A Personal Tale of Ideation
Much like countless writers, I too grapple with the notorious writer's block. There are spells of prolific writing, followed by moments when I find myself completely stuck, devoid of any inclination to type on a keyboard or even put pen to paper. I come up with a plethora of excuses to avoid the act of writing. It's not that I dislike writing. I relish expressing my thoughts through both spoken and written words. However, if someone were to ask whether I've exhausted my well of ideas, I'd disagree. It's not a matter of running dry on ideas. I maintain a meticulously curated list of articles eagerly awaiting their completion. The challenge lies in nurturing my enthusiasm to revisit and explore deeper into my ever-evolving thoughts.
This post isn't centered around the art of overcoming writer's block. I came to this realization long ago that, in my personal experience, it often arises from a temporary loss of interest towards a specific topic. That's precisely why I diligently maintain the above list, fully aware that I will return to it when the spark reignites. This post stands as a living testament to that practice. I first came up with the idea of writing it back in 2015. Yes, you read that correctly, nearly eight years ago—well before the public debut of large language models and the dawn of generative AI systems. In today's landscape, generating ideas for writing has been rendered remarkably simpler. All one needs to do is engage with their preferred conversational AI agent. Some might be inclined to inject the word 'regrettably' into my preceding statement, and I won't argue, for I too go through various phases of contemplation regarding the pros and cons of AI models. I digress, though; this post is, at its core, an exploration of ideas and the fine art of ideation.
As of 2023, it's evident that there exist two distinct methods for idea generation. Firstly, as I've previously state, one can engage with words or meticulously curated 'bags' of words, skillfully weaving them into interesting permutations. You may wonder about my secret to uncovering these captivating words. It's simple: I observe the ever-evolving landscape around me, attentively noting the shifting demands of the current generation. Often, this exploration leads me to unearth a treasure trove of (at times, excessively hyped) buzzwords, including 'real-time,' 'distributed,' 'social media,' 'blockchain,'... From this rich pool, I selectively pluck the most alluring ones and artfully incorporate them into my permutations. The second method, which has gained considerable attention, involves consulting our favored generative AI models.
Now comes the moment of truth. I must emphasize that whether ideas stem from AI or human ingenuity, not every notion can be labeled as viable. In fact, some ideas may stray far from the path of rationality. It falls upon us, as human beings, to plunge into the labyrinth of ideas, sift through them meticulously, and study their feasibility.
In conclusion, I must assert that generating ideas, as I've explored in this article, is not an arduous task. What truly holds significance is the transformation of an idea into tangible reality. Whether it's the metamorphosis of an idea into an article, a masterpiece of art, a functional tool, or a robust piece of software, it's the journey from concept to something faintly viable that truly resonates with me.