What I learnt from creative techniques and tools
Great artists, scientists and inventors seem to get their ideas out of the blue. So, I waited for my eureka moments, but they don’t seem to appear when I needed it. So, I was curious to find out how they got the moments and if I could replicate them.
Over a year or so, I decided to learn about creativity, find out if I could get ideas when I needed them, and its techniques and tools (if you are curious about what I did to develop creativity, you can read here). I was a bit dubious about applying techniques and tools as it seemed to be counterintuitive for me to follow the steps to come up with ideas spontaneously. However, I learnt that fixedness of mind hinders creativity due course, so I had a go.
I realised there were many techniques and tools available and felt a bit lost wondering what differences there were and which one to use in what situation. So, I created a summary of techniques and tools based on my experience to guide you select suitable approaches for your creative needs. You can find the detail of each technique or tool on the internet, so I highlighted the characteristics of them.
Techniques and Tools
I grouped them into three categories based on the type of triggers to generate the idea.
Take cues
Tools in this category use some cues (time, flashcard, keyword, build on other ideas) to generate new ideas.
Examples in this category are 100 ideas (I consider time constraint as a cue), forced combinations, Lotus blossom, inspiration from nature, walk with flashcards, silent brainstorming.
These tools are easy to start as the instructions are simple and easy to follow. It doesn’t require much knowledge to use tools either. It thoroughly relies on how you think and sees things around you — in other words, form your ideas through your lens and angle while taking stimulations from outside.
Break into components
Techniques and tools in this category break a problem or desired outcome into smaller components or attributes of it as a start. Then you generate multiple ideas for each piece and synthesise them to create a new whole idea.
Examples are SCAMPER, TRIZ, Morphological Analysis.
Tools in this category need to understand the instructions. Some of them a bit complex and take time to get used to it. It suits ideas and problems that we can easily divide into components or functions. It seems to fit well for engineering and business idea generations or problem-solving since these components are well-defined in general. But you can still apply for art and other areas as well. I did create a plot for a story in one of the courses I took by using Morphological Analysis.
Apply different perspective
Tools in this category put you into someone’s shoes and make you see and feel from their perspectives.
Examples are six hats, getting fired, negative brainstorming, act as a superhero.
The instructions of these techniques are simple and easy too. These tools put your imagination and empathy on work and help you explore ideas and problems from different angles that you didn’t try before. Six hats often apply in business to critically evaluate the ideas, options and situations. Exploring ways to achieve undesirable outcomes such as being disliked, get fired or pessimistic, helps looking at things in refreshing ways and realise how many untested assumptions you may have.
What was my experience?
The outcomes from “break into components” were most unexpected even though it took time to understand the process and be familiar with it. It helped me focus on a small part of the problem or attribute instead of being overwhelmed by a big problem. After generating multiple small ideas for each component, I selected one option from each component and synthesised them. Initially, I was struggling to assemble different ideas into a cohesive one. I had to try a few different ways until I felt right, but the outcome was quite refreshing. It was something I certainly would not come up with without following the process. When I created a plot for fiction, I had a bit of trouble stitching up each part together as a whole story, but the outcome was unexpected and hilarious — I may further develop it into my future book project!
I liked “take cues” tools because it was easy to do by myself or as a team on the spot. These tools can apply to anything, even in our daily lives, and practice our way of seeing and thinking. In the beginning, I saw some similarity in my ideas, then kept trying until I passed a barrier started producing something different. It forced me to make new connections between things in my head. One of the interesting exercises was to develop a new character when attending an illustration course. In a classroom, everyone had a piece of paper and folded it into 4. The instruction was to draw something in one section and pass it to the next person. Then the next person would add a drawing to the next section. In this exercise, we were not allowed to see the drawings done previously. So, I drew whatever came up in my mind, and it eliminated the tendency to conform with previous work. Here is what I created with the help of my classmates.
“Applying different perspective” was also easy to use. Techniques and tools in this category have the potential to create something out of the status quo. I tend to be optimistic and seek harmony and conformity, so getting fired and negative brainstorming made me feel uncomfortable. However, once I got over the uneasy feeling, I felt a sense of freedom! I also observed that some people got defensive about even think about “getting fired”. So, these may challenge your way of thinking and make you uneasy, but stretch your comfort zone and make you comfortable testing norms.
Did it help?
Yes, I was amazed by the variety of ideas that came out from these techniques and tools. They helped me and my team generate more and different ideas that are necessary for the creative process. If you feel a lack of varieties in your ideas or have a creative block, why not try one of the techniques or tools?
Do you have your favourite techniques or tools for your creativity? I would like to hear what works for you!
