Ch. 5 Cultivating Creativity Summary

• In order to come up with a new idea, one should reflect on theirs and others old ones or even combine a few of all of them.


• Design consists of creative parts. Only when the parts integrate well, will one have a successful design.


• Seven characteristics in Creative Thinking:

1. Receptivity: creative people are open to new ideas and experiences. They embrace multiple solutions to a problem.
2. Curiosity: Researching unfamiliar topics and analyzing unusual systems is a source of fulfillment. Ask questions like, "how does this work?", or " how can it work better?"
3. Wide range of interests: with a broad knowledge base, a creative person can make innumerable connections. Such as a spider web of ideas.
4. Attentiveness: Pay attention to seemingly minor details because those small experiences can result in great ideas.
5. Seeking connections: Seeing similarity among seemingly different parts has often sparked a creative breakthrough.
6. Conviction: Remember the past and use it to your advantage. Take old ideas and make them new.
7. Complexity: Combine rational ( take notes, memorize, etc) and intuitive ( exploration, etc) and one can create a master piece.

• Goal setting: having a goal in mind helps a persons idea be effectively realized. If you focus at a task at hand anything can happen.
• Be aware of time management. Some people dont work well under pressure, so allow yourself enough time to get your work done well.

What stuck out most to me in this chapter was time management. I procrastinate to the extreme, but end up doing really well in the end. However, I find myself stressed out and having lack of sleep. I also liked The part in the chapter where is talked about bouncing ideas off of others. Sometimes others ideas can inspire your greatest ones.

Do any of you have other tips, besides the ones from the book, on time management?