In an earlier episode, we talked about how constraints guide your creative work. To refresh your memory, constraints are the boundaries that are placed on a product. Constraints are how we ensure that our creative work is not just unique, but useful as well. When we correctly define our constraints, we understand the full scope
The history of civilization is the history of creativity. You cannot talk meaningfully about the past without bringing up the most important people and inventions of the time. We are here today because of the creativity of the past. Creativity and culture are inseparable. In no small way, creative people are responsible for the world
Ideas don’t pop into our heads fully formed and ready to launch. The process from initial idea to a finished product worthy of other people’s attention can be a long one. Each idea develops over time. Your very first attempt at a creative idea will likely only capture the general feeling of what you’re after.
What you focus on determines how you feel. When you think about happy memories, you’ll naturally feel happier. When you think about the awful thing someone did to you in the past, before long you’ll start feeling that in your body. Your attention determines how you feel. When we’re creating, our focus powerfully shapes our
Innovative people spend so much time questioning the assumptions of their industry, but they rarely question their own assumptions and belief systems with the same level of scrutiny. How you perceive the world has a huge influence on your personal and professional life. Those perceptions come together to form beliefs, and those beliefs have a
Creativity is just as much an emotional process as it is a cognitive one. Creativity isn’t just WHAT you’re thinking, it’s HOW you’re thinking. The emotional state that you’re in when you create powerfully influences your process, which, of course, determines your outcome. Being a stand-up comedian made this really easy for me to notice.
Some of us are shy introverts, some of us are outgoing extroverts, but we all need to market our creativity. Marketing is always a tough topic for creative people because the skills the we use to create our products is different from the skills we use to market them. Introverts who are creative tend to
Ideas are like stupid children, you need to give them a chance to grow up before you’d actually want to be seen in public with them. Of course, I’m not a father, so perhaps I’m wrong. Incubation is about giving your ideas time to mature. When you incubate a problem, you’re allowing your subconscious mind
One of the most fascinating aspects of the creative personality is how often creative people have contradictory personality traits. Creative problem solving is incredibly difficult. There are so many moving pieces that it’s hard to know what to even try. This is why so much advice centers on shifting your perspective. Look at the problem
Creativity leads to change. Innovators change the way the world works. In recent years, they’ve radically changed how we connect with others, how we purchase things, how we find entertainment, and more. Long before these innovations hit the market… long before the creative insight occurs, you’ll find a creative person who not happy with the