CREATIVITY FREEBIES FOR READERS

Here are some freebies from the net:

From the corporate website of creativity expert, Charles 'Chic' Thompson, also author of 'What a Great Idea!' (1992 & 2007), readers can go & download the following e-Book as well as e-Posters:

[Readers can go to this link to read the first chapter of the foregoing book, which I had already reviewed in an earlier post.

The book contains an interesting - though belated - interview with Japan's inventor extraordinaire, Dr Nakamats.

More interestingly, Harvard Business School had actually conducted a case study on the work of the author.]

"Yes, but..." :

This is an e-book of lighthearted cartoons & idea strategy tools you'll need to bulletproof your great ideas.

Top Ten Killer Phrases &
Top Ten Empower Phrases:

These visual reminders, in the form of e-Posters, will help you create a mindset of collaboration & big ideas.

A REVIEW OF ROGER VON OECH'S CREATIVITY STUFF

I am a raving fan of consultant Roger von Oech's creative whacks as embodied in his wonderful books & fun card decks, namely:

Books:

- 'A Whack on the Side of the Head';

- 'A Kick in the Seat of the Pants';

- 'Expect the Unexpected';

Card Decks:

- 'Creative Whack Pack';

- 'Innovative Whack Pack';

- 'Ancient Whacks of Heraclitus';

I have used all his creativity stuff ever since I started my own strategy consulting (& book store) business in late 1991.

From my personal & professional experience, I would like to say that the entire collection of Roger von Oech's creative work has been designed to serve three strategic purposes:

- understanding - & removing - your mental blocks;

- breaking your habitual patterns;

- shifting your focus & changing your paradigms;

As a matter of fact, once you appreciate & commit to these three strategic purposes in your life, you will soon realise that there is nothing in this world to stop you from getting rid of old ideas & getting new & fresh ideas.

Allow me to quote creativity guru Edward de Bono:

"...the mind is habitually uncreative - it is usually preoccupied with organising masses of incoming data into convenient patterns. Once this pattern is established, then the mind tends to rely upon that pattern in future situations, in order to facilitate decision making & action in an otherwise complex world..."

('The Use of Lateral Thinking')

Breaking old habitual patterns is definitely the first & foremost priority in your journey to creativity!

Once your shift your focus, you begin to change your paradigms or the way you look at the world around you.

Always remember this:

Your brain follows the direction of your current dominant thought.

Once you focus on something, that thing becomes the foreground. Everything else around it will fall into the background.

Most opportunties are unfortunately hidden in the background.

The moment you begin to shift your focus, you are pushing the 'foreground' into the 'background', & pulling the 'background' into the 'foreground'. Get it?

'A Whack on the Side of the Head' will help you to break through your mental blocks. They will open up your mind for innovation. This book is filled with provocative puzzles, exercises, stories & helpful tips.

'A Kick in the Seat of the Pants' takes you on a guided tour through the four stereotype roles of the creative process:

- Explorer;

- Artist;

- Judge;

- Warrior;

Understanding - & applying - these roles will fire up your personal & professional creativity.

Tactically, they will change your mental focus as you change to play each of the four roles.

I would like to add one more role from what I have learned from the Japanese creativity experts:

Antique Dealer;

This singular role will allow you to combine all the four roles into one.

'Expect the Unexpected' uses thirty of Heraclitus' (the world's first creativity master) epigrams as creative springboards. It has intriguing questions designed to topple old habits of thought & fire up your imagination.

All the three fun card decks are basically extensions of the three books, to allow convenient usage during brainstorming sessions.

From my strategy consulting experience, these three fun card decks have proven to be inexhaustible sources of inspirations.

In fact, the 'Innovative Whack Pack' combines the creative power of both the 'Creative Whack Pack' & 'Ancient Whacks of Heraclitus'.

I strongly urge readers to seriously consider having the entire collection of Roger von Oech's creativity stuff added to your office or home 'Creativity & Innovation Library', & all the three fun card decks placed permanently next to your desk or lap top at all times.

A REVIEW OF MICHAEL MICHALKO'S CREATIVITY STUFF

I consider Michael Michalko's creativity stuff among the best of the genre!

The first time I had encountered 'Thinkertoys', it was actually the first edition released during the early 90's, when it was also about the time I had begun to explore the various options with regard to my mid-life transition.

In fact, I had initially spotted an interesting review in the Entrepreneur magazine. I managed to trace the publisher & had immediately ordered the first 100 copies for my debut bookstore. It became the best seller in my store for many years.

Then came 'Cracking Creativity' a few years later as well as the accompanying brainstorming card deck, 'Thinkpak', to 'Thinkertoys'.

What impressed me most is not so much the creativity tools outlined in both books. In fact, the most productive learning experiences I got out of both books are a few very important things, which I would like to share with readers.

Let's take a look at 'Thinkertoys' first.

In the Introduction, the author started off with a visual puzzle: 'Can you identify the figure below?' Only by shifting your focus, you can then see the hidden word within the figure.

In the author's own words,

"...by changing your perspectives, you can expand your possibilities..."

Let's now move to 'Cracking Creativity'.

In the Introduction, the author introduced a simple arithmetic equation: What is half of thirteen?

The subsequent passages as outlined in Part I: Seeing What No One else in Seeing, & Strategy I: Knowing How to See, by the author revealed the secrets to getting many possible answers (or perspectives) to the above equation.

No creativity tool outlined in the above two books (or elsewhere in the world, for that matter) can help you to become more creative until you fully understand - & appreciate - what the author is trying to drive home in his two books.

In a nut shell, it basically boils down to one important thing: Use - & enhance - your power of vision! or power of observation!

The author may not be the first person to postulate this crucial aspect of creativity.

I would consider Leonardo da Vinci to be the first person to have understood & practised it religiously more than five centuries ago. He said, among a few other things,

"All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions."

". . . if you wish to gain knowledge of the form of problems, begin to see it in many different ways."

In fact, he put a lot of emphasis on using your senses, especially your sense of sight.

Creativity guru Edward de Bono had also broached this valuable concept in his ground-breaking series of lateral thinking books, starting with his now classic, 'Mechanism of Mind', in the 70's.

I have always believed that you can't do things differently until you can see things differently.

Learning to see the world anew & from different perspectives is imperative if one wants to be more creative.

According to Edward de Bono, creativity starts at the perceptual stage of thinking. He terms it, First Order Thinking. He added very beautifully:

"This is where our perceptions & concepts are formed, & this is where they have to be changed. Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic."

The creativity tools, whether they are from the author's books or elsewhere, will then automaticlaly fall into place & make more sense when you have first exercised your power of vision or observation.

Using any tool is a piece of cake, but changing one's perception - & maintaining fluidity of perception as well as having multiple perceptions - takes concerted efforts.

It is also important to take note that when things (or tactics) don't seem to work out as planned, always remember to check out your observations of the world first. Simply ask:

- what do you CHOOSE to see?

- where do you DIRECT your attention?

The second most productive learning experience I got from the above two books is realising that all thoughts are simply feats of association &/or juxtapositions - & the crux of creativity (in fact, also learning) are making associations &/or juxtapositions.

Business change/innovation strategist Tom Peters, in his wonderful book, 'Liberation Management', drives home with this insightful nugget:

"The essence of creation - in all endeavours - is chance connections between ideas and facts that are previously segregated. Entrepreneurship is the direct by-product of chance, of convoluted connections among ideas, needs and people."

According to Leonardo da vinci, everything is connected to everything else. My question: CAN YOU SEE IT?

The creativity tools outlined by the author are specifically designed for this purpose.

The third most productive learning experience for me is understanding the differential between productive & reproductive thinking.

To paraphrase the author:

"...in productive thinking, one generates as many alternative approaches as one can, considering the least as well as the most likely approaches...in contrast, reproductive thinking fosters rigidity of thought..."

More relevant aspects about the significance of & more specific strategies to develop productive thinking are excellently covered by the author in 'Cracking Creativity'.

To end this review, & in the light of what I have written, I would consider the author's two books as the dynamic duo . . . to be among the best in the genre!

[More information about the author & his work can be found at this link.]