Kick-Start Your Creativity

CreativityCreativity can be learnedAn innovation is applied creativity:Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity - Michael PorterWell learn about the creative processAnd some creativity-enhancing techniques

May the Force Be With YouAlwaysWhat is the Force?

CreativityAdams: The combination of seemingly disparate parts into a functioning, useful whole.Picasso: Every act of creation is an act of destruction and art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.Einstein: Imagination is more important than knowledge.Exercise (animals)

Three Creativity PerspectivesThe creative personThe creative productThe creative processWell focus on the process, which can be learned

Three Creativity ElementsExpertise: In-depth knowledge about a fieldCreative skills: Problem-solving skills, creative process skillsIntrinsic task motivation Intrinsic rewards: Love of the work, the process involved, not extrinsic reward such as money, awards ** Teresa Amabile, Creativity in Context, Westview Press, 1996

Four Roles Of The Creative Process (von Oech) *The ExplorerGathers information, explores for knowledge in new places.The ArtistExperiments with new approaches, combinations.Follows intuition, breaks rules, brainstorms, takes risks.* A Kick in the Seat of the Pants, Roger von Oech, Perennial Library, New York, 1986.

Four Roles Of The Creative Process (von Oech)The JudgeEvaluates ideas and solutions, critically weighs evidence.The WarriorTakes the offensive, fights for implementation, has courage.

The ExplorerKnow what the objective is.Look in other fields.Camouflage came from cubist art (Picasso & Braque).Unbreakable code in WWII came from the Navajo language.Look for lots of ideas.Look behind the first right answer.How do you stop a fish from smelling?

The ExplorerDont overlook things right in front of you.Look or ideas in places youve been avoiding.The drunkards searchUse forcing mechanisms.

Forcing MechanismsMatrixTrigger conceptsCreative Whack PackRandom words from a bookStarbursting (Who what, where, when, why, how) See Creativity Techniques on my website.BrainstormingSee Better Brainstorming on my website.Write everything down

The ArtistAdaptImagine (What if?)Reverse (backward, upside down)ConnectCompare (metaphors, literature, music, art, sports, warfare, gardening)ParodyIncubate

The JudgeDoes it meet the objective?Positives?Negatives?Probability for success?Downside?Upside?

The JudgeTiming?Deadlines?Biases? (assumptions)Blind Spots?

The WarriorBe bold.Develop a strategy.What are the consequences of failure?Get started immediately?Sell it.PersistenceLearn from victories and defeats.

Creativity BlocksAccepting conventional wisdomNot taking time to investigate or elaborateSeeking only to satisfy the perceived needs of bossesHaving tunnel vision, compartmentalizing problemsLooking for quick, yes-no answersFear of failure

Creativity BlocksExpecting others to be creativeBeing unwilling to question othersBeing unwilling to accept others inputBeing unwilling to collaborate Darwin: ...those who learned to collaborate and improvise...prevailed.The wisdom of crowds

Creativity EnhancersAssume every experience can stimulate personal growth.Look for positives, growth, opportunities: Chinese character, crisis.Clearly visualize a positive outcome.Dont react too quickly. Give yourself time (incubation), have patience.

Methods For Killing CreativityEvaluationFear of evaluation kills the love of creative activity.SurveillanceLooking over creative peoples shoulder or policing them de-motivates them.

Methods For Killing CreativityRewardExtrinsic rewards lower motivation.Reward creative people with autonomy, the opportunity to learn.CompetitionWin-lose competition kills creativity.In a competitive environment, people think about how not to lose instead of how to win.

Methods For Killing CreativityRestricted ChoiceMaking choices for creative people or severely limiting their options lowers creative output.Extrinsic OrientationExternal rewards such as prizes and money hurt creativity.Creative people love the intrinsic rewards of doing the job.

Mobleys (IBM) Six InsightsTraditional teaching methods worse than useless. Asking radically different questions in a non-linear way is the key to creativity.What if?Becoming creative is an unlearning process as much as a learning process. Upend existing assumptions.We dont learn to be creative, we become creative. Like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

The fastest way to become creative is to hang around creative people, regardless of how stupid it makes you feel.Creativity is highly correlated with self-knowledge. Impossible to overcome biases if you dont know you have them. Need a big mirror.Give people and yourself permission to be wrong. Every great idea grows from a potting soil of a hundred bad ones.Biggest reason for failure is fear of making a fool of themselves.

ResourcesHow To Manage Creative Peoplewww.charleswarner.us/indexppr.htmlBetter Brainstorming and Creativity Techniques www.charleswarner.us/articles/artindex.htmlCreative Whack Pack cards:http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Whack-Pack-Roger-Oech/dp/0880793589/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202620854&sr=8-1 Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel H. Pink, Riverhead Books, New York, 2009.

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