Stimulating your creativity, what are your rituals.

[frank_p]

How's your box?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjmmjXGwarU

[cthulhudarren]

1% inspiration
99% perspiration

[frank_p]

1% inspiration
99% perspiration

See serendipity (preparation)
http://cogprints.org/1627/1/harnad.creativity.html

[tiges_ tendres]

[iccaros]

Motorcycle.. Ride until I am out of gas or have an ideal..

[MoltenVoltage]

I'm in RG's camp with sticky notes everywhere that once a month get typed into spreadsheets - Excel is the ultimate creativity organizer

I don't agree, however, that ideas come when you are well-rested, as many of my best ideas are at 3:30 a.m. when my mind stops editing my thoughts

What I have found is that when the solution to a problem isn't coming, I don't move on to another project, instead I step away and make some food that requires lots of vegetable chopping or maybe grilling a lot of individual wings or ribs - something that requires close attention but not deep thought - and inevitably some creative solution to the problem will pop in my head.

So that's my ritual - cook some Thai food.  Worst case, you'll enjoy delicious curry!

[joegagan]

frank, i appreciate your quest, it is good.

very much as Rg states, how does one put a stop on it?

i have 30 or 40 things that require real-world fabrication. i guess i have limited myself until i get at least one third of them "tried out"
a shame , really, what else is there once the cork is uncapped?

[frank_p]

i have 30 or 40 things that require real-world fabrication. i guess i have limited myself until i get at least one third of them "tried out"
a shame , really, what else is there once the cork is uncapped?

Put the most you can on paper.  In some papers I've read the authors say that if you are an experienced designer your knowledge will weed out stems of ideas that are not optimal, automatically.  But that may not be the best idea for innovation.  In desing methodology, you put the most possible ideas that comes from you, your team, past technological endeavors of others and competitors solutions to formulate the functions.  In other terms, 'what is what you found will do'.  Then you have to find criterions to judge the value of all the ideas.  (That is where you have to recap the bottle)  Once you have a display of all the ideas you have on hand, all the rebarbative truth about the real value of these ideas, you can have a better insight on what you want to put your energy into.   Of course that is a very systematized method and what I think is to keep in mind about that OCD stuff that engineers use to make competitive products on the market is that: the flow of idea can continue, that is not a problem at all. The problem is more the limited time you have on hand.  How much time can you give to the best ideas you had so that it can become the best success as possible.  And than can be applied to start a new project, perfecting it, putting it in a realistic production scheme and marketing it to the best target buyers.

There is a french slang expression we use here that is:  'Un moment donné faut être realisss calisss.  That mean: There is a time when a son of a gun must be realist.
Put the Marshall suit, take the best insight, give orders and go to war.  Do you want to fight for the best ideas you found ? Perhaps you would like to delegate some work ?

PS: Joe, I'll come back with more concrete stuff for your specific question.

[Bill Mountain]

Every night I tell myself, "That's it.  Find something more important to do.  Instead of sitting at this bench tomorrow night, go make love to your wife."

Then every morning on my way to work, "Hey...what if I used "x" instead of "y" and biased it with "z"?  I bet that would sound killer!"  And then I spend all day obsessing over it until it isn't fun anymore.  Then I after I put the kid to bed I rush down to the basement (to my bench) and tweak R's and C's until about midnight and then I swear I'll never do it again.

I think I just don't want to walk away from something I've invested so much money and time into.  I'm afraid of sunken costs (with a hobby???-it makes sense to me)!  But I really do need a break.  I've taken to simulating as much as possible to avoid breadboarding but sometimes you really need to tune by ear.

I think once I've tried everything, or everything that interests me, I'll put the iron down.  Unfortunately, that list keeps growing.






Or find a more advanced hobby.  How about some kit cars?

[frank_p]

The things is that creative phase (divergence) and ciricism (convergence) can be done whenever you feel like doing it.  Perhaps you have a friend who is really good at criticising.  If you are not good at it and don't want to do it, find somebody who is willing to do it.  In engineering there are LOADS of persons with that personality.  They can't help themselves not to organise everything and work until they burn out.  Human diversity exist to feed sustainable group of person.  If you work alone you have to be able to do everything.  That is really hard.

[defaced]

I oscillate.  I iteratively approach a problem until each part of it is solved.  Same thing with creativity.  I start with a base idea and shot gun it taking each part of it and extrapolating until the idea has reached its logical end (I don't usually create for no reason, at least not in a technical environment).  If I get hung up on something I either move on and loop, or talk it through with someone.  Often the act of talking it through will allow me to step into the answer, or the other person will say something that either triggers the answer or that person provides the answer.  I tend to find inspiration everywhere (hence why I am on several different forums that cover the same basic topics).  Each of them have a different bend that allows me to see into a different corner of the topic which then gives me material to pull from.  The more tools in the box the easier it is to build something from nothing.  I also tend to find inspiration from everyday life, but that's a little more abstract and difficult to explain.  As for using someone else idea, I'm not proud, I call it research! 

In the great words of Tom Lehrer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL4vWJbwmqM):

Plagiarize
Let no one else's work evade your eyes
Remember why the good Lord made your eyes
So don't shade your eyes
But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize
Only be sure always to call it please "research"

[frank_p]

As for using someone else idea, I'm not proud, I call it research! 

In the great words of Tom Lehrer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL4vWJbwmqM):

Plagiarize
Let no one else's work evade your eyes
Remember why the good Lord made your eyes
So don't shade your eyes
But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize
Only be sure always to call it please "research"

The basis to work in group is plagiarism and sharing.  You have to dose the two of them to be a dot on the net.  To talk, you have to imitate and give.  To have ideas is to live in the culture where humans stand.

[frank_p]

So that's my ritual - cook some Thai food.  Worst case, you'll enjoy delicious curry!

I love to cook asian food.  Sooo much... 

[frank_p]

i have 30 or 40 things that require real-world fabrication. i guess i have limited myself until i get at least one third of them "tried out"
a shame , really, what else is there once the cork is uncapped?

Ok.  Perhaps that is what you are looking for.  There is a  tool I've learned at school (It was a bit far behind but there it was).

There it goes  (smilies faces added to follow text better):

Joe want to put out some stuff for his products he will put on the market... But he have too much stuff in his papers and he have to decide on some circuits for going into production.    The best circuits he can get to fabricate are complex, too big, too (whatever).  There is a lot of inconveniences there because it's far from easy to put in production, getting the parts is long, the casing is expensive because it's a standard.  So he decide on some avenues.    What does he do.    

The first step is to formulate your problem .  You have to know what is your problem.  

In your case (I think), YOUR PROBLEM IS: you have to put 10 circuits or ideas of circuit into pre-production.  

That is absolute number one stuff to do absolutely.  But god damn you can't help youself, you are scared on what to do first.  

Second, you have to separate what you have to put into pre-production into what is what you want and what would be a total must circuit into your products to be sustainable or OK.

In your case you already told me you had 10 circuits that are super important to work on.  You already made the work (well choose 10 or 5 or 3, whatever it is more realist and must do)

That is what I talked before about judging, deciding, putting the bar to a level where you can do it and will be judged as success.  That is the criteria for a given function.  10 CIRCUITS.

What you have there is a numbered criterion.  

OKAY that is numbered: YOU have to number it absolutely. That is the abolute must, the 20 other circuits are a desire.  You have 10 products in your front line for going out.  You know the electronics OK, you know what musicians in what you are working would like, etc.  You are not a beginner.  To be by the book, you are OK.

20 other circuits that you have in your papers.  That you like a lot, it is really getting you exited and other stuff that are good avenues, and the rest is... well... so-so.

Sit down,  put your 20 circuits in front of you and brainstorm on why, what, when you think those circuits are cool, not so or probably or a really good idea.  Expand what you know about them.
List everything down on paper.
You will probably have really long list of thing there...    It is the big work to do...  Be patient.  

You have to take each comments and compare them to each other in your list.

DO THAT WITH THE 20 CIRCUITS that are just the desired ones you left to play into.  Relax, chill get to the bottom.

Example:
Circuit 1
Circuit 2
Circuit 3
Circuit 4
to 20Th circuit

1) case is expensive
2) circuit is tedious to solder
3) amazing sound
4) too much wires
...etc
down to the 20th.

OuKi.  I put it basic but you can understand you can go more precise or more beefy.

Then put it in basic language:
- case price
- solder work load
- coolness of the sound
- wiring difficulty
etc...

When you compare an idea to the other give it a score 1 to 10.  Or 1 to 5. Whatever scale you choose.

1) vs 2   ...  case is less important than the work to do on soldering
1 vs 3     ... the sound of the effect is much more important than what the case cost
1 vs 4    ...  I don't like wiring man, it's a total pain.  bottom

2 vs 1  ...
2 vs 3
2 vs 4

For each round of fights give points (ex: 1 to 10   ) to the best winner

Do that for everything. Put the point of each items together (+ or *)  You'll already have a list of factors with an order of criteras that are top to bottom, super willing      to ''man give me a break''  .

Take these criterias and put your ten best ideas you had took as absolute must circuits to do, and judge the circuits you have there with the criterion that you found for the 20 willing circuits.

Now put your 10 MUST circuits to the test.  JUDGE the the best you can with the DESIRES you had found for the 20 leftovers circuits, the ABSOLUTE MUST circuits.  JUDGE THEM.  Put the quotes.

You'll then have the 10 circuits to absolutely do to pre-production, prioritized with freekin' awesome desires you would like to do best.  

----------------------------------------------

Of course you can chill, change stuff and thinker as you sort that.  Take little notes that will just put some perspective into what you change and what the method had not sorted out conveniently to your taste or situation. Or what you think would not suit you necessarily.

That is a tool that is really useful when you are a bit lost with all the avenues that are presenting to yourself.  It's a resume of a much more heavy method that big manufacturers or armies use.   (tedious pain)

Cool ?  I tell you this is quite powerful Joe. Try it, it can't hurt.

[frank_p]

Then,  list the comments of your first 10 circuits and do the same exercise.

Keep all the list of comments and numbered criterions you had done for the circuits and keep them.  If you decide to uncap the genie again, put him to the test of the Marshall you've made of yourself.

Kung-Fu time.

[frank_p]

I'm in RG's camp with sticky notes everywhere that once a month get typed into spreadsheets - Excel is the ultimate creativity organizer.

Take the post-it to do the bubble sorting by comparing the comments about the different circuits.

Man, it's  3:50am zzz

Sorry for all the consecutive posts.

[J0K3RX]

My ritual is pretty simple:

I usually just take a poop, eat some Lucky Charms and smoke a phatty... not necessarily in that order.  And remember, NEVER hold in your farts! They will travel up your spine and enter your brain, that's where sh!tty ideas come from...  

[joegagan]

Frank, i appreciate your posts, that asessment method will be helpful.
Now, all i need to do is figure out how to apply it to multiple modes. See, the 30 or 40 ideas i have are

Custom , sport and show cars.
Guitarpedal enclosures and related electronic implemetaions.
Guitars.
Amp and speaker cabs
Software
Phone apps.

Not to mention architecture.

[Jdansti]

I just read the entire Burst Box thread:
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=76932.0

[mac]

Stimulating your creativity, what are your rituals

   



Just kidding... (or not?)

I think that inspiration and in particular creativity are things that are written in your DNA or not. Things you have or you lack. You can't go to the university and take a course on Creativity II. Knowlegde helps to some extent, but knowlegde does not mean "Eureka!"
Same for business (you are a bull or a bear), sports, and of course girls (you are a Giacomo Casanova or chicks spit at you in the street)

mac