MAJOR GENERAL OLIVER SMITH (1893–1977), US MARINE CORPS, DURING THE BATTLE OF CHOSIN RESERVOIR IN THE KOREAN WAR
"We are not retreating, we are merely attacking in another direction."
There are no rules for creativity. Here are five guidelines that lead to fresher, more innovative ideas.
"I find that the best way to have a good idea is to have lots of idea," remarked US chemist and pacifist Linus Pauling, winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemisty and the Nobel Peace Prize.
When it comes to creativity, more is definitely better, partly because you never know when you are going to hit on something great and partly because by going for volume, you force yourself to think more widely than just about your immediate problem.
This is the hardest rule to stick to. No sooner do you have some seemingly absurd thought than you dismiss it as, well, absurd. All ideas are good ideas, because at the time you have them, you don't know where they might lead you.
If you don't write your ideas down, you may end up concentrating on just trying to remember what you've already thought of, rather than putting the ideas, however brilliant, to one side and thinking afresh.
The moment of genius may come from letting an earlier thought that you liked (but couldn't quite put your finger on why you liked it) take shape and form in your mind. Ambiguity is great. Don't dismiss partial solutions as they can often lead you to the complete answer, even though, frustratingly, it may not be straight away.
Even the most experienced panel of experts can miss the answer to a dilemma precisely because they are applying their experience. They are able to identify all of the complex difficulties obstructing their normal procedure – but by being naïve in your approach, you may be alert to the existence of another approach altogether.
One story that captures this point perfectly is the classic tale of the lorry that got stuck under a bridge. A crowd gathered and offered several solutions. Some suggested tearing the top off the lorry, others said dismantle the bridge. The argument raged back and forth until a small child at the back asked: "Why don't you let the air out of the tyres?"
This is the most important point and relates back to the purpose of this book. Aimless creativity is usually just that. Always keep in mind your sense of purpose, as this greatly increases the odds of you coming up with something that is not only original but also worthwhile.
Many inventions we take for granted today had the strangest of beginnings. For example:
The roll-on deodorant. Deodorant was invented back in 1888 in Philadelphia, but it wasn't until the 1950s that the roll-on appeared. The inspiration? The ballpoint pen. An inventive employee worked out that the same idea could be used to spread the deodorant evenly.
The microwave oven. This invention came about as a by-product of Second world War radar research. While working on magnetrons (vacuum tubes that produce microwave radiation), engineer Percy Lebarron Spencer discovered that a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. Working out that the microwaves were the cause, he experimented and discovered that not only could microwaves cook food, they could do so much faster than a normal oven.
The alcopop. This was invented because an Australian farmer was throwing away a large proportion of his lemon crop, simply because the lemons weren't the right size. Rather than letting these rot, his neighbour, a brewer, took them and used his knowledge of brewing and a family recipe for lemonade, and the Two Dogs lemon brew was created.
If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always got. Be creative in your journey towards your goals.