources and combine them into something new.

David Bowie did this constantly—he pulled from books, paintings, movies, fashion, and other musicians to create his own unique sound and style.

Writers do the same thing. If you’re stuck, ask yourself: What if I mashed up two completely different things?

As an example, this morning I tried to turn the pop song "Messy" into a deep house dance banger. Check out my Insta to see whether I've been successful, lol.

In any event, it was fun trying.

Trust the Process

Here’s the hardest part: Not every idea will be good. And that’s okay.

Creativity isn’t about waiting for perfection—it’s about generating ideas consistently and trusting that some of them will be worthwhile.

I hope you do the same when you read this newsletter.

You'll keep reading it each week in the vain hope that one day, one week, I'll come up with something that makes you think, “huh, that’s interesting.”

Some of the best creative minds in history produced a lot of bad ideas before they landed on something brilliant.

I write down bad ideas all the time. I have dozens of half-formed thoughts that never go anywhere.

But every so often, one of those “bad” ideas sparks something new. The trick is to keep going, even when you’re not sure if it’s working.

The Takeaway

So, where do ideas come from? They come from everywhere. From paying attention. From curiosity. From putting in the work, even when it’s hard.

And most importantly, from trusting that if you keep showing up, the ideas will too.

So, if you’re feeling stuck, here’s your challenge:

• Pay attention to something today that you’d normally overlook.
• Write down an interesting thought, even if it seems pointless.
• Try combining two unrelated things just for fun.

You never know which small idea might turn into something big.

Until next time, keep creating. 🚀

Jon "the starving artist" Kaye

P.S. My latest single "I Still Burn" was released last week and it's doing well (over 2,500 streams in the first week). If you'd like to support me then click here to listen to it. And please save it to your favourite playlist and share it with anyone who you think might also like it. Thanks.