Begin by brainstorming and arranging as many ideas for your project as you can think.  If you start with a mind-map, treat it with some creativity.  Here are some great ways to get started: mind-maps with spice

Or you may simply list our your starter ideas like this..

•landscapes • figure studies • portraits • the natural or man-made environment • still-life • artefacts• abstract notions or feelings • personal experiences • visual ideas inspired by literary sources, culture
 

Then you could write down all subjects, themes, places, things, activities or issues that are personally relevant and that matter to you (even random, unexpected things, such as a the art room sink, or old knives and forks in your kitchen drawer). The purpose of any artwork is to communicate a message - to comment or scream or sing about the world in which we find ourselves in. If there is no emotion behind the work, there is no driving force – nothing to direct and shape your decision making.

Write down the things that you care about: this should include things that move you.Include topics that are unusual, challenging, controversial, gritty or inspiring: those that fill you with passion. Students who select substantial, heartfelt issues that they really believe in are more likely to achieve great results than those who choose aesthetically pleasing but superficial subjects. A tried and true subject can still be approached in an individual and innovative way, but choosing a topic that is novel and fresh has certain advantages. Strong, contentious issues are those which the assessors themselves have a reaction to; they provoke an emotive response. Such topics make the markers and moderators sit up and take notice: it gives them ample opportunity to see the merit within your work.
 

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Next, evaluate your list of ideas and be sure that the topic you choose is something that you really care about and it can sustain your interest for the year. Eliminate those which are ‘cheesy’ (i.e involving pink hearts and Brad Pitt), insincere (i.e. a theme of 'World Peace’, when really this is something you couldn’t care less about) and overly “pretty” or lacking in substance (i.e. bunches of roses). This doesn’t mean that a traditionally ‘beautiful’ subject cannot be successful, (see the cupcake example below), but think carefully before proceeding with such a topic.

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Eliminate those subjects which you are unable to explore first-hand.  In order to create artworks, you will need access to high quality imagery. For example, if you are exploring the way in which humans kill animals in order to consume their meat, access to the inside of a butchery or abattoir/freezing works is likely to be essential. Reliance on photographs taken by others is rarely a good idea. No matter how awesome a theme appears, if you are unable to explore any aspect of it firsthand, it is very unlikely that you will be able to do the topic justice. Remember that you will likely need to return to your source imagery several times during your high school course, so a submission based upon a particular plant that only blooms for a couple of weeks out of the year or a view of your village during a rare winter snow storm is very risky. The ideal thematic subject is one that you can physically return to, whenever you need – to draw, photograph or experience first-hand.

Remove the topics for which the source material is excessively simple.   You want variety in your subject matter, something that offers visual information. A small pile of cardboard boxes, for example, might inspire a great drawing, but if this is the starting point for an entire year’s coursework, the straight lines, rectangular forms and flat box surfaces are unlikely to provide enough visual variety to explore for months on end. Overly busy source material, on the other hand, is not an issue – it is much easier to simplify form and detail than it is to add back in.

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Eliminate topics which are common or over-done (unless you have an original way of approaching this topic). It doesn’t matter if some others have explored the same topic as you… With the millions of people in the world, it is highly unlikely that you will be the only one to explore a particular theme (in fact, this is beneficial, as you can learn from others…and no one will make art exactly like you), but, if EVERYONE is doing it – if it is a topic that the examiners have seen a hundred times before, you should think carefully about whether you have something sufficiently new and original to say about it.

Now, narrow it down by selecting which topics you feel the most confident about. 

Finally, evaluate again which topic has the most potential?  Ensure that the topic you choose is something that you really care about and which can sustain your interest for a year. If you have more than one topic left on your list, pick the thing that you care about the most.