Summary: “Creativity is not just something you think about – it is something you do.” inGenius, page 16 Seems sort of counter-intuitive – a book to teach you how to be more creative. Isn’t that the point of creativity? To be unbound and not stifled by rules and procedures, to allow ones’ mind to become free and open, taking in and applying all the possibilities? That’s true – but how do you get to that "free and open" state? How does your mind open to that potential, that whole “outside-the-box” thinking and creatively solve problems without applying logic or structure or boundaries? It’s this that Tina Seelig teaches us in her new book, inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity; that the secret to creativity is learning how to stretch your mind. A follow-up to her widely read (and ActionableBooks reviewed), What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20, in inGenius, Seelig introduces us to some of the things she teaches her students in the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University and the theory and discipline behind creativity. Golden Egg We are Responsible For Inventing the Future “Creativity can be enhanced by honing your ability to observe and learn, by connecting and combining ideas, by reframing problems, and by moving beyond the first right answers.” inGenius, page 201 Seelig has created a new model to help explain creativity and innovation. It’s called the Innovation Engine and it looks like this: Like most things, creativity is the sum of its parts and Seelig uses her model to explain how all the factors work together to enhance creativity. The Innovation Engine is explained this way: “Your knowledge provides the fuel for your imagination. Your imagination is the catalyst for the transformation of knowledge into new ideas. Your attitude is a spark that sets the Innovation Engine in motion. Resources are all the assets in your community. Habitats are your local environments, including your home, school or office. Culture is the collective beliefs, values and behaviours in your community.” inGenius, page 15 Basically, what Seelig explains in clear, concise language is that in the inside of the Innovation Engine are the parts of you that enhance creativity. It’s up to you to apply the thoughts, mind-set and creative thinking to the factors on the outside of the Innovation Engine – factors outside your control but those that have influence over your everyday interactions. By focusing on the factors you can control, you can learn how every moment provides an opportunity to creatively respond in any situation. GEM#1 Situational Creativity “The space told a powerful story, and each team dutifully placed itself inside that narrative.” inGenius, page 96 Like many in the ActionableBooks community, I’m a self-employed entrepreneur. One of the hardest lessons I had to learn when I quit my corporate job and moved to my home office was what environment, or habitat, I felt most productive in. Was I full of motivation and creative energy sitting on my couch with my laptop or at my desk in the office upstairs? Did sitting on the back deck with music in the background distract or focus my attention? Turns out, the best place for me to work was the island in my kitchen – close enough to the fridge for a snack when I wanted, in a wide open space where I didn’t feel constricted by four walls but still at a workspace where I had to sit up and pay attention. Habitat makes a lot of difference when it comes to creativity and innovation, a powerful thought Seelig proved by accident during a simulation game in her class. She’d broken the class into two groups where they had to complete jigsaw puzzles in the shortest amount of time. One group was on the side of the room where there were small tables but no chairs and the other group worked with chairs but no tables. Each group completed the same puzzles but in completely different ways. No matter how often participants go through this activity,
