Innovate or die

Have a look at this



http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-U-mvfjyiao

This is a very interesting idea and I was particularly drawn to a couple of aspects of this project (and not least that fact that it deals with one issue of rural poverty in a very down to earth way) ..
1. combination. Exploring the problem of clean water filtration AND the delivery of it, these guys have managed to create a solution that meets both needs. And this approach must surely stimulate further thinking about "and what else?" How might we use the same product to power a mobile phone or radio? How might we use it to dispose of waste materials? How might we use it to create some wealth?
2. prototyping. Its a shame that we dont see more of it in the video, but im always inspired to see the prototypes and mock-ups of emerging ideas. Whilst most people these days can (with a little effort) learn how to create a simple 3D visualization of an idea (check out the free google drawing tool - sketchup - http://sketchup.google.com/) Actually bringing an idea to life in-the-flesh so to speak is an amazingly powerful communicator of strange new concepts. When people can touch and "try" an idea for real, there is a far greater chance that they can understand the benefits that this idea brings (in addition to helping refine and develop the idea). Creating prototypes doesnt have to be difficult, as these guys demonstrate by cutting and pasting cardboard around a bicycle.

The Beauty of Incubation.

I have been getting increasingly frustrated by the fact that I am not making any progress on an idea i had a few months ago. I want to modify a Ukulele to create a "show instrument" - I will share the details another time. The conceptual idea came to me a few weeks ago and i created some initial sketches and got very excited about the project. I bought a cheap ukulele that would be the donor instrument and i bought a couple of components to start the modification... and then the project came to a halt as my time became overwhelmed with work and other engagements.
The Ukulele and my sketches have sat on my desk for the past 2 weeks waiting for me to get on and bring my vision to reality. And while this has been frustrating me, i haven't stopped thinking about it.
And now something really interesting has happened.....
During this time of no action, during telephone calls or while waiting for my PC to boot etc, ive been fiddling with some of the project components that have been lying on my desk. I've done little doodles and sketches on postit notes and ive day-dreamed about what it might be like to play this new instrument. And almost like a butterfly from its cocoon a fabulous new vision has emerged from my mind. The concept is still basically the same but the design and method of execution are now far better than i had originally planned or dreamed.
So whats happened in these 2 weeks of seemingly no action?
Well I think this is the power of INCUBATION. The process of letting ideas gently bake in your head. Letting the idea or challenge teeter on the edge of your conscious and unconscious mind and allowing it to make new connections and associations. I dont know where my latest inspiration came from, but i am happy to acknowledge that my mind has been doing much more thinking about this than i was aware of, and the result has re-excited me to get on and bring the concept to life.
Actively building Incubation time into a project might feeling like wasted time, but when better ideas emerge like they did for me, the evidence is clear - we should be courageous enough to walk away from thinking and doing sometimes, confident in the knowledge that this incubation time might actually be very productive

stop stopping yourself

It was raining and windy, and I was wet and cold.  Still i was determined to press on.
I could have stayed at home and got on with something far more "important". In fact that would have been the easier (and certainly more comfortable option), but i had focused my mind to stop stopping myself.
Ive had an idea in my head for a couple of weeks; An idea that would result in a novel outcome.  The outcome would be interesting but unlikely to change the world, and if i didn't actualize this idea no-one would miss out.  However its an idea that keeps niggling away at me and is demanding my attention and so I am motivated to invest some effort to bring this idea to life.  And so through the wind and rain I was walking determinedly into town to buy a tool to help me create this vision

The behaviours associated with a "deliberately creative" individual are not particularly astonishing.  In fact they have been researched and documented many times over the past 50 years. Show most people this list of behaviours and they nod agreeingly.
Helping people to become more "deliberately creative" is not a question of teaching them a list of instructions, but more a challenge of helping them to stop stopping themselves from exploring, questioning and dreaming what might be.
Breaking old thinking habits is tougher than starting new ones

And so, despite my inner voices telling me that there were more pressing issues to be addressed (coincidently from the comfort of my warm office) I stopped myself from stopping myself and pressed on through one of the many barriers that i am sure i will face in this journey to create my new idea.
What is this idea?.....  more on that later

an idea

heres an idea - and i give it as a gift to any airline who decides to pick it.
wouldnt it be great if airlines provided a service that allowed you to leave your winter-coat at the airport while you went away to your sunny holiday destination. And you simply picked it back up on your return - ready for your cold and damp trip back home