Innovation: The big what if.

Innovation. It’s a humongous word with a lot to answer for. It’s the reason why everything exists and the reason why the future can never be written — it’s unpredictable.

Different people may have different answers to what innovation means to them. For example, if you were to ask a hipster-esk footwear designer in East London, they may well answer it’s all about collaborating with people equally as hip and edgy. Whereas if you were to ask a person who’s been shipwrecked (think Tom Hanks) on a beach far, far away from civilisation, their answer may lean towards finding ways survive in sweltering conditions with little less than a plane wing and a deflated football.

Their situations may be incomparable, however at its core, their interpretation of what innovation means is the same. Both see innovation as creating something new by putting together existing things — be those physical things, ideas or even mind-sets in order to create, improve or expand — and, I think I’d have to agree.

Innovation is a need or desire to discover something new — and to embark on discovery it takes great courage. It means doing or creating something that nobody has ever done before and that in turn opens those brave few up to the risk of failure.

It’s venturing into the unknown in world where society is quick to point the judgemental finger at those who do not succeed. The problem with this is that with innovation, comes mistakes. If innovators got it right every time for me it would suggest they’re not trying hard enough.

However, with the rise of the social media giving the voice to the people, those who aspire towards innovation are vulnerable to those who settle for what life hands out. In my opinion it takes strong person to give the world the middle of finger in the face of adversity and give it a go anyway.

Having thought about this for some time, I have concluded that despite the topic of innovation being so vast, what innovation means to me can be boiled down to one simple question — What if?

‘What if I collaborate with the man in frightfully tight jeans on Brick Lane to design a new shoe pattern?’ ‘What if I tie that useless plane wing to some dead wood to create a raft?’ ‘What if we use data to influence purchasing habits?’

It’s two little words that when brought together embrace the fearless, the curious and the restless alike, and make way for opportunity and prosper to take centre stage.

It’s a little question that, in my opinion, defines innovation and allows it to become infinitive.