creativity & innovation

AN INVITATION TO DESIGN THINKING

POLLINATE&

nourish the seeds of your

creative innovation

• Creativity is

thinking of

something new…

• Innovation is

implementing

(making)

something new…

DESIGN IS THINKING

MADE VISUAL

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BENJAMIN ZANDER: THE ART OF POSSIBILITY

CHOOSE POSSIBILITY…..

The ‘A’ is not an expectation to

live up to, but a possibility to

live into

insights into DESIGN

THINKING

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

STAGE 4

STAGE 5

STAGE 6

STAGE 7

still suffering a block? FREE YOUR CREATIVITY!

• LET YOURSELVES

BE CREATIVE: we

are all born as

creative beings

Question the norm. Why not?

Creativity = type of mind set

• SPEND TIME WONDERINGEVERY DAY= creative fitness: for example: gazing at a wall for 15-20 minutes, wondering what other things it could be made of, after coming up with a list of say 50 different things, something is bound to make you say- ” whow-that’s interesting”!

• It’s how we take ourselves by surprise.

Question what why and how

ATTITUDE:

• DEVILS ADVOCATE

versus ANGEL’S

ADVOCATE (looking for

what is good about an

idea, rather then

dismissing / criticing it).

• Think Yes- instead of No

about all possibilities

CURIOSITY:• Challenge your own

assumptions, think of different- even ‘bad’ ideas’

• develop the ability to wonder if and why some crazy idea might just work

• develop your desire for discovery and to look at things the way you have not before.

SPES BONA- seize the moment

“Know the true value of

time: snatch, seize, and

enjoy every moment of it.

No idleness, no laziness,

no procrastination; never

put of till tomorrow what

you can do today.”

Lord Chesterfield

CREATIVITY TOOLS

• Draw on different types of

exploration to draw from

your creative potential.

• Work both individually

and with another/other

people to bounce ideas-

positively!

• Change your context

• Change your attitude

PLAY and DISCOVER

“ The process of playful

searching is the vehicle

by which we discover”

Garreth Smythe

SKETCHING=DISCOVERING

• Sketching makes the ‘unconscious stream’

flow between the mind, the hand, pen and

paper.

• The rough sketch becomes suggestive- it

gives promise to other ideas or solutions

THE SKETCH

• DRAWING FREEHAND ALLOWS US TO UNBLOCK AND TAP INTO OUR SUBCONSCIOUS .

• Sketching is- to communicate with yourself, and your ideas.

• To play and have pleasure which stimulates discovery.

• Sketches become an archive of potential ideas-even for later. Keep a visual journal

BUILDING MODELS

• Conceptual models- quick rough cardboard, using floor, wall and roof planes

• Allows you to continue the discovery process by developing the initial sketch

• Don’t be precious- use it as a base to change and explore other ideas- its process not appearance that counts!

• Try different media- cardboard, clay, wire- or a combination- each have different expressive qualities

THE POWER OF THE WORD• Words stimulate visual

images and other

concepts

• Combine sketches with

annotations

• Write concepts down-

and then sketch them

• The power of the ‘silent’

word

• Talk- and then write

SOUNDS

• The right music for

the right situation

• Certain sounds

stimulate certain brain

waves

• Music can calm

you/excite

you/stimulate you

CONTEXT

• When stuck- change your context:

• TABLE VERSUS FLOOR

• SITTING VERSUS LAYING

• INDOORS VERSUS OUTDOORS

• ALONE VERSUS BETWEEN PEOPLE

• SILENCE VERSUS ‘NOICE’

LEARNING FROM OTHER• Research as a way of

looking at other ideas:

The wheel has been

discovered

• The precedent- how

did other people deal

with a similar

problem- what can I

learn from it?

AMAZE AND OBSERVE

refreshments

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