--- description: How to gather ideas and combine them into a new creation title: How to Gather Ideas and Combine Them Into a New Creation image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt528c826574b4e050/69885d07f887dc2b56e919a2/books-stacked-table.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Innovation](/tag/innovation/) ## Innovation Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How to Gather Ideas and Combine Them Into a New Creation by [Shane Parrish](/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 10, 2015 11:00 AM CUT  Glasses on a stack of books Glasses on a stack of booksGetty Images by [Shane Parrish](/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 10, 2015 11:00 AM CUT “Combinatory play,” [said Einstein](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/04/einstein-productive-thought-combinatory-creativity/ "undefined"), “seems to be the essential feature in productive thought.” Ruminating on the necessity of both reading and writing, so as not to confine ourselves to either, Seneca in one of his [Epistles](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0674990854&asin-it=0674990854&asin-fr=0674990854&asin-de=0674990854&asin-uk=0674990854&asin-ca=0674990854&asin-com=0674990854 "undefined"), advised that we engage in Combinatorial Creativity — that is, gather ideas, sift them, and combine them into a new creation. --- > “” --- Montaigne, perhaps echoing Seneca, reasoned that [we must take knowledge and make it our own](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/01/knowledge-and-opinions-upon-trust/ "undefined"), Seneca comments: --- > “” --- The Loeb Classic Library collection of Seneca’s Epistles in three volumes ([1-65](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0674990846&asin-it=0674990846&asin-fr=0674990846&asin-de=0674990846&asin-uk=0674990846&asin-ca=0674990846&asin-com=0674990846 "undefined"), [66-92](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0674990854&asin-it=0674990854&asin-fr=0674990854&asin-de=0674990854&asin-uk=0674990854&asin-ca=0674990854&asin-com=0674990854 "undefined"), and [92-124](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0674990862&asin-it=0674990862&asin-fr=0674990862&asin-de=0674990862&asin-uk=0674990862&asin-ca=0674990862&asin-com=0674990862 "undefined")), should be read by all in its entirety. Of course, if you don’t have time to read them all, you can read a [heavily curated version](http://a-fwd.com/es=farstrblo068-21&it=farstrblo0a-21&fr=farstrblo08-21&de=farstrblo07-21&uk=farstrblo-21&ca=farst-20&com=farnamstreet-20&asin-es=0140442103&asin-it=0140442103&asin-fr=0140442103&asin-de=0140442103&asin-uk=0140442103&asin-ca=0140442103&asin-com=0140442103 "undefined") of them. **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Farnam Street_**](https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/07/seneca-on-combinatorial-creativity/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 60,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/ "undefined")**.** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3976652/seneca-ideas-creativity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3976652/seneca-ideas-creativity/"},"headline":"How to Gather Ideas and Combine Them Into a New Creation","datePublished":"2015-08-10T11:00:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:38:43.179Z","description":"How to gather ideas and combine them into a new creation","url":"https://time.com/3976652/seneca-ideas-creativity/","keywords":["Innovation","Psychology","Creativity","learning"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt528c826574b4e050/69885d07f887dc2b56e919a2/books-stacked-table.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shane Parrish","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt528c826574b4e050/69885d07f887dc2b56e919a2/books-stacked-table.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"books-stacked-table","caption":"books-stacked-table","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/innovation/","name":"Innovation"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3976652/seneca-ideas-creativity/","name":"How to Gather Ideas and Combine Them Into a New Creation"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Business of Creativity: The Dancer","description":"When Karine Newborn's injury sidelined her succesful dance career, some soul-searching and business sense opened doors","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Tbh54prW/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2012-10-26T16:53:16.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Tbh54prW.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3976652/seneca-ideas-creativity/","duration":"PT3M39S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3976652/seneca-ideas-creativity/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```