Creativity Information

Make Yourself Creative: Two Easy Idea-Generating Methods


Here are a couple of exercises to force yourself to come up with some brand new ideas. These methods can be used to give your business an edge, to overcome creative blocks, or just for fun - to prove to yourself that you can have some great ideas.

Method 1: "It's X meets Y"

Many movie critics use the "It's X meets Y" formula to help them quickly and accurately describe what a movie is all about. For example, the film Open Water was described by one critic as "It's Jaws meets Blair Witch". Anyone can now guess that the film involves sharks (or other water-dwelling monsters), and is a horror film filmed in a realistic way.

You can also use this formula to create brand new products, which can be easily understood by the potential market.

Choose 2 products from your industry (or choose 2 at random), with different features and audiences. Combine the two and consider the result. This is your brand new product. Do this a few times to create 5 different new products and then evaluate them to see which to go with. For example "It's Pop Tarts meets AllBran" could give you the idea to make a toastable breakfast health snack, or mini-Poptarts that you pour into a bowl and eat as a cereal.

Funnily enough, this method works really well with new movie-script ideas.

Method 2: "Redesign This"

This method allows a product to be developed very quickly. Consider an existing everyday item and improve it. Write down the item's main essential features - no more than the essentials. Then write down all the extra features you would personally like to see in the perfect version of this item. Then sketch out some ideas which have all the features you have though of.

If we consider a Kettle, what essentials features does it need? The ability to heat liquid, to be safe, easy to pour, easy to fill. If we think of it like this we could design a kettle that can have variable settings for different liquids - one to boil water, one to heat baby's milk, one to make hot chocolate (though it would have to be easy to clean!). Or we could make a more traditional style kettle, but with an extra wide spout to allow it to be filled without having to remove the lid.

These new ideas appear only when we strip an item down to its absolute essentials and start again from scratch.

Is your business as targeted as it could be, or are you providing unwanted features? Could you bring out some new redesigned products to complement existing ones?

It is very satisfying to improve an old classic.

Profile: You can be a Saint - right now - at the author's web business. Become a Saint at http://www.yousaint.com for a modest donation of £35.


MORE RESOURCES:
Google

Assisted-living center?s program allows residents an outlet for ...
ReporterHerald.com, CO - 1 hour ago
By Anya Semenoff Residents of The Courtyard of Loveland assisted-living center showed the power of creativity Thursday through watercolor paintings. ...


Creativity Award Winners, Revealed
Creativity, NY - 9 hours ago
We've talked about both enough and are now pleased to show you the results--Creativity's first issue in its new format heralds the 14 winners of a ...


Creativity And Hard Work At St. Anne's
Garden City News,  USA - 9 hours ago
The project celebrates each inventor's creativity, persistence and mechanical prowess. One of the most important lessons of this exercise is to learn to be ...


Mentoring program boosts students' creativity
Cape Cod Times, MA - 7 hours ago
Provincetown High School students hang their work in the Provincetown Art Association and Museum yesterday. Exhibition mentors worked with 14 students. ...


Creativity, innovation recognized at Houston Idea*Ation Awards
Bizjournals.com, NC - May 14, 2008
Ten local companies were recognized for their creativity and innovation at the Houston Idea*ation Awards Wednesday. The event, part of the Houston Business ...


Calcutta Telegraph

Rangers 'lacked creativity' in Uefa Cup final, Walter Smith says
InTheNews.co.uk, UK - May 15, 2008
"But in some games this season we have lacked a player with perhaps a bit more creativity." Smith admitted he is looking to bring in one or two players over ...
Advocaat finally wins European title leading Zenit to UEFA Cup ... International Herald Tribune
Tymoschuk: Skill Will Down Gers Goal.com
Advocaat savours Zenit's UEFA Cup triumph guardian.co.uk
ComeOnBoro.com
all 2,232 news articles


Creativity bides its time
The Australian, Australia - May 14, 2008
Artist Callum Morton is a strong supporter of nurturing creativity in the wider community. He recalls that a vibrant visual arts scene sprang up in ...


the unwired

COMPETITION: GSmart Creative CF Competition - show your creativity ...
the unwired, Germany - 23 hours ago
Both short films are showing on the GSmart event website and are presented with creativity and sense of humor, the films also clearly shows the niche ...


School wins an accolade for creativity
Sunderland Echo, UK - 23 hours ago
A school has become one of only 30 across the UK to be hailed as a centre of "creativity". Broadway Junior School, in Springwell Road, Sunderland, ...


GM Student Design Competition fuels creativity at Imagine 2008
HULIQ (press release), NC - 19 hours ago
Sponsored by GM for the sixth consecutive year, Imagine 2008 celebrates the creativity of the Academy?s talented fashion and design students, including five ...

Creativity - Google News

home | site map
© 2006