When you work in advertising, ideas are currency. And when you’re swimming in a sea of ideas—30, 40, sometimes even 50 in a single Ideasicle X project—the question isn’t, “Do we have enough ideas?” The question is, “How do we find the great ones?”

It’s not about logic. It’s not about metrics. And it’s certainly not about ticking boxes on a checklist. For me, choosing the best ideas comes down to something mysterious and visceral. It’s energy. Psychic energy. A kind of creative spark that lights up something deep inside.

Let me share my process with you.

The Abundance Problem

An Ideasicle X project is like Christmas morning for ideas. When a team of four Ideasicle Experts gets to work virtually as a team, ideas pour into the platform on the project’s Idea Stream. The output is exponential because each expert brings in a unique perspective to the process, and each builds on the ideas of the others. By the end, we might have 50 ideas or more nicely organized in threads staring back at us.

That’s a good problem to have. But it’s also daunting and sometimes overwhelming. We want to present a lot of ideas to the client (that’s part of our model), but we can’t present all 50 ideas. So we need to find the 10 or so that are worth formally preparing and presenting, the ones that truly shine. And that’s where the energy comes in.

The Selection Process

Sure, every idea we generate has to meet the brief. It has to be on-strategy, relevant, and aligned with the client’s objectives. But the great ideas, the ones I know will blow the client away, do something more.

They spark.

When I take a first pass at a list of 50+ ideas, I’ll read the team’s entire thread—the original idea and then all the builds and riffs the team posted beneath. At this point, I either feel it or I don’t. Certain ideas radiate a kind of psychic energy. They practically grab me by the shirt and say, “Write me up!”

And that’s when I know. If I read the idea and then I can’t wait to write them up for the client presentation, then I know I have a winner. It’s like the energy in the idea gives me energy to write it up, if that makes sense.

Other ideas? They might be fine. Good, even. But if I dread the thought of writing them up, I know they’re not the ones. That lack of energy is the tell.

The Energy Test

It’s not something you can quantify, and it’s not something you can fake. The energy test is about feeling. When an idea lights me up inside, I can bet it will do the same for the client. It’s not just a good idea—it’s a little ball of intellectual plasma.

But it’s also about trusting your instincts. If you’re feeling that spark for an idea, it’s important to respect yourself and your experience enough to pay attention to a spark when it happens.

Though this process is deeply personal, the ideas that resonate with me tend to also resonate with the client. When I share the final 10 ideas, the client usually feels the energy in most of them, too. They can sense their own spark. And, ultimately, that’s the exact same spark a consumer will feel when they experience this idea in the marketplace.

You know you’ve got a psychic spark when you immediately start thinking of applications for the idea or new ideas that build upon the original. Ideas beget ideas, but only if they’re great.

What This Means for You

If you’re wading through too many ideas, don’t just look for the ones that check all the boxes. Look for the ones that ignite something in you. The ones you can’t stop thinking about. The ones that make you want to run to the keyboard and start writing.

And if that sounds too abstract or daunting, let us help. At Ideasicle X, we’re in the business of generating not just ideas but energy—there’s oil, gas, and now ideas. We’ll flood you with them, and we’ll help you feel the sparks for your business.

Because in the end, the best ideas aren’t just smart on paper. They generate energy in you and your team.

Will Burns is the Founder & CEO of the revolutionary virtual-idea-generating company, Ideasicle X. He’s an advertising veteran from such agencies as Wieden & Kennedy, Goodby Silverstein, Arnold Worldwide, and Mullen. He was a Forbes Contributor for nine years writing about creativity in modern branding. Sign up for the Ideasicle Newsletter and never miss a post like this. Will’s bio.