How to Become a Creative Genius

In an earlier post we republished  Michael Michalko’s The Difference between the way the average person thinks and a creative genius thinks”

As Michael Michalko noticed that an average person focusses his attention on a specific information and excluding all else. In contrast, a creative genius sees the whole but would move from one detail to another and examine each seperately. He demonstrates this phenomena by showing us nine solutions  that only genius are able to come up with.

Sorry guys, if you are an average creative person, nowadays to say just an average person, leave the creative effort to a genius. But is this true?

No, creative thinking is not a matter of “loosing up your thoughts and let them move freely in your mind”. Following a few focused thinking instructions will let you quickly escape from the box.

One such thinking instruction is SCAMPER,  which in turn is derived from a checklist originated by Alex Osborne (See the Histoty of Deliberate Creativity)

1. Give a clear description of the thinking task
2. Describe the objects of the problem and there mutual relations
3. Change the elements or their relations one-by-one by
   • Substituting one element or relation by another element or relation
   • Combining …..
   • Adapting ……
   • Magnifying ……
   • Puting to other uses …
   • Eliminating …
   • Reversing …..

1. The thinking task is to connect the nine dots using 4 or less straight lines without lifting the pen
2. The elements of the problem are:
   • nine dots
   • a pen with a pointer
   • 4 straight lines
   • paper
   • a table
3. Construct a 5 by 8 matrix ( 5 elements by 8 SCAMPER-modifiers)

Then, go along all 40 possible escape routes, f.e. (the examples are derived from Michalko’s article)

4. Construct a 5 x 5 matrix (for modifying the relations between the elements)

• nine dots with themselves, with pen, with 4 straight lines, with paper. with a table
• a pen with itself, with nine dots, with straight lines, with paper, with a table
• etc.

For example: (the examples are derived from Michalko’s article)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We garantee  that you will come up with at least one creative solution that Michael Michalko missed!

If you haven’t that much time, just try a random combination of one element/realtion and one Scamper modifier and let’s force it you out-of-the-box.

Show off your genius by purpose by sending us your solutions!