Lecture 4: Creativity Exercises and Games

Creativity #4: Creativity Exercises and Games Tathagat Varma Knowledgepreneur http://thoughtleadership.in

LEGO, 1974

http://indy100.independent.co.uk/article/that-powerful-lego-letter-to-parents-from-the-1970s-its-real--eJ9eAn1Vug

LEGO, 1981

Read this first! "I cdn'uolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg: the phaonmneel pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a rseearch taem at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Scuh a cdonition is arppoiatrely cllaed Typoglycemia . "Amzanig huh? Yaeh and you awlyas thguoht slpeling was ipmorantt.”

Let’s confuse the brain J

Let’s draw

Easy does it!

http://glencoe.com/sec/busadmin/entre/teacher/creative/stimulate/exer8.htm

30 Circles Test

https://hbr.org/2013/11/three-creativity-challenges-from-ideos-leaders

How did do you?

https://creativiteconsultants.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/30-circles-doodled.png

Draw a coin

  Work as pairs

  One person draws something, and passes on the paper to the second one

  The second one does the same

  Time: 3 min

Rube Goldberg

https://www.rubegoldberg.com/artwork/how-to-get-rid-of-a-mouse-2/

A breakfast machine!

https://youtu.be/2K7ntQyglWg

https://youtu.be/FjuCwnoNWQw

Chindogu?   Coined by Kenji Kawakami, Editor of “Mail Order Life”

  Means “Unusual Tool”

Chindogus solve everyday problems

  “Unuseless” = useful (i.e. not useless) but very crazy or inconvenient to be usable

  If it is worth stealing, then it is not Chindogu!

No real use!

It must exist!

Anarchic!

Universally useless!

Not for sale!

Not funny!

No propaganda!

Always decent!

Free for all!

For everyone!

Why build something “unuseless”?

What’s the use of a newborn baby? – Benjamin Franklin, 21 Nov 1783

“I have coined the term “bisociation” in order to make a distinction between the routine skills of thinking on a single “plane”…and the creative act, which…always operates on more than one plane.”

-   Arthur Koestler,

Bisociation Examples   Louise Braille: pinecone + reading => Braille system

  George de Mestral: burr from burdock plant + zipper => Velcro

  Jake Ritty: ship’s engine room + cash problem => (eventually) NCR!

  Edwin Budding: clothes factory + outdoors => lawn mower

  Christopher Sholes: saw piano and thought if it each key could write a letter => Typewriter

Let’s play Bisociation

  Think of an object

  Think of any activity you can do with it

  Exchange the “object” with anyone in the room

  Exchange the “activity” with another person in the room

  Now think of something you can do with what you have!

Now let’s work together as a team

  Form teams of 5-6 each

  Think of a problem you want to solve, maybe even a fictional one – product, service, design…even think of a story if you want, or draw something if that works for your team

  Each team needs only one paper

  Taking turns, each person writes their idea in just a line. The next person builds on it.

  Time: 5 min

Bebrief

  Use the whiteboard

  What did you like / dislike

  How was working alone vs working as a team?

  How was working on a given task vs. creating something?

  What did you learn?