- Is creativity related to problem-solving abilities?
However, in my opinion, creativity is related but not limited to problem solving as it can be explored from different angles such as the process (for example, a problem solving process), the person, the product created and the creative environment.
- How can one make imagination more vivid?
This activity can be useful also to learn new behaviours, as you can imagine first in your mind what you are going to do in reality. For example, you can imagine yourself doing a presentation in public or behaving assertively and not only thinking what you are saying (and how, your body language, etc.) but also feeling confident and motivated.
- Think Big - How do you "think big"? What do you use to think big? Your examples?
- Why do people create things?
When you have been creating things, but there is a long time you have not done it, you could start having doubts about your ability. Creating something means that your areusing your knowledge, experience and motivation, so it is something that you value and feels part of being yourself.
Of course, there is also the need of creating things, tools, inventions, etc to solve problems or to improve things, or adapting things we have for other purposes, so we create not only something but a different way of using it.
- How can I learn to invent?
You could try to simplify something that exists or the opposite, try to add more features to a product that exist, or try to adapt it to a new environment, to do different things or for different type of user. Write a selling advert, an elevator pitch, imagine you are in Dragon´s Den trying to sell your idea.
Think about the trends in life, about problems you have had in your life, about the products that have been successful. Think no only about the different possibilities of products that currently exist but about different ways of using them. You could focus in an specific group of people, with specific needs or in a group of owners of a product.
Think about new technologies and how could be use in different fieldsor how to combine new products with old ones.
- How can a person be both rational and creative?
That has been said under the understanding that rational can be "critical" and creative can be an attitude to be open to all type of options. However, I think it is possible also to be rational at the same time as creative, but probably will not be as effective as it seems to me that it could be like going in a car and checking the map. You could try to do it at the same time, but will be difficult, dangerous and maybe you have to reduce the speed. However, it is better to stop, concentrate on it, have an idea about what to do and then do it. This will be more effective, as you concentrate in one activity at at time.
- Should we learn to separate the art from the artist?
Sometimes people can forget who they were and also who they are. Some people could believe that the artist is just an instrument for the expression of the art.
o rigid routine, but the truth is that it works. You have a time frame every day where you are thinking about something, you choose some topic that you enjoy thinking about, you choose maybe some thinking tool... and the consistency of thinking on a daily basis means that very often I awake in the morning with some idea related that I never thought about it consciously but it looks some kind of simplification or integration of some of my ideas.
Even if it might not be related to the question, something that has changed a lot that consistency of getting ideas, is the need to do something with them that same day, even if it is to write something about them (not only in paper, but in a blog or something else that makes the idea to remain), or do a first step towards its implementation.
- How can I more consistently be creative?
This is a very important question that can change anybody´s life. In my case, it is a combination of the topics I am more interested at the time and also an habit of continuity thinking about these topics on a daily basis. I commute by public transport nearly every day, what means I have sometime that I could be reading, sleeping or checking emails on my mobile... What I do it is to have a notebook and think about some topic I am interested. I could do that using some thinking technique (see my book "Essex Creativity") or doing free writing about it, allowing any thoughts that come to me to flow. A nice way to start thinking about something is to write some questions about it. And this is a good point: Think about new questions you could ask about a topic you are interested.
You might think about it as a too rigid routine, but the truth is that it works. You have a time frame every day where you are thinking about something, you choose some topic that you enjoy thinking about, you choose maybe some thinking tool... and the consistency of thinking on a daily basis means that very often I awake in the morning with some idea related that I never thought about it consciously but it looks some kind of simplification or integration of some of my ideas.
Even if it might not be related to the question, something that has changed a lot that consistency of getting ideas, is the need to do something with them that same day, even if it is to write something about them (not only in paper, but in a blog or something else that makes the idea to remain), or do a first step towards its implementation.
- Where do people get their creative ideas?
- What techniques are most helpful for thinking creatively?
- How can I learn to think outside of the box?
- In Wallas process: preparation, incubation, illumination, verification. Which is the most critical step for you and how do you do it?
In my opinion, preparation is the most critical step, followed by verification. In preparation we do all the work of gathering, combining, transforming and re-structuring. This is an effort that will contribute to generate ideas at any time. On the other side, when in the illumination step we have new insights, these new ideas are in a weak position. On one hand, they must look too difficult to apply or too different to what was expected. On the other side, this difficulty to link the new idea with our need is what the step of verification can solve. The step of verification can transform a weak idea in a new approach to transform radically a concept, a way of doing something. This usually needs the work done in Preparation to reach at this stage. If we don´t start the process having a good preparation, using the tools that we have, the stage of verification will not be as revolutionary as it should.
- Why do ideas often come in the shower?
I believe in some situations like having a shower, sleeping, washing dishes, shaving, etc the brain is a bit relaxed because it is concentrating on an activity that doesn't demand much concentration. Then, even if you are not thinkin consciously, the brain still is working unconsciously in a less restrictive way because you are not consciously censoring your ideas, combinations, modifications, etc
- Where do you start when planning a creative project?
I would start by writing some ideas using brainstorming, free writng or/and mind mapping. Then, I will think how to organise them. It could be following a logical process but also thinking about mixing activities in a sequence that alternate different type of activities.
- How do you choose the techniques to generate ideas?
There are too many techniques and variations of techniques, so I would recommend to choose the one you feel more motivated to and at the same time another technique you don´t feel comfortable with.
Long answer:
I think there is not an easy answer, as I feel it is more an art than a science. In my own experience, sometimes due to time restrictions I use any super quick technique and then I modify or combine the results. In my book "Essex Creativity" I designed an acronym called B.A.S.I.L.D.O.N. (brainstorming, analogies, search, inspiration, lottery, differences, open questions, notebook) to ensure I use a specific set of different type of techniques. Even though it might seem a waste of time, the truth is that when using these different techniques, many ideas will be similar, but also there will be a few ones that are different.
Besides, If there is need, I will use something different to approach the topic from a different perspective. Some times you could think about a criteria that could help you to choose a technique, such as to be used individually or in group, the time for the activity, the urgency, the confidence you have on that technique, the difficulty, etc.
I think to use a type of reflective practice about how the activity to generate ideas has been used, your thoughts, feelings, outcomes and what could be done different, can be a good guideline to choose what to do next.
I believe that sometimes the problem is not only to generate ideas, but to focus on how the problem has been defined. Some times, using more time to think about the definition of the problem and the information we have can be beneficial to frame the type of ideas we want.
- How can I bring out the creativity I only have in my dreams?
Act on any idea as soon as you are aware, specially if you suddenly awake.... Don´t leave it till next day, write something in a notebook, blog, twitter, whatsapp... anything!!! There are many ideas that are lost or loose the power of the emotion attached to them and later might be to late....
It is very interesting to see how sometimes we use thinking techniques to generate ideas... and other times they come without trying....
I would advice to try different things at different times (day or night), different places, different ways of expressing them.... It could start by using free writing, juts reflecting on what is around your mind, even if it is just to mention thoughts about wanting to generate ideas, discouragement, etc. You can even try to improvise talking about the topic to yourself or singing about it, or drawing about it.
Also you could just relax, concentrate in your breathing, your mind, the sounds outside in the street, in the room, in your body... relax and don´t stop thoughts moving around but also don´t allow them to stop your flow. When something is special, write it.
- How do you explain to a younger person that imagination is no substitute for personal real life experience?
- To what extent is scientific creativity driven by "making connections"?
- Why is thinking outside of the box important?
- What are some activities or exercise I could do or try that will get me to think outside of the box?
One interesting activity is to think ideas to achieve the opposite to what you want. Later think about the opposite of each of the ideas. For example, if you are thinking about finding a job, you could ask yourself how to loose a job, write ie. 10 ideas and later write the opposite ideas. This will suggest new possibilities.
- How can we develop our critical thinking abilities?
Paying attention to other issues that can disturb our critical spirit: Tiredness, dispersion, expectations, emotional thinking, rules in a community, "groupthink" not wanting to think different than others, assumptions, , labels, overgeneralisation, radical thinking, rushing, jumping into conclusions, etc
Also by using reflective practice to reflect on our critical thinking.
- How can one become a better thinker?
- What are the best books about creativity and creative thinking?
- A Technique for Producing Ideas
- Essex Creativity: How to think
- Why do most people pay more attention to the results instead of the process?
Very interesting question about thinking! When you enjoy thinking, there are interesting ideas flowing around. When you are too focused on the results, you might not enjoy the process.
However, when you have a wonderful idea, you can surprise yourself and think: Where is this idea coming from? Why? You might feel some type of illumination and appreciate the happiness attached to it more than even the quality of the idea. Maybe the idea is not something special, but because of the emotion attached to it, because of the meaning that
you feel about it, it become special.
A way to place emphasis on the process on any activity could be to think about it as if you were playing for the fun of doing it, with the aim not to win, but to enjoy. Another example could be to do any activity as present as possible. Thinking about nothing else than the activity, developing concentration to be in only one place, one activity.
- Is thinking inside the box still relevant?
- What´s thinking "inside the box"?
Inside the box could be some options that have been successful before, but when this options don´t work any more you have to go outside this box to find out other options that can be successful.
- What is the reason that humans tend to think "inside" the box and why is it harder to think outside the box once one has been established?
We feel comfortable and enjoy the routines. We build a system of knowledge based on our experiences that are useful to our survival. It is like a model that works for us and help us to deal with daily issues. Even when knowing different tools and techniques to be innovative, we tend to use the ones we feel more comfortable with or the ones we enjoy more.
Once that one has been established, tends to protect his/her establishment as thinking outside the box can be risky. The risk of thinking outside the box can be contrasted with the risk of remaining stuck in the past. While one is not established, the tendency is to continue fighting, to continue doing whatever it takes to improve, such as thinking outside the box. When one is established, you don´t want to risk it.
- Does Amazon think "outside the box"?
- What is thinking outside the box? How can I do it?
The box shows some limitations. Thinking outside the box is thinking outside these limitations. These limitations can exist because of fear, because of our routines, because of our assumptions, labels, emotions, rules in our society or family, the tools we use, because of our expertise about the topic we are thinking, that make it difficult to see it with fresh eyes, but with expectations based on our past experiences.
Breaking routines can help to think outside the box. You can change timetables, the type of books you read, the people you mingle with, the tools you use to think. You can use analogies to relate the topic of thinking with some other topic that is very different and try to make links.