(by 12 people)
This a lens to honor Gordon MacKenzie the author of one of my favorite books on creativity, "Orbiting the Giant Hairball". Use this lens as a reference to review creative resources I have used to improve on my ability to be creative and add innovation to the projects I work on. Gordon was able to hold the position where he worked titled "Creative Paradox", although he got to choose the name of his position.
"Orbiting the Giant Hairball" starts with the author's realization while sharing his creativity with elementary school children, that as he surveyed the number of artists at each grade level, by the time he reached sixth grade there were only one or two artists left. The fear is that our institutions and culture stifle creativity and those that do not conform to expected behavior are rediculed in an effort to return them to the fold.
The story is about Gordon's path through the corporate environment and how he worked through the challenges he faced.
In this Lens I will touch on the ideas presented in the book as well as other creativity and problem solving resources I have found useful.
Take a look at a 2006 presentation by Sir Ken Robinson at the Technology Entertainment & Design (TED) conference , where he also raises concerns about our current educational system.
The Harvard Business Review published its OnPoint magazine in Spring of 2007 titled "The Creative Company, How to Grow and Harvest Great Ideas", filled with great information.
Understand the Hairball from a Survivor
I read this book at least once a year to remind myself to have the courage to be creative.
Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace
Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 07/04/2008)
Positive Deviance
Maybe I belong to this group...
- Michigan Ross School of Business
- The above quote comes from this site.
- Toward the Construct Definition of Positive Deviance
- Gretchen M. Spreitzer and Scott Sonenshein have written a paper on Positive Deviance which I am reviewing (Note this is a Link to the 21 page PDF file).
Creativity RSS Feed
Time for a new idea?
Fetching RSS feed... please stand bySupport Creative Environments
- Destination Imagination
- I spent 2006 helping coach a Destination Imagination Team at my son's Elementary school. It was amazing to see the wide range of ideas and solutions the kids came up with when trying to solve a problem, especially when I compare their sessions to the sessions I am involved in at a corporate level. It does appear that the corporate environment creates an atmosphere of censorship either imposed by the company or by the individuals trying not to stand out among their peers.
- Lego Robots
- Robot competitions are taking place around the country, check google for local events or stop by my lens about robots.
- Rocketry for Junior and Senior High School Students
- The Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) will be starting up in September for next year's competition. You can find a link to the Challenge on my Rocketry lens, along with rocket competition hints.
Enhance your creative environment
- Creative Spaces Lens
- Many books on creativity mention that you should work in a space that will enhance your creativity. One idea which I practice is to surround yourself with items you have made, to remind yourself how creative you are. I display my photographs, family pictures and many lego products on my desk at work. Check out the creative spaces lens for more ideas.
- Environments Shape Our Thoughts
- This is an interesting article where the researchers found that the local environment, for example ceiling height, affects the way we think. Have meetings outside or in a large room to help keep the participants minds open and free!
Be open to new ideas
- There is a story in "Orbiting the Giant Hairball" about a poor dog who bites and holds onto a ball in the trough of the pool table. By biting the ball, the dog is unable to pull away from the table. When Gordon asks others at the diner what the dog is doing, they state that the dog wants to play and will often stand still for more than an hour holding the ball. Gordon left feeling sad for the dog, but it reminded him of an important lesson, found in many creativity books. The lesson of letting go. To be open to all the possiblities that exist, we must let go of what has worked for us in the past, our biases and our fears.
Start Your Creative Journey
These books are a quick read
A WHACK ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD: How You Can Be More Creative
Amazon Price: $10.87 (as of 07/04/2008)
A Kick in the Seat of the Pants
A reminder to stay on track and be creative.
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 07/04/2008)
Brainstorming Techniques
- Creative Aerobics
- Warm up your team before jumping into a brainstorming session. Get warm up exercises from the Creative Aerobics web site.
- Nominal Group Technique: A Users' Guide
- NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE*: A USERS' GUIDE
- Role Playing
- Participants take different perspectives when viewing a problem
- Mind Mapping
- Write down the essence of your problem. Now write down all aspects of the problem you can think of, for two minutes.
- Metaphorical Thinking
- Use similies and metaphors to define problems and investigate possible solutions.
Creative (Lateral) thinking
Six Thinking Hats
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 07/04/2008)
Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step (Perennial Library)
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 07/04/2008)
Serious Creativity: Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to Create New Ideas
Amazon Price: (as of 07/04/2008)
Brainstorming Rules
- Define the problem the team will be working on.
- Set a Time Limit
- Get everyone to contribute or else ask directly for their suggestion
- Document all of the ideas.
- Do not allow people to criticize ideas during a brainstorming session.
- No Teasing! At all costs, do not allow group members to tease one another. Teasing is a defensive mechanism often displayed by people who are threatened by those who share ideas. Teasing is a method people use to shame one another and if allowed, the teasing will decrease communication and the number of ideas generated.
- Watch for Killer Phrases! A few examples of killer phrases are; "We tried that before..","Sounds impossible...", "Yes, but...". These phrases kill the creative process and dimish the team spirit. Evaluating the ideas should come at the end of the session not while ideas are being collected.
- Evaluate the ideas at the end of the session.
Techniques to Evaluate Ideas
- Six Thinking Hats
- Dr. de Bono invented the Six Thinking Hats method for evaluating ideas.
- SWOT Analyses
- Test an idea's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
Use the Right Process
Improve your results
- Six Sigma
- Check out the Six Sigma Lens. One of the ideas of six sigma is to control variation for the purpose of cost reduction.
- Total Quality Management
- Explore TQM via using Wikipedia.org. Six sigma replaced TQM
- Business Performance Excellence
- The latest and greatest way to optimize the profits of your business is by using BPE. "BPE is the brain-child of ROI External Advisor Dr. Jeffrey Luftig, who continues his development of techniques and ideas to improve business. It is the culmination of his more than 20 years of experience of improving profit in virtually all areas of service and industry." Dr Luftig is currently associated with the University of Colorado at Boulder where he teaches BPE in the Engineering Management program. The goal of BPE is profit optimization.
Learn the Way of an Artist
Julia Cameron has written many books about discovering our artistic talent
![The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CHAK9ASCL._SL75_.jpg)
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition]
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/04/2008)
The Artist's Way Workbook
Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 07/04/2008)
The Artist's Way at Work: Riding the Dragon
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/04/2008)
Have You Been Creative Today?
Gordon Mackenzie
Reader Feedback
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jimevers
Great lens. Excellent resources. I used Orbiting the Giant Hairball in my workshops of creativity. Parents and teachers can and should initiate more creativity in our schools. They should also see my lens at http://www.squidoo.com/makingourschoolswork. Posted February 03, 2008 |
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jvdarcy
Wonderfully well organized and laid out. Thanks for the information! Posted December 29, 2007 |
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kathysart
~~*~~ Posted July 20, 2007 |
Remember Einstein's little blurb? "Imagination is more important than knowledge"...
Posted April 12, 2007
Featured Lenses
There are other great creativity lenses within Squidoo, check these for additional ideas on creativity.-
Creativity Headquarters
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Creativity A group for all kinds of creativity and innovation - in the arts, sciences, business, technology and beyond. Creative ideas, people, books, companies, tips and techniques all welcome!
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One Acorn ~ Critical & Creative Thinking
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"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." ~ Emerson "Good thinking" is a bit more difficult to come by than one might expect. Thinking critically and creatively isn't just for artists and writers, but also for business professionals in a...
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Distinguish Yourself
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This lens is based on a series of articles on my blog called "Ways to Distinguish yourself." I started writing the series since Feb 2005. I am creating this lens to mark the anniversary for this series :) Distinguishing yourself is your answer to rapi...
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Seth Godin!
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WRITER of bestselling books about marketing. SPEAKER with a unique style and great reputation. ENTREPRENEUR with a track record.
Seth Godin's RSS Feed
I like to keep up with the topics and questions posted by Seth on his blog.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byThe Latest Books on Creativity and Innovation I have read
Check out audible.com for the titles if you have an iPod
Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas
Amazon Price: $17.13 (as of 07/04/2008)
The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable
Many short ideas on being remarkable.
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/04/2008)
Free Prize Inside / Purple Cow
Seth Godin's Books. Great reads, although I must confess to buying them from audible.com and listening to them on my ipod. The books provide great examples of how to innovate and make yourself remarkable.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/04/2008)
Beyond Code: Learn to Distinguish Yourself in 9 Simple Steps!
I have just bought this book at the beginng of May and have started reading it. Be sure to look for lenses produced by Rajesh Setty.
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/04/2008)
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
Amazon Price: $10.15 (as of 07/04/2008)
Todd's odd creations on CafePress
Shameless plug or an example of my creativity.
Other Creativity Resources
- The Artist's Way
- Julia Cameron now runs a web site for those exploring their creative spirit, using her books.
- Models of Creativity
- Many different models of creativity have been constructed.
- Despair
- Don't despair. No, wait...Do Despair. Despair.com offers creative products which take a very different look at the art of motivating workers.
I purchase the Despair calendar every year and have it on my wall at work. It is amazing to watch the reaction it gets, from people who never take the time to read the captions.
Conclusions
Thanks for spending your time reviewing this lens. Please pass along any ideas you have on making this lens more valuable. Better yet, build your own lens to share your perspective on creativity.
Orbiting the Giant Hairball is a fun read and the book is full of creative illustrations.
Visit my Lensography for a look at other lenses I have contributed to the Squidoo community.
Thanks again,
--Todd
