Title: The Art of Creative Thinking Author: John Adair Length: 120 pages Publisher: Kogan Page Ltd (July 11, 1990) ISBN-10: 0951183524 ISBN-13: 978-0951183526 Outline by Anthony Panozzo (http://22ideastreet.com/blog) copyright 2009 ON HUMAN CREATIVITY Everything you need to create is already there "Your task as a creative thinker is to combine ideas or elements that already exist. If the result is an unlikely but valuable combination of ideas or things that hitherto were not thought to be linked, then you will be seen as a creative thinker." The wider the apparent distance the greater the degree of creative thinking involved USE THE STEPPING STONES OF ANALOGY Most things already exist in some form in the natural world Keypoints - thinking by analogy, or analogizing, plays a key part in imaginative thinking. This is especially so when it comes to creative thinking - nature suggests models and principles for the solutions of problems MAKE THE STRANGE FAMILIAR AND THE FAMILIAR STRANGE To begin understanding something new, see how it relates to something you know Don't lock on to this analogy, instead, seek to understand more fully When you begin to understand something fully, you should seek to distance yourself WIDEN YOUR SPAN OF RELEVANCE Seeing connections between disparate fields is creative Therefore it is not surprising that inventors and other creative thinkers have knowledge in more than one field Often, people come up with startling advances in fields other than their profession Sometimes, too much knowledge may be a disadvantage The transfer of technology from one field to another with some degree of alteration and adaptation is one way in which you can make a creative contribution PRACTICE SERENDIPITY Unexpected and delightful discoveries by accident Have a wide span of attention, at least wide enough to see things that are useful but not relevant to what you are currently pursuing Even when traveling in your own thoughts or mind, be ready for other thoughts that may also be useful ‘There are two ways of doing things’, said Christopher Milne at the unveiling ceremony. ‘You can decide exactly what you want to do and make a list on a piece of paper and then do it all precisely. This was Rabbit’s way. At the end everyone says, “Well done, Rabbit. Clever Rabbit.” Or you can have a rough idea of what you want, hope to set off in the right direction and probably end up with something quite different. Then you realize it isn’t such a bad thing after all. That was Pooh’s way and that’s how we’ve done this.’ Realize when you have met unexpected people or had unexpected thoughts in your life **Being overly organized is inimical to creativity** CHANCE FAVORS ONLY THE PREPARED MIND Think of a problem and keep it in your mind, seeing possibilities as you go on Sometimes you will do fruitless work, but you may stumble upon a fortunate accident CURIOSITY You must be curious to be creative, to want to know things for the sake of knowing Try to be selective in your curiosity KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN Observe the things around you and use them for inspiration It is difficult to be completely objective: we are blinded by our memories and what other people have thought Our minds are programmed to notice certain things. You can program yourself with the interests that you have. We hardly see people or things that we are familiar with until they change One of the best forms of training observation is drawing or sketching The act of observation is not complete until you have recorded what you have seen, thereby helping to commit it to memory LISTEN FOR IDEAS Have an open mind -- it doesn't mean you will buy the idea, proposition, or course of action being put to you, but you are in the marketplace for ideas Comprehension should come before analysis and evaluation (don't jump to conclusions) Always talk to people and try to listen to their ideas -- don't cut yourself off from ideas It takes talking to listen effectively (bounce ideas back and forth) "Never miss a chance to shut up." READING TO GENERATE IDEAS You must internalize the ideas and remember them The only books that are helpful are those that are slightly further down a path that we have started on Stimulate things other than the area that you are interested in -- listen to interesting music, read poetry "Nothing is worth reading that does require an alert mind, open and eager to learn." "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." KEEP A NOTEBOOK I already keep one, but this helps to reinforce this idea Don't forget to add inspirational quotations, stories, and examples to your collection TEST YOUR ASSUMPTIONS Make _conscious_ assumptions and see where the conclusions lead you "Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions." -Einstein You should imagine, but then use evidence to support your thoughts "Opinions are often more precious than true." MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR DEPTH MIND Subconscious mind A framework of effective thinking - analysing - synthesizing - valuing The depth mind works like a computer that processes and prints out its findings for the conscious mind to find There is a skill in allowing your depth mind to do work DO NOT WAIT FOR INSPIRATION It is unwise to wait for the right mood Inch by inch Don't be nervous or negative, creativity favors a positive, confident mind Talks a bit about the feeling of religious inspiration. I have an aversion to this idea, so I should explore it more. SHARPEN YOUR ANALYTICAL SKILLS preparation, incubation, illumination, verification a period of intense application, followed by moving conscious attention away from the topic, sometimes a flash of insight, and subjecting to critical tests check your definition of the problem SUSPEND JUDGMENT Don't put guards on your own mind Beware of critics - "this is the reason why professional creative thinkers - authors, inventors, and artists, for example - seldom talk about work in progress" LEARN TO TOLERATE AMBIGUITY You should hold ambiguity in your mind and play with it. Many people are not successful at doing this (marriage, etc.) Courage and perseverance are cousins negative capability is your capacity to live with doubt and uncertainty over a sustained period of time "Doubt is not a pleasant mental state, but certainty is a ridiculous one." DRIFT, WAIT, AND OBEY Be willing to delegate to your drift mind SLEEP ON THE PROBLEM Might dream of the solution Going over before bedtime is nice to relax and use your imagination Write down dreams WORKING IT OUT You have to apply yourself to making things happen You won't always get a fully formed idea, most of the time you need to start working at it If you haven't worked on the edge of failure then you haven't worked on the edge of real success THINK CREATIVELY ABOUT YOUR LIFE Identify your strengths Outline by Anthony Panozzo (http://22ideastreet.com/blog) copyright 2009