Creativity Is Caffeinated

Ideas Give You Energy! A great idea just seems to fill you with energy and excitement. Sharing that idea with someone who “gets it” packs twice the punch. It’s like drinking a double-espresso — the extra shot gives you a bigger boost!

Here are seven reasons why ideas are like coffee…

1. Best When Hot
While you could technically get away with drinking an iced-coffee, ideas are best acted upon while still piping hot.

2. Brewing Affects Quality
Sure, you can always go with “instant”, but all serious coffee drinkers know that water temperature and brew time affects the flavor of the coffee. Same goes for ideas — allowing concepts time to brew will result in better quality ideas.

3. Room for Cream?
Black coffee can be made more flavorful when enhanced by shots of flavored syrup, cream, or sugar — but while any idea can be made better by adding small shots of innovation, lame ideas will still leave a bad taste in your mouth no matter how many shots of ‘syrup’ you add.

4. The Best Beans are Imported
There are excellent coffee beans from almost every corner of the world — same goes for ideas. Import concepts from other industries, products, and services — then adapt them to your specific situation.

5. Free Refills
Just like that bottomless cup of coffee — You’ll never run out of ideas. There’s always another concept to explore. And like drinking coffee, the second cup usually tastes better than the first.

6. Coffee is Ubiquitous
Seems no matter where you are, you’re never more than a block away from a fresh cup of coffee. You grown accustomed to seeing the familiar green and white sign of that national coffee shop chain on every corner. Each McDonald’s has a boiling cup of caffeinated lava ready to scorch your tongue. Expect the same with ideas — there are creative concepts around every corner. Expect to see them, and they will become as visible to you as that Starbucks’ sign!

7. Always Better When Shared with a Friend
It doesn’t matter if you’re sipping an espresso brewed from the finest beans in the world, or a sucking down a burnt and crusty pot of coffee from your local greasy spoon at at three in the morning — the coffee always tastes better when consumed during a conversation with friends. All the best ideas are shared the same way — good ideas (like good coffee) are always found in good company.

Interested in adding more of a caffeinated kick to your own creativity?

I’m working on a book called “Become An Idea Barista: combining coffee and creativity to brew-up big ideas”. If you’re interested in getting a copy when it is released, just send me a note via the Contact page.