This article was one that inspired and intrigued me. It is always hard to find ideas when your brain is always doing the same thing over and over to find them but this article started to spark new ideas in my head. I am very interested in trying new ways to think about old ideas and to see what would become of this. In this article Ditkoff writes about how there are two different ways of innovating, the “I think therefore I am” and “I am therefore I think.” He points out that most individuals are a hybrid of these two schools of thought. This is exactly what we need in this world to find new innovative ideas that are somewhat practically but at the same time are able to let us fly and try something new. The three approaches that I found the most interesting and would like to write about are 6. Define the right challenge, 10. Hang out with diverse groups of people,14. Suspend logic.
6. Define the Right Challenge
Almost all of the suggestions that Ditkoff introduced were great and new suggestions to me or I already knew them and saw them in a new light as a way to find innovation. Everyone these days is trying to find a new idea but is not starting the process in the way that would give them the best results. I am a strong believer in first finding the REAL problem whichever way is perfect for the individual. Ditkoff talks about framing the challenge that is set before you before you try and tackle it so that you do not get lost in the other information or the other information may be able to spark an idea. Right now I am in two consulting business groups and what we call framing is called baselining. It consists of asking questions about every aspect of a business so that we have a strong understanding of what the business is truly about and what powers the business. This activity helps us find the true problem to the business because most problems are really from a completely different part of the business. This process has taught me to look at the big picture so that I can ask the right questions and find the right answers because I have all the information in front of me. This is a very good suggestion in my field because if I do not know what I am looking for then how would I ever be able to solve it.
10. Hang out with Diverse Groups of People
A hermit may get an idea but without interacting with other people and the world he will not know if it is innovative or will not see what the true needs are. When we are around the same people all the time we will almost always think the exact same way and do the exact same things. There is no change or mixing up the regular path because there are no variables in the situation. If you have not noticed before new people in your life can change the way you think about things because they see things in a different light than you may ever see them in. But when we are just seeing the same people individuals will start to fall into groupthink. This is because no one is challenging them to second guess what they are seeing because it has already been established what the group would think. Another suggestion that he proposed was about discomfort and hanging out with different and new people is definitely one way of finding discomfort. Throwing yourself into new problems and new places can help you second-guess your true reality. Artists do this all the time because the art that they produce is usually a different reality and lets the viewer jump into their lives and see things from a different point of view. I agree that to find a new and brilliant idea there must be some form of tension and or new surroundings. If you do the same thing over and over again you will always get the same result.
14. Suspend Logic
Logic is a main aspect of American culture. If there is no practical reason for an idea then why even have the idea in the first place. But that is not how the best ideas are formed. Everyone thought that Einstein was crazy because he thought of ideas and plans that didn’t seem practical at the time but now are common knowledge. Daydreaming is how artists change a normal idea into something fantastic and new. When people are stuck in the same humdrum of noise and just think about what is practical they are not letting themselves go to another form of thinking that could free their mind. Daydreaming for a child is almost their reality and as we start to learn the practical information in school we start to lose what our imagination and usually never go back to having one. There is no way that an artist would ever be able to think of wonderful ideas if they thought about them in only one reality. We all need a distant world that is not like ours to find new ways of thinking and new ideas. Challenging our brain to not think the way that we always think is one great way to get innovative ideas.
Prompt 14:
I have always fallen habit to only thinking things that are practical can be useful and meaningful. But this is a major problem and has sometimes halted my brain to think of new ideas and new solutions to a problem. I usually go straight to the point and do not look around at other things that may help solve my problem. I have also always thought that daydreaming was a great way of getting ideas but am so lost on how to do it anymore. This week when I have time or even when I do not have time I would like the daydream and just that. I would like to let my mind go free. Another way that I may be able to suspend practicality is when I have to write my next paper instead of starting the paper maybe draw or paint for a little before so that I can get new ideas about the paper.
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