The one great idea I had was in a field where I was a subject-matter expert (embarrassingly, ad tech). The biggest factor, I think, was that I knew enough about the domain to tell whether an idea was genuinely new, or if it had already been tried. Ironically, I started down a line of thought I initially dismissed as “a bad idea” (too hacky, won’t scale, etc.). I suspect most people in the field would have stopped there but following the “wrong” path led me to something unique. It felt more like a playful thought experiment than a serious exercise, and maybe that playfulness and a mindset with no expectations is what got me to continue down that path long enough to realize there was actually a subtle hidden good idea.
I’m curious: How have you come up with ideas that were truly original, where you felt like you had discovered a secret?
fwsgonzo•5mo ago
As you said though, sometimes you have to go the wrong way (knowingly or unknowingly) just to see what's there or if there aren't missed opportunities. Heavily established (sub-)fields can be very rigid and hard to find new ground in.