The Wisdom Of Innovation: Where Ideas Come From

Creativity or idea-generation is the beginning of innovation. Without creative ideas, there is nothing to develop into an activity, service or product that will provide value to others. But where do ideas come from? Did you ever notice that children seem to almost never run out of ideas. They can create an activity that absorbs their interest out of little or nothing. This is particularly true if they have playmates, but happens even when they’re alone. Creativity seems to be nothing more than child’s play. But ironically, it takes discipline to get into that child-like state of mind on a daily basis in order to create useful ideas.

The most commonly used technique for generating ideas is some form of group brain storming. Looking at the key steps in this method can give us insight into how to develop the discipline of creativity as individuals. The first step in brain storming is to have an area of interest to be explored or a problem to be solved; in other words, you must have a goal or purpose. The second step is to set ground rules that encourage participants to be as spontaneous as possible and to not censor either their own ideas or those of others. This playful and uninhibited state is similar to the normal state of a child; where thought, actions and reactions flow automatically without prescreening. Later in the brain storming process, one uses methods to cull the ideas down to the ones that are most promising and feasible. But that part is typical adult analytical behavior, and not as challenging as the previous step.

In order to function effectively in our complex social organizations, beginning with the family, then school and work; we have learned well how to control and limit our spontaneity and to conform to established norms. Therefore, regressing to that spontaneous, child-like state that is necessary for generating creative ideas can feel unnatural and even dangerous. And to be able to do so on a daily basis is quite challenging. So how do we develop the discipline of creativity?

I find it helpful to have a framework for this challenge. In my framework, creativity is the beginning of innovation, and innovation is one of The 7 Dimensions of Wisdom. These are seven buckets of skills or competencies that have been shown by research to support success at work and in personal life. I use the acronym SOPPHIA (S-O-P-P-H-I-A), which means wisdom in Greek, to represent these 7 Dimensions of Wisdom. In examining creativity, I focus on two of these dimensions: P for Purpose, and I for Innovation.

Purpose is important in developing creativity as a discipline, because as we saw in brain storming, it’s important to have a goal or area of interest to focus on. Becoming clear about one’s life purpose, calling, and career goals provides both motivation and direction to creativity. It can take quite a bit of work and ongoing refinement to find and stay with your purpose, and to connect your daily activities to that purpose. But once you’ve made progress with this, creativity flows more easily.

Within the framework of your purpose, you can make creative a daily disciplined activity. Some days may be more productive than others, but practicing each day develops your ability to be creative. It requires setting aside the time, and inducing a relaxed but alert state of mind. Perhaps physical relaxation exercises or meditation would work for you; or another possibility is if you play a musical instrument or have some other kind of play activity that is relaxing rather than stressful. After you get into that relaxed alert state, then allow ideas to flow without self-censorship. The ideas may come as images, words or phrases; or observations about the social or physical world that seems to have energy, and to attract and hold your attention. You may not know why but you keep going back to them like a mysterious trinkets you’ve found. Their value is initially unclear. They may just have meaning and value for you personally or they may be the keys that unlock the universe. Perhaps the idea begins with a concept written about or discussed by someone else that strikes you as particularly salient. Then you integrate it with others things that you’ve been reflecting on and it becomes something new and different.

We exist in a continual bath of particles of energy and matter that we can’t see. Similarly, we are surrounded by a flow of events and circumstances, both external and within ourselves that have the potential to produce creative ideas; but often we can’t perceive them. We can discipline ourselves to be good receptive instruments for creative ideas through practice.

I’m Dr. Bernard Brookes. What does creativity mean to you? Let me know at www.sopphia.com .