creativity.creative thinking.bright ideas.clever concepts.

What is creativity and why do you need it?

Creativity is the process of generating new ideas, or finding new solutions to challenges. With a high level of creativity there are no problems, all problems are challenges, and challenges lead to opportunities. Opportunities are the pathway to success.

Creativity Steps: 1 - The Brief

The first step to creativity requires you to clearly identify the brief, or challenge. Determine the objectives, the context, resources and constraints. Question and clarify these. Determine the reasons behind the brief.

Creativity Steps: 2 - Knowledge

Build knowledge - sift through lots of related (and slightly related) knowledge and compile.

Creativity Steps: 3 - Brainstorm

Brainstorm - rapidly generate and collate all ideas without evaluating them. And have fun - be outrageous.

Creativity Steps: 4 - Analogies

Consider analogies from related and non-related topics.

Creativity Steps: 5 - Evaluate

Evaluate ideas. Record what aspects of ideas are good and what aspects appear irrelevant or are not feasible because of constraints. Keep all ideas, but prioritise on grounds of relevance and feasibility.

Creativity Steps: 6 - Synthesise

Mix and match parts of ideas and synthesise new ideas from the ideas identified in the other steps.

Creativity Steps: 7 - Modify

Manipulate and modify ideas - change the parameters, attributes, assumptions...

Creativity Steps: 8 - Perspective

Look at ideas from other perspectives and in other contexts. Perhaps an idea would be good for a related activity or in a different context.

Creativity Steps: 9 - Take Time Off

Think about the challenge then forget about it for a while. A few days later when you are relaxed and free from interruptions have another go at the challenge. Repeat this process to build upon previous ideas.

Creativity Steps: 10 - Other Peoples Views

Ask other people for their views, including those outside the context of your working environment. Other perspectives can be quite revealing and helpful. Caution:Many people tend not to be visionary, and lack a positive entrepreneurial attitude. This means that you may feel demoralised by their comments. Try to consider their comments objectively. Remember that most great inventors had plenty of ridicule and struggled against the odds. Though remember also that such people may be the ones in the marketplace that do, or do not, purchase your new product or service!

Creativity Steps and Beyond

Oh and in point seven, it said: and break the rules!

Now ask yourself the following questions about the above steps:

1. Are they the only steps to creativity?
2. How could they be improved?
3. Are they in the right order?
4. What happens to ideas that fail the evaluation?

For answers to these questions and much more subscribe to the Creativity services.

Acro Logic can provide you with quality support and practical assistance on all of these aspects. You even have the opportunity to have customised tools developed to assist you with your specific goals.

Trends and Visions

What will you be doing tomorrow? What does the future hold? New technologies, systems and services only succeed when they meet the requirements of that future context. If you are serious about innovation you need to be sure about what you will be up against.