Creative ideas only come to those who are well founded in their fields of expertise. If you have no knowledge of the area where you search for ideas, then you are going to be found wanting when it comes to finding new concepts.

Kekulé, the discoverer of the structure of the benzene ring, figured out the configuration of this ring shaped molecule while sleeping and woke up with the idea at the forefront of his mind. He pictured “… the benzene ring in a reverie of snakes biting their tails” (Pinker, 1997), although some say it was “… Kekule had the insight that the benzene molecule might be shaped like a ring after he had fell asleep while watching sparks in the fireplace make circles in the air” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). Maybe it was the sparks making circles in the fireplace that triggered the images of the snakes biting their tails in the first place that resulted in the connections that were later made in his subconscious while sleeping. Either way, after he’d awaken, he immediately wrote down the idea before it was shoved into the back of his mind to be lost forever, or at least not to resurface until some time later, perhaps even years later. However, the point is, that Kekulé was not a layperson just waiting around for the idea to pop into his head; he had to have prior knowledge and ideas in his mind among which his mind could make associations or connections. Kekulé, a skilled German chemist, had worked extremely hard on this problem and had acquired a lot of knowledge and data about the problem of the benzene structure. In other words, creative connections only come to those who have prior knowledge acquired through hard work. New ideas, connections or associations only arise to those with the prepared mind.

Here are a few tips on promoting your creative ability.

1. Know what is already out there; there is no point in consuming much energy reinventing the wheel.
   
2. Absorb yourself in the problem and make it challengeable, but doable.
   
3. Document all of your ideas in an idea log. Be as descriptive as possible, use drawings and sketches as much as possible. Note how, when and where you were when the idea arose and make special note of the triggers or connections that make have led to the idea.
   
4. Use creativity tools: brainstorming, SCAMPER, brainwriting, storyboarding etc.
   
5. Start doing thinks that you really enjoy doing.
   
6. Read a lot, lots more and keep on reading. More knowledge means more possible connections.
   
7. Develop skills in other areas outside of you speciality. If you are a surgeon, perhaps you could study materials science and/or physics or geology.
   
8. Network with people who specialise in other areas so that you can share problems, ideas and solutions with each other. Many problems in one domain can be used to solve problems in other domains – avoid reinventing the wheel.
   

For more information on creativity and idea generation, see our body of knowledge which contains free information on innovation.

References

[1] Pinker S., 1997, How the Mind Works, Penguin Books.
[2] Csikszentmihalyi M., 1996, Creativity: Flow and the psychology of Discovery and Invention, Harper Perennial.

Have you been watching the invention show “The Big Idea” on Sky television lately and being wondering what makes a big idea BIG? If you have been watching and are wondering if your idea is the one they are after, the pointers below will help you to evaluate your own idea before you invest money in the project.

I was watching the programme on the television and I realised that many people fail to see the real issues surrounding an invention. They also become so absorbed by their idea that they begin to believe that it is perfect and go into denial about any issues about it. They do not want to hear about any problems with it and refuse to listen to experts when they discuss it. At the heart of this is the problem that most people don’t realise that ideas are often only the seed and they must fully develop the idea before they invest in it.

Here are some pointers as to what makes an idea a BIG idea:

• It must meet the needs of the person who is going to pay for it. By way of example, one of the contestants on the show had a cardboard shape that people would take out of their pocket, or handbag in the case of women, unfold it and place it over the keys of an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) in order to prevent others from seeing the buttons that you are pressing. The question is “will someone pay for it?” I think not for several reasons: (1) people will find it easier to use their hand to shield the other; (2) People can cut out a piece of cardboard from their cornflakes box and make one themselves; and (3) People take fashion into consideration and are very self-conscious and they might not feel so cool unfolding one of these to extract a few quid from the ATM. People may want these but they must feel that they really need it – their hand covers the keys quite adequately.
  
• It must offer benefits that have value to the buyer. People assess products and services by assessing the value that they bring. This might not necessarily be fully at the conscious level but certainly at the unconscious level.
  
• It should make life easier or simpler for the end users. For example the little frame that is used to show a builder where to cut an opening in a plaster board for a socket without having to use a measuring tape. Virtually eliminates errors that everybody makes from time to time when using a measuring tape.
  
• It must be profitable. Your idea must be manufactured, distributed, marketed, and sold with a profit for all parties involved. Try to determine whether money can be made from your idea by assessing how much people would be willing to pay for it. This is not as simple as you may at first think because asking people straight out “what are you willing to pay?” is fraught with difficulty.
  
• It must be different from what is already out there already. Differentiation means that your invention must be sufficiently different from all other inventions on the market. So much so, that its benefits are clearly visible to the purchaser and the benefits must also be clearly visible on the packaging.
  
• The performance of your invention must be superior to what is already on the market. Your product must outperform its competitor’s offerings or else it is not the best on the market. I think this point speaks for itself.
  
  The key is to evaluate your ideas and keep generating new ideas – as many as you possibly can. Do not give up. Keep persevering and keep learning as much as you can about inventing, intellectual property, marketing, finance, new product development and design. And especially, you must learn as much as you can about the type of product you are trying to invent. In other words, if you are trying to invent a new type of blind for a window, then become an expert in blinds for windows. Check out patents on all the different types of blinds that have been invented before and try to spot their benefits and what it is that make them good ideas. And most importantly, try to find out what is wrong with them. What makes them bad ideas? These things that are wrong with them, these problems, are opportunities in themselves just waiting to be solved!