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Idea Generation and Evaluation

How can you generate stunning new ideas?

Our approach to idea generation is based upon Arthur Koestler's insight that the essence of creativity is the discovery of a new pattern of existing elements:

 

"The creative act is not an act of creation in the sense of the Old Testament.

It does create something out of nothing; it uncovers, selects, reshuffles, combines, synthesises already existing facts, ideas, faculties, skills.

The more familiar the parts, the more striking the new whole."

 

Arthur Koestler, The Act of Creation

 

Koestler's definition is enormously important:

 

 ■  Firstly, it states that you don't have to be a genius, or lucky.

 

 ■  Secondly, it tells us that the progress underlying idea generation is the formation of a new pattern of parts that already exist.

 

Together, these two insights lead to a powerful conclusion. We are all naturally creative -  as any observation of children readily demonstrates - and we all have great ideas. No one is excluded. And the key to discovering new ideas is to combine features, which already exist, into a new pattern.

 

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