CREATIVE COLLECTIONS by Enrique Rosas González
Throughout the history of humanity, until today, human beings have been taught countless skills, but unfortunately they have not been taught to think. They have been taught where and how to find any kind of knowledge, but they have not been taught the way to combine different skills to obtain more ideas. It is not enough to teach different kinds of knowledge, general or specific, if you do not also teach how to acquire a greater mental ability do UNDERSTAND better, to THINK better, and to CREATE better.
Thus the importance of learning to RELATE. According to Dr. Luis Alberto Machado in his famous work “The Revolution of Intelligence,” the ways to relate constitute something that can be learned, and, because of this, something that can be taught. Thinking is relating a new idea to an old idea, and this is possible thanks to the memory.
We have then found out that the ways to relate constitute the best tool to innovate, to produce, and to generate great ideas However, we ask ourselves: Is there a formula to help us relate and generate innovative ideas that improve our collections, sales or any other activity?
In “A TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING IDEAS,” James Webb Young describes a 5-step technique to generate ideas.
1. The mind must collect the raw material (information, knowledge, existing ideas about products and people).
2. The mind must digest and process this material.
3. Then you must forget about the topic completely.
4. The idea will come by itself as if by magic.
5. Finally, you apply your newborn idea to the real world to see what happens.
German philosopher Helmholtz used to say that he followed three steps to generate ideas:
1. Preparation. Time to analyze the problem in all its aspects.
2. Incubation. Time during which he did not think about the problem.
3. Illumination. The moment when ideas arrived unexpectedly, effortlessly, as if by insight.
Moshe Rubinstein, a specialist in problem solving at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) states that there are four different stages in solving problems.
1. Preparation: The elements of the problem and their relations are analyzed.
2. Incubation: Pillow consultations.
3. Inspiration: When a solution suddenly appears, you feel a spark of emotion.
4. Verification: The solution is tested to make sure it works.
Although all these formulas agree upon the steps to generate an idea, no one refers to the mental state that we must reach to take these steps. Jack Foster, author of the book “HOW TO GET IDEAS,” states that the device that organizes our brain is very simple: A) Promote good humor; B) Encourage the tendency to have ideas; C) Establish goals; D) Think like a child; E) Be curious; F) Develop values; G) Reflect upon your Way of Thinking.
Do not forget: learn to combine and/or relate your different types of knowledge, and start now generating innovative and creative ideas that will increase your collections and your productivity.
Source: Rosas González, Enrique. Creative Collections. Latin America Quality Institute. Quality Magazine. Edition 185. Panamá. 2016.
