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Polymath: Jack of All Trades, Master of Insight | Backwards Time Machine. I found a great article talking about the upsides of being a polymath (The article explains what a polymath is) that I wanted to post it as a blog post. The original article can be found called In Defense of the Polymath Polymath is one of those words more likely to show up on the SAT than in everyday conversation. But the reason we don’t use the word much these days has less to do with vocabulary than it has to do with practicality: there aren’t a lot of polymaths around anymore. In case you don’t have your pocket dictionary handy, a polymath is a person with a range of knowledge or learning. Think people like Leonardo da Vinci (artist and helicopter designer), Benjamin Franklin (founding father, inventor, and all-around lady-killer), Paul Robeson (scholar, athlete, actor, and civil rights activist), and even Steve Jobs (engineer, businessman extraordinaire, and marketing mastermind). But why?

“It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Angelou said to the Smithsonian. Like this: Related. Polymath: Jack of All Trades, Master of Insight | Backwards Time Machine. Chrishoeller : Why doesn't @Best Buy sell ... Chris @ Best Buy. Chrishoeller : “Haters Hate, because They ... Top Ten Lists - Merriam-Webster Online. How To Save Your Next Great Idea. Justin Fowler is the co-founder of Audio Press- a better way to consume the news and content that matter most to you through audio. The brain is super quick in establishing connections – it can jump from one idea to the other in a fraction of a second. Your mind is a holding tank for all the memories, experiences, and thoughts you’ve had at some point in your life that haven’t been forgotten. Unfortunately, you can’t hook your brain up to a computer to download information from it… not yet, anyway. With so much information passing through our brains everyday, it’s impossible to manually record everything that comes to mind.

But once in a while, you have that gem – that one idea that sparks your creativity. Still, if your brain is like mine, the idea will be gone by tomorrow unless I do something about it. Over the years, I’ve developed a system that allows for me to record anything noteworthy, enabling me to look through my thoughts and take action or even expand upon my original idea. Why Einstein, JFK, Edison, and Marie Curie All Doodled. Superhero designed by Moriah Rich from the Noun Project Being in the zone means that you’ve become so absorbed in the activity at hand that it’s impossible to concentrate on anything else. It’s when code seems to flow from your fingertips, when words seem to fly out of your pen, and when your stylus seems to take on a life of its own. But a common misconception about the zone is that it’s some some elusive, magical place. It is not. The founder of the language training app Yakk, Martin Rue, has a simple two-step process for tapping into, and remaining in, the zone: 1) Give a shit about what you’re doing.

This is so often ignored when talking about productivity in general. There are several factors that influence our ability to get into the zone, chief among which are focus, energy, no distractions and music. Read the rest of Rue’s blog post on how to remain in the zone here. Related: Not Too Hard, Not Too Easy: Finding Flow In Your Work. Thinking Outside the Box: A Misguided Idea. Have You Reached Your Creative Peak? Chrishoeller : Nobody has ever conformed their... Idea Generation Methods. It’s always a challenge to bring the innovative culture of any organization to higher level.

After promotion of innovation program and removing the barriers, one of tasks connected with that challenge is to be successful in Idea Generation. The focus can be on the quantity of ideas, but it is also always expected, that this ideas have a certain quality to be able to get realized at the end. In order to get quality ideas aligned with company portfolio and the situation on the market, three different approaches can be combined: traditional brainstorming (sometimes connected with Idea Awareness Workshops), innovation task force meetings and internal open contest for ideas.

Traditional brainstorming is well known with its principles and rules. However, some principles can be used in many areas of business, but some must be put in front. As good preparation is essential for success, the topic for which ideas are needed should be as narrow as possible. Image credit: theideabodega.com Wait! Polymath: Jack of All Trades, Master of Insight. I found a great article talking about the upsides of being a polymath (The article explains what a polymath is) that I wanted to post it as a blog post.

The original article can be found called In Defense of the Polymath Polymath is one of those words more likely to show up on the SAT than in everyday conversation. But the reason we don’t use the word much these days has less to do with vocabulary than it has to do with practicality: there aren’t a lot of polymaths around anymore. In case you don’t have your pocket dictionary handy, a polymath is a person with a range of knowledge or learning. Think people like Leonardo da Vinci (artist and helicopter designer), Benjamin Franklin (founding father, inventor, and all-around lady-killer), Paul Robeson (scholar, athlete, actor, and civil rights activist), and even Steve Jobs (engineer, businessman extraordinaire, and marketing mastermind).

But why? “It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Angelou said to the Smithsonian. Like this: Related. The Ideal Future Problem Solving Team. Creating the idea problem solving / future trends team is pretty simple. In fact, simplicity is an important aspect of success. Understanding these basic principles, can differentiate between a game-changer or complete bust. With a future focused, problem forecasting, and solution creation team, you can’t have too many open minds at the same time.

The ideal size is a minimum of three and a maximum of five team members.The people involved will all have the same goal of future problem solving, but by having too many divergent ideas in the same room, an unorganized, directionless discussion will develop quite quickly. Let us pretend when have a three person team. 1. 2. 3. This is merely one example of a group with diversity, there are many ways you can try alternate teams, keeping a focus on making a team that’s diverse and have contrasting strengths and weaknesses.

Each member possessed different personality type, which made them stronger together than they could ever be by themselves. DreamWorks’ New Tablet Entertains--And Trains--The Next Generation Of Animators. At CES this week, when DreamWorks Animation and the tech startup Fuhu introduced a kids tablet computer that they're co-developing, the most inventive feature went largely overlooked. Yes, the DreamTab, due out this spring, will readily stream DreamWorks' content, as well as shows from the Cartoon Network, Disney, and Nickelodeon; it will wirelessly communicate with other DreamWorks toys, creating the ultimate "connected playroom"; and it will have what Fuhu and DreamWorks claim is the safest way yet for kids to IM, email, and share photos--by complying with COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

All good stuff. But what the DreamTab will have that no other kids tablet for kids (or adults, for that matter) has is a window into the creative process of world-class talent. In a feature called "Be An Artist," DreamWorks animators lead a video tutorial, teaching kids how to draw characters from its movies and shows. [Images courtesy of DreamWorks] 10 Creative Rituals You Should Steal.

Benjamin Franklin made sure to end every day by asking “What good have I done today?” Maya Angelou only wrote in tiny hotel rooms. Jack Kerouac made sure to touch the ground nine times before writing. Sustained creativity doesn’t come from a flash of brilliance or a single afternoon of inspiration. It comes from a consistent routine that serves as the bedrock for getting things done. Venture capitalist Brad Feld takes a week off every three months: The most impactful thing I’ve done is to take a week off the grid every quarter.

Read the entire interview here. Former Obama campaign CTO Harper Reed the importance of the daily “retrospective”: [The presidential campaign] had a really good team dynamic that relied quite a bit on the “retrospective” meeting at the end of a project that allowed us to stop and say: “What was it like to launch? Read the entire interview here. Best-selling author Cheryl Strayed on the importance of writing daily: Read the entire interview here. How about you? How Boredom Promulgates Creativity in Business.... This is part of a series of articles by MBA students at California College of the Arts dMBA program. Follow along here. By Jesse Meyer-Appel One might think that boredom doesn’t create creativity and success in the business world, but contrary to belief, it does.

According to Baroness Greenfield, an eminent neuroscientist at Oxford University, “Boredom encourages creativity. The same sort of inspiration is created in the business world vis-à-vis boredom. In de Bono’s book, Serious Creativity, he asserts that even when things are going along, well, swimmingly, “some of the best results come when people stop to think about things that no one else has stopped to think about.” However, the “creative pause” might soon become a thing of the past. Also, when I am referring to boredom, I mean bored as in doing absolutely nothing. Boredom exacerbates our creative outlets by forcing us to come up with new ways to entertain ourselves.

Creativity is not a natural process in the brain. 55 Quotes To Inspire Creativity, Innovation and Action. “The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off… They must create, must pour out creation.

By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.” – Pearl Buck “F@*# self-doubt. I despise it. “Creativity comes from trust. “Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution”—Clay Shirky “I am not afraid…I was born to do this.” – Joan of Arc “It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.” – J. “Do not be critics, you people, I beg you. People you may want to follow. 15 ideas on how to generate new ideas. Daydreaming may offer key to problem solving and enhancing creativity - Bangor new age. Drifting off in the middle of a lecture may be seen as disrespectful and worthy of criticism, but new research supports that daydreaming may be the key to solving complex tasks, says a Nov. 25 report from Unexplained Mysteries. In fact, it is believed that both Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton made their most significant discoveries while daydreaming.

A study conducted by a group of scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara, led by Benjamin Baird, concluded that taking a break from a complex task and completing an undemanding task while allowing the mind to daydream improves your ability to solve complex tasks. The study, as described by The Telegraph report, involved 145 subjects, who were instructed to list as many uses for an everyday object as possible in two minutes. The subjects were then divided into four groups. The daydreamers improved their performance by 40 percent while the other groups showed no improvement in performance. 14 Ideas on How To Generate New Ideas-Part 2 | Launchyourgenius. Are You Launching Your Genius Today? LAUNCHYOURGENIUS brings you the best of Creativity, Personal Development and Behavioral Psychology! Download your free pic-e-books: GENERATE NEW IDEAS (12.5 MB) AND MASTERY (10.7 MB)!

15 ideas on how to generate new ideas. Chrishoeller : "I'm not crazy... I'm just... Chrishoeller : @andyb6 I'm sure you can relate... Personal Creativity Lives in All of Us. Philmckinney | June 24, 2013 We have all heard someone say, “Oh, I am not a creative person at all. I don’t paint, draw, write, or do anything like that.” People tend to think of personal creativity in terms of artistic skills or genetic abilities. But whether that creative spark is a barely-heard whisper or a loud buzz that you simply cannot ignore, it is definitely there in all of us. You might not be a best-selling author or a musical genius, but we all use our creative skills in many different ways throughout the course of an ordinary day. You are making that signature chicken dish for a dinner party, and run out of a key ingredient like parsley. Personal creativity is the confidence to try something new, to bend the rules a bit, and welcome new ideas when they pop into your head.

How have you surprised yourself with your personal creativity? 23 Writing Websites to Improve Your Writing. We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. ~Ernest Hemingway How strong is your writing? No matter how good you think it is, there’s always room for improvement. In most cases, plenty of room. Luckily, there are some amazing websites that’ll help you improve your writing, and take it to the next level. (***By the way, have you seen this amazing online creative writing course, “Story Is a State of Mind,” created by Giller finalist Sarah Selecky? Want to strengthen your story, empower your performance, and beef up on the publishing business? Here are 23 sites (in no particular order) I look to for daily inspiration and advice: PS If you find this list useful, please share it on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon – I’d really appreciate it!

4) Query Shark A query critique site you don’t want to miss. 5) Men with Pens Fantastic articles on copywriting and freelancing. 6) Ask Allison Writing and publishing Q&A by novelist Allison Winn Scotch. Stupidity Rules for Creative Professionals. I'm having trouble being stupid. Productively stupid, that is. I have infinite reserves of unproductive stupidity—ignoring my car's oil light, losing my wallet, hiring the wrong person. That's the variety of a presidential candidate forgetting during a national debate which federal agencies he wants to eliminate ("Oops").

Productive stupidity is something else. But I'm getting ahead of myself with that know-it-all assertion. A lot of popular advice being doled out about creative productivity has its catchy truisms: Get things done. Creative activists' advice stems in part from a deep-rooted backlash to previous creativity theorists. In part. "If you want to help people cultivate their creativity, don't give them more wonder. " So here's where I question and take exception. I don't know. Do you see how much trouble I have being productively stupid? From what?

Microbiologist Martin A. "Productive stupidity means being ignorant by choice. So how did he pull it off? Chrishoeller : Creativity is the opposite... Chrishoeller : Perception VS Reality #creativity... 10 Bizarre Facts about Famous Creative Geniuses. In Defense of Polymaths - Kyle Wiens. Want a Team to be Creative? Make it Diverse - Beth Comstock.

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