Anyone can have an idea. In fact, lots of people find it easy to have lots of ideas. The secret is in identifying which ideas are great and which ideas are just the outpourings of a deranged mind.
This is where editing becomes important.
Editing is not only about ensuring the idea you’re working on isn’t weighed down by unnecessary complexity but also that you’re working on the right idea.
Spotting the right idea is as important as having it.
I’ve known creative people who could spew out ideas endlessly. The problem was that often they had no idea which ones were great and which were completely useless.
That’s why earlier I recommended teaming up with someone who you trust and can creatively rely on. In this relationship you will become editors for each other.
In creative work it really is hard to be both subjective and objective. A great idea comes from a subjective point of view, but then it has to be reviewed objectively to see whether or not it will work. This second objective stage is called editing.
Editing isn’t just about taking things out; it’s also about understanding what has value and how that value can be amplified. In art galleries this is called curating: the process of working out in what order the works should be shown, what should be highlighted, and what should be left out.