Everyone has ideas. Do you have a method or strategy for recording your ideas when they occur to you? From my experience, I get inspirations throughout the day and night. This means I get ideas when I'm driving to work, sitting in church, or lying in bed.

The key is to capture the idea when it comes to you and not to evaluate it right then and there. A lot of ideas might sound silly at first, but they may turn into the best creative thought if you combine or connect them with something else.

The best way to keep your ideas is by using a good old-fashioned ideas notebook. Notebooks and journals are great ways to capture ideas. And for times when you can't write them down, you should consider getting a micro cassette audio recorder. Or when you are on the road, why not call home and leave a message on your voicemail? If you want to be successful, there are always ways to remember good ideas.

If you are performing on stage, record all the shows you do. When listening to the recording, you will hear and see the reactions to your performance. This way, you will be better able to identify the good and bad parts of your performance. Most successful performers and inventors will tell you that recording new ideas is the first step toward developing an original act.

So where do new ideas come from? Most of my ideas come from areas outside the realm of magic. Go and look at the world around you! What do you see? Lawn mowers, cars, street signs, traffic lights, mailboxes, and more. There is a lot out there that has not yet been used by other performers.