{"id":1169,"date":"2012-01-31T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2012-01-31T11:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.siriuspress.com\/studio\/?p=1169"},"modified":"2012-01-31T07:16:19","modified_gmt":"2012-01-31T12:16:19","slug":"creativitys-the-easy-bit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.siriuspress.com\/studio\/2012\/01\/creativitys-the-easy-bit\/","title":{"rendered":"Creativity\u2019s The Easy Bit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twitter: @changingminds<\/a><\/p>\n

\""It\u2019s

"It\u2019s one thing to dream, but it\u2019s completely another to engineer the final solution."<\/p><\/div>\n

Some say that creativity, coming up with great new ideas is hard. I disagree. I have no problems coming up with really novel and interesting ways of addressing problems. It\u2019s about the most fun you can have. You chew on the problem, explore data and whet your tingling nerve endings. Then maybe a bit of incubation and perhaps some deliberate creativity techniques, from using the dictionary to find stimulating random words to bouncing ideas around with other people.\u00a0 And before long, there\u2019s all kinds of great thoughts spouting out and spreading around.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not the half of it. When you have the idea, you next have to figure out how to make it work in practice. It\u2019s one thing to dream, but it\u2019s completely another to engineer the final solution. You may have to design shapes, connections and so on. You may need to figure out how to make it really cheaply and in a way that is easy to manufacture. And of course take into account all the regulations about recyclability, toxicity and so on. You may even fret about packaging and how to ship it from A to B in one piece. And before all this there\u2019s all the stuff about usability, learnability, aesthetics et cetera. Maybe also you\u2019ll be lucky and be dealing with something more conceptual, maybe just something that people should do.<\/p>\n

\"\"Then comes the hard part. Or maybe the hard parts. This is about the people stuff. Because before you even get to spend any money on development, you\u2019ll have to persuade other people that the idea is great. You\u2019ll need to persuade them that the problem that your idea solves is worth solving. And worth spending money on. Even if it is blindingly obvious to you, you\u2019ll find that there will be people who think it is stupid and a waste of time and certainly a waste of money.\u00a0 And if you\u2019re developing a commercial product, then you\u2019ll also have to persuade people to use your idea, customers to buy, retailers to stock, marketers to sell and so on.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t worry. All this stuff about persuading people is also about creativity. Because now you are in the territory of social innovation, where you can be creative about how you influence, sell and change minds. The problem that many innovators face is that, while they are great in their home territory, they are lost when it comes to persuasion.\u00a0 The solution is not easy, but it can be fun. You just have to roll your sleeves up and study psychology and social influence. It\u2019s a big field and there\u2019s lots to discover. But if you want to really make a difference in life, you\u2019ll find it the best investment you can make.<\/p>\n

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\n

Biography<\/h3>\n
\"How<\/a>

How To Invent Almost Anything<\/p><\/div>\n

David Straker<\/strong> is a creative professional who has spent many years in R&D (hardware and software), won a few patents for his employers, and since the 90s, has been a business consultant\u2014training people in blue-chip companies around the world. He has written a number of books, including two on problem-solving and one on inventing.<\/p>\n

Creating Minds Web Site<\/a> | Twitter: @changingminds<\/a><\/p>\n

How to Invent (Almost) Anything<\/strong>
\nby David Straker and Graham Rawlinson (@GrahamRawlinson<\/a>)
\n328 pages
\nBuy on Amazon US<\/a>
\nBuy on Amazon UK<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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