We’ve all heard the stories. Archimedes getting his idea in the bath. Newton getting an apple on his head and suddenly understanding gravity. Or the artist saying that inspiration just “came to him”. It sounds like creativity is something mysterious, something that just happens randomly when the brain suddenly connects two ideas by pure chance.
But behind the romantic image of creativity there is another truth. The really good ideas are rarely born from chance alone. They are the result of a process in which chance is used as a tool, not as an explanation.
Chance as a tool, not a cause
Creative people often use chance consciously. They let themselves be inspired by unexpected combinations, but they don’t rely on luck. The creative process is more about generating as many ideas as possible and then being able to recognize the ones that have potential.
Research shows that quantity leads to quality. The more ideas you have, the greater the chance that one of them will be really good. This does not mean that you should produce thoughts without structure, but that you should create space for variation. Randomness acts as an engine for variation. It helps us break our mental patterns and create ideas that we would not have otherwise come up with.
Designer Charles Eames used to say that creativity is realizing the best random combinations. He and his wife Ray worked methodically with experiments, variations and prototypes. Randomness was there, but it was embedded in a conscious process of testing and selection.
Controlled randomness
There are many ways to use randomness as a tool. One example is creative writing exercises where you randomly combine words or themes. At first, confusion arises, but soon the brain begins to find patterns. The words take on meaning. In the same way, a designer or engineer can use random elements to challenge their habitual ways of thinking.
A well-known example is the “random word method” in idea generation. You pick a random word, like “spring,” and try to relate it to your problem area, perhaps “sustainable urban development.” Suddenly, associations with lightness, cushioning, movement, and the structures of nature arise. A random impulse has created a chain of ideas that can lead to something useful.
Musicians have long understood this. In the 1970s, Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt created the Oblique Strategies deck of cards with random prompts like “Use an old idea” or “Emphasize the flaws.” These cards were used to break deadlocks in music creation. Randomness became a conscious strategy for achieving originality. I’ve been part of creating various trigger cards (digital example).
Quantity creates the prerequisite for quality
A common misconception is that good ideas come to those who think longer or deeper than others. But research into creativity shows otherwise. It’s not about having one brilliant idea, it’s about having many.
Psychologist Dean Keith Simonton has shown that the most creative people are not necessarily smarter than others, but more productive. Mozart wrote hundreds of works, Einstein published over 300 scientific papers. Most were not geniuses, but among the crowd there were a few who changed the world.
The creative breakthrough therefore does not arise from a happy coincidence, but from a process in which chance is used to generate quantity. The gems are hidden in the crowd.
Why the brain needs chance
The human brain is a pattern recognition system. It loves order and predictability. That is what makes us efficient, but also what makes us rigid. When we try to be creative, we often get stuck in old ways of thinking because the brain wants to reuse what has worked before.
Chance acts as a hack in the system. It forces the brain to see something new, to make unexpected connections. When something unexpected happens, the parts of the brain that handle creative problem solving light up. It is the same mechanism that sometimes makes us get an idea in the shower or on a walk. We have let go of control enough to let our brain randomly combine its experiences.
The paradox of creativity
An interesting paradox arises here. The more controlled we try to be, the less creative we become. At the same time, true creativity requires a structured process. It is not about choosing between order and chaos, but about balancing them.
A good example is Pixar. The company is known for its playful brainstorming processes, but also for its rigorous editing discipline. They produce thousands of ideas and concepts for each film, but only the best ones move on. Randomness is used as a lighter fluid, structure as a filter.
Randomness and sustainability
Perhaps the most interesting perspective on creativity and randomness is about sustainability. In nature, evolution functions as a creative process in which randomness plays a crucial role. Mutations occur randomly, but those that work best in their environment survive. Nature therefore uses randomness as raw material for constant improvement.
When we apply the same thinking to human systems we can create innovations that are both creative and sustainable. By experimenting, testing and learning from the unexpected, we develop solutions that better adapt to the complexity of reality.
A method for conscious randomness
If you want to use randomness in your own creative work, you can think in three steps. First, you create variety by generating many ideas, preferably with the help of random elements. Then you sort through the ideas and identify those that feel innovative or unexpected. Finally, you refine them by making them more realistic and useful.
The important thing is not to confuse randomness with aimlessness. Randomness is just the starting point. Real creativity arises when you interpret, process and choose.
Embracing the unexpected
Creativity is ultimately about daring to stand on the border between control and chaos. Randomness gives us fuel, but we determine the direction ourselves. When we learn to use chance as a tool, not an alibi, creativity becomes something that can be trained, structured, and strengthened.
That’s why the most creative people often seem to be lucky. They create their own luck by giving chance space – but within the framework of a conscious process.
Creativity is therefore not the result of pure chance. It is the result of us inviting chance into the collaboration, but then choosing the path forward ourselves.
