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Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Creativity, fulfillment and flow. Three Principles Behind All Tools. || Take me back to the main ToolKit page || || Take me back to the DirectedCreativity Home page || There are many tools for creative thinking in the literature...

Three Principles Behind All Tools

Edward de Bono presents 13 tools in his book Serious Creativity Grace McGartland has 25 tips and techniques in Thunderbolt Thinking(TM) Arthur VanGundy covers 29 tools in Idea Power Michael Michalko describes 34 techniques in Thinkertoys Roger von Oech has 64 methods in his Creative Whack Pack Koberg and Bagnall give guidance on 67 tools in The Universal Traveler James Higgins tops them all with his book 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques. While there is overlap among these compilations, there are at least 250 unique tools in these seven books.

And these are only a few of the references available on the topic of creative thinking! Unfortunately, this variety leaves the impression that no one really knows how to stimulate creativity. Attention Escape Movement The Value of Understanding the Three Principles Summary. Tim Harford: Trial, error and the God complex. The Discipline of Creativity. Ideas can come from anywhere.

The Discipline of Creativity

But that doesn’t mean managers can afford to rely on haphazard, hit-or-miss approaches to idea generation. Businesses win through new ideas: new ideas for products, for developing and refining processes, and for tackling strategic and operational challenges. Given the complexity and volatility that characterize today’s business landscape, the ability to develop creative new ideas is more important than ever. In fact, a recent IBM survey of 1,500 CEOs from more than 60 countries named creativity the most important leadership quality. But coming up with creative ideas on demand is only part of the answer. Many brainstorming exercises that companies undertake fall short in this regard. Joshua Walters: On being just crazy enough. Ross Lovegrove shares organic designs. Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! 4 Lessons In Creativity From John Cleese. There’s a certain generation (or two) that owes its twisted, awkward, scorchingly black sense humor to John Cleese.

4 Lessons In Creativity From John Cleese

Famous for his work with the Monty Python films and television series, the BBC comedy Fawlty Towers, as well as feature films like A Fish Called Wanda, the writer, actor, comedian and film producer knows from funny. But he also knows a thing or two about wrestling the creative beast, which is the topic Cleese was invited to speak about at last week’s Cannes International Festival of Creativity. Addressing a group of attendees from the Havas Media group, Cleese brought a storytelling flair to the topic of the creative process, something he’s been discussing for decades through his educational video company Video Arts, sharing tales of writing mishaps and lessons learned from leading creative and scientific minds. 100-Whats of Creativity. RainyMood.com: Rain makes everything better.

Creative-problem-solving-with-scamper. Use Image Searches Like a Thesaurus to Overcome Your Creative Blocks. Are there empirical studies about how to be creative?

Use Image Searches Like a Thesaurus to Overcome Your Creative Blocks

Isn't it completely subjective and personal? Yup. There are entire peer-reviewed journals committed to the subject. The Inspiration Paradox: Your Best Creative Time Is Not When You Think. A bus company in China has launched a new “safe driving” campaign by suspending bowls of water over their drivers.

The Inspiration Paradox: Your Best Creative Time Is Not When You Think

To avoid getting wet, drivers must drive gently. Get Mentally Fit with an Idea Quota. The first step to have great ideas is to adopt an attitude of having lots of ideas.

Get Mentally Fit with an Idea Quota

Going further, there are some strategies we can use to dramatically increase the amount of ideas we generate. The Idea Quota is one of the simplest and most effective of them. The Idea Quota. Coffee Shop Buzz Is Good For Your Creativity. A Creative Buzz - Ideas Market. By Christopher Shea People who like to write in cafes are onto something, it seems: A moderate level of noise—the equivalent of the background buzz of conversation — prompts more-creative thought, according to a study.

A Creative Buzz - Ideas Market

Across several experiments involving more than 300 people, participants worked on a series of exercises demanding mental flexibility, including word-association games and practical problems. They brainstormed about how a mattress company might improve its product, for example, and devised as many uses as possible for a brick. They did their thinking while ambient noise recorded in a cafeteria, roadside, and at a construction site was played at three levels: softly, moderately, or loudly, with the moderate level being about what you’d hear in a bustling café: 70 decibels.

201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity. Arouse your creativity Electric flesh-arrows … traversing the body.

201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity

A rainbow of color strikes the eyelids. A foam of music falls over the ears. It is the gong of the orgasm. ~ Anais Nin Creativity is like sex. Category:Creativity Techniques. This A to Z of Creativity and Innovation Techniques, provides an introduction to a range of tools and techniques for both idea generation (Creativity) and converting those ideas into reality (Innovation).

Category:Creativity Techniques

Like most tools these techniques all have their good and bad points. I like to think of these creativity and innovation techniques as tools in a toolbox in much the same way as my toolbox at home for DIY. It has a saw, spanner, hammer, knife and all sorts of other things in it, they are all very useful, but you have to pick the right tool (creativity / Innovation technique) for each job. This site will try and provide a little guidance along with each tool to let you know whether it's best used for cutting paper or putting in nails. For the future, the aim is to also have sub-categories which will identify Techniques for; Problem Definition - including problem analysis, redifinition, and all aspects associated with defining the problem clearly.

Tools for creating ideas. No Idea Left Behind: 25 Tools for Capturing Ideas Anywhere. As a serial entrepreneur, I’m addicted to ideas.

No Idea Left Behind: 25 Tools for Capturing Ideas Anywhere

I feed off of ’em. And nothing makes me more upset than having a great idea… and losing it. Ideas never happen at opportune times, and having the proper idea capture tools can make sure that you’ll capture all your ideas for later processing. The problem with ideas is that they’re situational. You don’t only have ideas while you’re in front of the computer, or walking your dog. In order to capture every single little idea that we have, we’ll need to take a multi-pronged approach to capturing the little bits of genius that we have throughout our day. I should note that we’re not talking about complex systems like mind mapping and other GTD systems. Analog Idea Capture. 7 Ways to Cultivate Your Creativity [Slide Show]: Scientific American Slideshows.

Email Order now to receive an issue of Scientific American MIND , risk-free, with no obligation to buy. » Get your risk-free issue today....[ More ] Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Creativity, fulfillment and flow. Mad Genius, Eccentric Behavior & Creative Process. Kristi Tencarre : Mad Genius Eccentric Creative Beings By Kristi Tencarre What is madness, except for non-conformity to the norm? Majority makes up the norm, therefore their definition of madness becomes the marker signaling the labeled to watch out for and stay away from. Madness has been officially defined as mentally unstable.

However, it has also been officially defined as great folly, enthusiasm, or excitement which can be marked by frenzied behaviour. Bubbl.us - free web application for brainstorming online. Daydreaming Can Be Good for Your Brain. Top 10 Sites to Help Develop Your Creative Side. Everyday Creativity. The tattoo artists throughout Russia's prison system have never had lessons in painting technique (nor, apparently, hygiene training). They don't have ink and tools at their disposal. And yet they create entire murals on one another's chests and backs: onion-domed cathedrals, intricate cobwebs, chilly grim reapers.

Ten Steps for Boosting Your Creativity.