7 Tips for Generating Ideas - Part II

Here is the second part of 7 Tips for Generating Ideas that I know you've been waiting for. Of course, what separates us from the other mammals is our capacity for self-delusion. ()

5 - Lateral Pollination - You can stimulate creativity by pushing yourself to think about overlapping disciplines. 7Stones (blog and book) is about how to apply architectural design philosophy to personal growth. It is a product of this type of thinking. It's a cross application of ideas. In my Catholic grammar school, we had homeroom, after which we filed quietly down the hall to arithmetic class, then to history, religion and so on it went. We were left to our own devices to figure out how it all worked together, how art influenced history or how history influenced
language. Art class was pretty much macaroni sculptures and gold spray paint.
Creative thinking was not encouraged.

It helps to ask seemingly disjointed questions. How would a vegetable farmer solve the teen pregnancy problem? How would a mathematician describe a pathogen? How can we understand world religions by studying trade routes? By turning to seemingly disparate disciplines for answers you can find innovative applications for your ideas.

6 - Comedy - Inventive performers like Eddie Izzard are funny because they make uncommon connections. Psychologist and psychometrician, Robert Sternberg, says "Synthetic ability is what we typically think of as creativity. It is the ability to generate novel and interesting ideas. Often the person we call creative is a particularly good synthetic thinker who makes connections between things that other people do not recognize spontaneously." CGI allows filmmakers to connect traditional roles to unusual personality types, so we end up falling in love with the big-hearted swamp creatures and sword-fighting gatos. One of the fun aspects of Twitter is reading how people pack so much cleverness into 140 characters. It's a creative challenge.

Watch a comedian at work, not just for entertainment, but really watch how he works. Take time to examine the incongruous connections comedians make. It's a great way to watch a creative mind interpret the world. So now it's OK to watch comedy on the net and if you get accused of loafing you can honestly say you're conducting research.

And for you guys; according to UberFacts.com, "Women tend to prefer men with a sense of humor because it is associated with intelligence and honesty."

7 - Do Nothing. "Everybody's doing something. We'll do nothing!" - George Castanza. By doing nothing I mean real leisure. Put the project aside and go play with the kids, take your spouse to a movie or go get a hot rock massage. Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to force ideas, we end up with cerebral performance anxiety. There is no blue pill for this. Just get away, relax, reach out to someone important that you've been neglecting. Tell your parents you're proud of them. Borrow $1,700 and go to a Yankee game with your only child. Time away from the mission will rejuvenate you. Enthusiasm is uplifting and your brain works much more effectively when it is relieved of stress.

These seven strategies are meant to enhance your insight ability. This ability was
described by Robert Sternberg in his "Triarchic Theory of Intelligence." It's simply about putting problems in different contexts to develop novel solutions. Architecture is created, enhanced and appreciated because of perspective. It's how architects solve problems, how they work with the landscape, how they incorporate their designs with the dynamics of the city and how they determine the manner in which we move through the space.

There are hundreds of methods for being creative and these may help you generate a thought. But don't rest on one solution or the first one that arises. Often creative people are grinders. They stick with problems longer and try new angles of attack until they find a workable connection. What may seem like a good idea is really the first piece of a better idea. Give it time. Play with it. Nurture it. Bounce it off your friends over a cup of coffee. Ideas need time to percolate. But by all means; have fun and...stay connected.