We all have good ideas and these ideas come sporadically, sometimes in the shower or on a walk on the beach.  What’s important about sparking ideas is that it is just as important to know how you are going to manifest your ideas into something tangible.

Erik Wahl is no stranger to sparking great ideas and following through on those ideas.  He is the author of many books, but our interview focuses on his new book entitled ” The Spark and the Grind-Ignite the Power of Disciplined Creativity.”   In our interview together we discuss a bit about his history, but mainly focus on what it takes to “spark an idea” and then “grind” it out into a product, service, or whatever.

The spark is what Erik traditionally thinks of as the start of creativity-the initial illumination.  It denotes the most basic understanding, the lowest common denominator of creative production. It’s what we first hope for when we’re looking for the creative edge, those game-changing ideas that fresh catalyst for progress.

The grind on the other hand is the work of creativity. This is the first truth you have to understand about creative endeavors: the spark come to life at the expense of the grind.  You will always run into problems when your efforts stop at the initial spark because rarely is the first spark the hottest, most potent spark. This was clearly true with Edison, who went on to win more than a thousand patents—including the iconic lightbulb–by working eighteen hours days most of his life and famously finding “1o,000 ways that didn’t work”

If you are a seeker wanting to ignite your spark then you will not want to miss this interview with Erik Wahl the author of “The Spark and the Grind“.

If you want to learn more about Erik and the work that he does within business helping to teach them how to become more creative, then click here to be directed to his website.

You can also click here to see a Ted-X video of Erik on stage creating one of his masterpieces live before his audience.  I hope you enjoy this inspiring mind-altering interview with the author and creative genius Erik Wahl.