The shape of ideation | Stefan Mumaw | TEDxLawrence

Summary

In this insightful talk, the speaker addresses the surprisingly low number of people who identify as creative, as revealed by a 2012 Adobe study. Through extensive research, the speaker discovers two key misconceptions about creativity: its association with artistry and the belief that it's an innate talent. The speaker argues that creativity is fundamentally problem-solving, requiring both relevance and novelty. They challenge the audience to rethink creativity as a skill that can be honed through practice, using a fun, interactive exercise to demonstrate how even a short amount of time can yield a wealth of creative ideas.

Takeaways

• 🤔 Only 39% of adults in a global study by Adobe in 2012 identified themselves as creative, raising the question of why the number is so low.
• 🎨 The first misconception about creativity is that it is solely linked to Artistry, leading many to believe they lack creativity if they cannot draw, paint, or write.
• 💡 Creativity is more accurately defined as problem-solving with relevance and novelty, rather than just a talent or innate ability.
• 👶 Children excel at novelty but struggle with relevance, while adults are the opposite, being good at solving problems but often lacking in novel solutions.
• 🚀 Creativity can be improved as a skill with practice, contrary to the common belief that it is a fixed talent.
• 🤝 A creative exercise involving generating ideas for prizes in old west-themed breakfast cereal boxes demonstrated how groups can brainstorm effectively.
• ⏰ The exercise showed that time is not the limiting factor in creativity; motivation and the willingness to engage in the process are more critical.
• 📈 The ideation process can be graphed, with quantity and quality of ideas on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal, illustrating a typical pattern of idea generation.
• 🔄 The creative process involves moving from expected ideas to more novel ones, often sparked by an 'absurd' idea that opens the door to greater innovation.
• 🌟 Embracing 'stupid' ideas is part of the creative process, as they can lead to breakthroughs and should not be dismissed in professional settings.

Q & A

What percentage of adults in the 2012 Adobe study identified themselves as creative?

In the 2012 Adobe study, only 39% of the 5,000 adults surveyed identified themselves as creative.

What is the first misconception about creativity mentioned in the script?

The first misconception about creativity mentioned is that it is attached to Artistry, leading people to believe they are not creative if they cannot draw, paint, or write.

What does the speaker propose as the core definition of creativity?

The speaker proposes that at its core, creativity is problem solving.

What are the two characteristics that the speaker adds to the definition of creativity?

The two characteristics added to the definition of creativity are relevance and novelty.

Why does the speaker believe that creativity is not just a talent but also a skill?

The speaker believes that creativity is not just a talent but also a skill because if creativity is problem solving, it implies that it can be improved with practice, like any other skill.

What is the main goal of the creative exercise involving breakfast cereal and the Wild West?

The main goal of the creative exercise is to demonstrate that creativity is a process of generating ideas with relevance and novelty, and to show that everyone can engage in the creative process.

How long were the participants given to come up with ideas for the creative exercise?

The participants were given three minutes to come up with ideas for the creative exercise.

What does the speaker suggest is the usual excuse for not generating more ideas?

The speaker suggests that the usual excuse for not generating more ideas is a lack of time.

What does the speaker identify as the shape of the ideation process?

The speaker identifies the shape of the ideation process as a graph with a vertical axis representing the quantity or quality of ideas and a horizontal axis representing time.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of 'stupid' or absurd ideas in the creative process?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of 'stupid' or absurd ideas because they often spark more creativity and can lead to more novel and innovative solutions.

How does the speaker suggest we can improve our creativity?

The speaker suggests that we can improve our creativity by practicing problem-solving with relevance and novelty, and by understanding and utilizing the creative process.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Misconceptions of Creativity

The speaker begins by questioning the low percentage of adults who identify as creative, as revealed by a 2012 Adobe study. They delve into the reasons behind this perception, starting with a survey of people in creative professions and expanding to those in various other roles. The speaker identifies two main misconceptions about creativity: the association with Artistry, which leads many to believe they lack creativity if they cannot draw or paint, and the belief that creativity is an innate talent rather than a skill. To challenge these notions, the speaker proposes a definition of creativity as problem-solving with relevance and novelty, suggesting that creativity is a skill that can be improved with practice.

05:02

🎭 A Creative Exercise in Relevance and Novelty

The speaker introduces a creative exercise to demonstrate the process of generating ideas with relevance and novelty. Volunteers from the audience are invited on stage to participate. They are tasked with brainstorming ideas for what could have been included as prizes in breakfast cereal boxes during the American Wild West era. The exercise is timed for three minutes, emphasizing the importance of volume in idea generation. The speaker encourages the participants to write down as many ideas as possible, promoting a collaborative effort and the exploration of unique solutions. The exercise serves to illustrate the dynamic of idea generation and the potential for creativity in everyday problem-solving.

10:03

⏳ Overcoming Excuses and Understanding the Creative Process

Following the creative exercise, the speaker reflects on common excuses that hinder idea generation, particularly the belief that there is not enough time. The speaker counters this by pointing out that in just three minutes, participants were able to generate numerous ideas, suggesting that motivation, not time, is the limiting factor. They emphasize that creativity is a process, not a moment of inspiration, and that it involves moving from expected solutions to more novel ones. The speaker introduces a graph to illustrate the ideation process, showing how the quantity of ideas generated typically starts high, decreases as the obvious solutions are exhausted, and then increases again as participants push for more innovative ideas. The speaker highlights the importance of embracing 'stupid' or absurd ideas as a catalyst for sparking creativity and innovation.

15:04

🚀 Embracing Absurdity for Creative Brilliance

In the final paragraph, the speaker reinforces the idea that absurdity or 'stupidity' is a crucial part of the creative process, often leading to brilliant solutions. They argue against the tendency in corporate environments to dismiss such ideas as unprofessional or childish. The speaker suggests that by allowing for and even encouraging absurd ideas, we can reach a level of novelty that is essential for true innovation. They conclude by emphasizing that creativity is problem-solving with relevance and novelty, and that with practice, anyone can improve their creative skills, thus expanding the definition of creativity to include a broader range of individuals and professions.

Keywords

💡Creativity

Creativity in the script is defined as problem-solving with relevance and novelty. It's not just an innate talent but a skill that can be developed and improved with practice. The speaker challenges the common misconception that creativity is solely linked to artistic ability, such as drawing or painting. Instead, they argue that anyone can be creative if they approach problem-solving with both relevance (how well the problem is solved) and novelty (the uniqueness of the solution). The script uses examples from various professions, including engineers and stay-at-home moms, to illustrate that creativity is not limited to those with 'creative' in their job titles.

💡Artistry

Artistry is mentioned as a common misconception associated with creativity. The speaker points out that many people believe they lack creativity because they don't possess artistic skills like drawing or painting. However, the script clarifies that artistry and creativity are not the same thing; one can be creative without being an artist. Artistry can be a medium for creativity, but it is not a prerequisite for it.

💡Problem Solving

Problem solving is the core of creativity as presented in the script. It's the process of finding solutions to problems, which can be creative if they are both relevant and novel. The speaker emphasizes that adults are often good at solving problems relevantly but struggle with novelty, which is where creativity can be enhanced. The script uses the example of a creative exercise where participants are asked to think of items that could have been prizes in breakfast cereal boxes during the Wild West, showcasing the problem-solving process in action.

💡Relevance

Relevance, in the context of the script, refers to how well a problem is solved. It's one of the two characteristics that define creative problem-solving, alongside novelty. The speaker notes that adults are typically good at relevance but may lack novelty in their solutions. Relevance ensures that the problem at hand is addressed effectively, which is a necessary component of creative thinking.

💡Novelty

Novelty is described as the degree of uniqueness or originality in a solution to a problem. It is the second characteristic of creative problem-solving, complementing relevance. The script suggests that while adults are quick to solve problems relevantly, they often struggle with novelty. The speaker encourages the audience to push beyond the obvious solutions to achieve novelty, which is crucial for true creativity.

💡Misconceptions

Misconceptions about creativity are a central theme in the script. The speaker identifies two main misconceptions: the association of creativity with artistry and the belief that creativity is an innate talent. By debunking these misconceptions, the speaker aims to broaden the understanding of creativity and to encourage more people to see themselves as capable of creative thinking.

💡Skill

The script posits that creativity is not just a talent but a skill that can be developed. This perspective shifts the view of creativity from something unattainable to a skill that anyone can improve with practice and effort. The speaker argues that by treating creativity as a skill, people can work on generating ideas with greater quantity and quality.

💡Ideation

Ideation is the process of generating ideas, which is a key part of the creative process discussed in the script. The speaker describes ideation as a graph with quantity or quality of ideas on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. The script illustrates how ideas often start with more conventional solutions and, with time and motivation, can lead to more novel and innovative concepts.

💡Motivation

Motivation is highlighted as a key factor in the creative process. The speaker suggests that while time is often cited as a limiting factor in creativity, motivation is something that individuals can control. In the context of the script, motivation is what drives participants to generate a large number of ideas in a short exercise, demonstrating the potential for creativity when individuals choose to be motivated.

💡Process

The creative process is depicted as a journey from conventional thinking to novel ideas. The script emphasizes that creativity is not a single moment of inspiration but a process that involves generating many ideas, including some that may seem absurd, to eventually reach innovative solutions. The speaker uses the example of the ideation graph to illustrate how the process unfolds over time.

💡Absurdity

Absurdity is presented as a necessary part of the creative process in the script. The speaker notes that it's often an 'absurd' or 'stupid' idea that sparks a flurry of more creative thinking. This concept challenges the notion that all ideas need to be practical or professional from the outset, suggesting that allowing for absurdity can lead to breakthrough creative solutions.

Highlights

Only 39% of 5,000 adults in a global Adobe study identified themselves as creative.

The speaker conducted an extensive study to understand why the perception of creativity is so low.

Creativity is often mistakenly associated with Artistry, leading many to believe they lack creativity if they can't draw or paint.

Creativity is defined as problem-solving with relevance and novelty, not just Artistry.

Adults tend to be good at solving problems with relevance but struggle with novelty.

Children excel at novelty but often lack relevance in their problem-solving.

Creativity is not an innate talent but a skill that can be improved with practice.

The speaker introduces a creative exercise to demonstrate the process of generating ideas.

The exercise involves imagining what could have been prizes in breakfast cereal boxes during the Wild West era.

Participants are challenged to generate a list of ideas within a three-minute time limit.

The exercise reveals that the common excuse of 'not having time' to be creative is often a lack of motivation.

Creativity is a process, not a moment of inspiration, and it involves generating a range of ideas.

The speaker explains the ideation graph, illustrating the quantity and quality of ideas over time.

Absurd or 'stupid' ideas are crucial for sparking more creative thinking and should not be dismissed.

Innovation often comes from pushing the boundaries of what is considered 'stupid' or absurd.

The speaker emphasizes that everyone can be creative by solving problems with relevance and novelty.

Practicing creativity involves engaging in the process of idea generation to improve both relevance and novelty.

Transcripts

thank

you thank

you so how many of you would say you are

creative raise your

hands okay good you know in 2012 Adobe

did a study and they asked a very simple

question it was a global study and they

asked how many of you think you're

creative and they they asked 5,000

adults and only

39% said that they were creative and the

question I have is why is that number so

low so I started to study it and I did

very extensive study I asked people but

I started with my circle people who have

creative in their title designers and

writers and photographers and asked them

if they were creative

and what creativity meant and then I

expanded that to engineers and

developers people who are one step away

from having creative in their title and

then I started getting farther and

farther away from that designation

started asking retail workers and office

workers construction guys stay-at-home

moms people that are doing the real work

right started asking them are you

creative and that number that 39% number

was actually fairly accurate to what I

was Finding but but it wasn't accurate

to what I was seeing in them and that

that number sort of haunted me a little

bit why is that number so low and what I

found was that there were really two

great misconceptions about what

creativity is and the first one is that

we have somehow attached it to

Artistry that people think that they're

not creative because they can't draw or

paint or write and that attachment to

Artistry is keeping people from

believing that they have any creativity

whatsoever we hear it all the time don't

we I I don't have a creative bone in my

body which just simply isn't true

creativity and Artistry are not

connected you can use art to be creative

but they're not mutually

exclusive I think it comes with the

definition we have for

creativity see if I asked all of you

what the definition of creativity is

you'd all give me a different answer

what a strange thing in our environment

for someone to have completely different

answers to the definition of something

and so I started putting together a

definition that I felt was a little bit

more

absolute at its core creativity is

problem solving but that definition

alone isn't enough is it because we've

been able to see people's Solutions and

go well that one's better than that one

and if it's just problem solving that

means that it's completely absolute and

we know that there's a certain amount of

subjec it inside of

creativity it's because that that

definition alone has two

characteristics relevance and

Novelty creativity is problem solving

with relevance and

Novelty relevance is how well we've

solved the problem because a problem has

to be present for us to be creative and

Novelty is the degree of uniqueness or

originality that solution

possesses to be creative we have to have

both see we as adults we are serial

problem solvers we have relevance down

right when we're when we're when we're

confronted with a problem we solve it

immediately it's novelty that we

struggle with and what's interesting

kids the exact opposite great at novelty

terrible at relevance right we all have

that experience so from an adult

standpoint if we want to be more

creative

we have to solve problems with both

relevance and Novelty and it's novelty

that we struggle with see that leads us

to that second misconception about

creativity and that it's a talent we've

come to believe that creativity is

simply a talent that some people have

and others don't and that's not true

either creativity isn't a

talent if it's problem solving that

means it's a skill and that has a huge

ramification it means that we can get

better at it

it few of us have ever really thought

about creativity as something that we

can improve at we believe it's just

something that is this innate Force this

mystical thing that sometimes comes and

greets us usually when we're not

expecting it but it's not it's a skill

we can generate ideas in Greater

quantity and quality if we practice but

how do you practice creativity isn't

that the great question you solve

problems with relevance and Novelty and

you'll get better at it and I'm going to

prove that here today with a little

silly stupid creative exercise that

you're all going to do as a matter of

fact I'm going to bring up a couple of

volunteers who are going to do it on

stage with me where are my volunteers

here we go give them a round of applause

come on up

guys you guys are going to be right here

okay you guys you have uh you have

little pads of paper in front of you

okay here's what I want you to do I want

you to get a partner okay I want you to

get a partner hey you got a partner all

right so I want you to get a partner so

you're doing this together okay I'm

going to give you a little creative

exercise here in the morning we're all

aware of the real value of breakfast

cereal right the prize in the bottom

that's right so I mean we'll dig through

that cereal to get the prize right all

the cereal is flying out we just want

the prize now imagine if boxes of

breakfast cereal were around during the

nostalgic era of the American Wild Wild

West What could could have been in those

boxes as prizes so here's what you're

going to do you guys as a pair as a team

I want you to come up with a list of

ideas things that could have been in

boxes of breakfast cereal if they were

around during the the wild west so the

two of you are going to come up with one

list but I'm only going to give you

three minutes to do it okay I'm only

going to give you three minutes to do it

you guys I want you to do it right here

on the board so talk through it and just

start writing out your list ready go

so just write them out as many as you

can this is a volume exercise as many as

you can just keep generating

ideas right as many out as you

can yeah keep them going work through it

together generate ideas together rate

one

list all right you're 30 seconds in

you're 30 seconds in keep going

good keep going as many as you

can take big ideas and break them down

into small

ideas keep

going you're one minute in one minute in

you got two minutes left keep it

going these are

good keep going

as many as you can volume just keep

talking through

it you don't need to draw them out these

aren't

pictures all you designers trying to

draw things out write them

out keep going keep

going you're about

halfway about

halfway keep going

you put a question mark I did it's an

idea just throw it down there it's okay

keep

going keep going as many as you

can don't steal any of theirs don't look

up here and steal

any eyes on your own paper you got one

minute left one minute left

keep it going keep it

going on the home

stretch keep

going you got about 30 seconds left keep

it

moving 30 seconds

left those are good keep

going keep it

moving as many as you can you got about

10 seconds left 10 seconds you got a

couple more in you let's

go good

time all right

really good job guys give it up for them

give them a hand thanks guys really

appreciate it thank you you're good y

you're

good

so stop

laughing so what did we learn all right

so first and foremost what you just did

was you just entered into the creative

process whether you know it or not I

gave you a problem to solve and you had

the opportunity to solve it with

relevance and Novelty right here in

there and we learned three things about

our own creative process in this

exercise see the first thing that we

learn is the excuse that we give

ourselves for why we can't generate more

ideas the number one excuse we give

ourselves is that we don't have time I

don't have time to generate more ideas I

have to solve this problem and move on

I've got a whole stack of other problems

I have to keep going on to I have to get

started making something and so we solve

it in one or two in one or two responses

and then we move on but it's really not

time is it because in just three minutes

they generated one two three four five

six seven8 nine 10 11 12 13 ideas some

of you generated more than 20 ideas

there'll be a few of you that generated

more than 30 ideas in just three minutes

so it's not time it's

motivation which is awesome that's great

news because you guys are an infinite

well of ideas if you'll choose to be

motivated see motivation we can turn on

and off like a switch

time on the other hand we can't do

anything about but you can choose to be

motivated at any moment and I motivated

you with this exercise because it's a

stupid exercise and because you're

competing against everybody else at your

table right and you were motivated to do

so you can choose to turn it on and off

anytime that you want the second thing

that we learn about Crea about our

creative process is that we remember

that it really is a process we have this

Vision that creativity is this moment

that somehow we're in the shower and

boom we're struck with lightning I don't

know what all of you are doing in the

shower but creativity isn't a moment

that moment isn't what creativity is

that's the result of creativity see

creativity is a process and it has to

play out see you you went through your

lists okay the first couple of items on

your list if you shouted them out you

would see that they're on everyone

else's list too aren't they if we look

at some of the first things on here

bullets rattlesnake venom antibiotics a

pistol a belt buckle these are all

things that you'll probably find on your

lists too and that's what we end up

doing don't we as adults we solve the

problem and then we move on but

unfortunately we start making the things

that we've that we've solved and we put

them out in the world and we find out

they look just like everybody else's

because everyone else did the exact same

thing now if you start looking at the

last few items on your list you'll start

seeing some very interesting things

won't you some things that aren't

exactly Norm noral responses you can see

a few here a

halter

whiskey that's a Bo that's a box of

cereal I want right in order for us to

get to those ideas we have to get the

expected out and that's part of the

process and unfortunately inside of our

Lives we're so time crunched that we try

to take this entire creative process and

bring it down into 15 minutes let's go

into this room for 15 minutes and solve

this problem but it doesn't work that

way all you're going to get are expected

ideas we have to go through the process

to find that

novelty and the last thing that we learn

about the creative process that this

exercise has has shown us is that if

creativity really is problem solving

then we should be able to graph it and

we can I'm going to give

you the shape of

ideation this is the graph of what you

guys just went through in your creative

exercise let's graph this okay any good

graph's got a vertical and a horizontal

okay our vertical we're going to call Q

the quantity or quality of ideas that

you generated and our horizontal is time

all ideation happens over the course of

time in this particular instance it was

three minutes sometimes it's 20 minutes

on your way home sometimes it's an hour

and a half in the brainstorm session so

as soon as I gave you the problem

because you're an adult you started

solving it in your head that's what

grown-ups do and so when I said go you

had two or three ideas already and so

did your partner and so you spouted out

those ideas and then you reacted to each

other's ideas but then this started to

happen didn't it it started to come down

and you started looking back up here and

you started listening to the people

around you right you're like what else

can we do you started looking to see if

there are any answers up here but then

something happened and it turned and you

generated a whole bunch more ideas

before this bottomed out right now this

bottoming out happens either either

mechanically or organically mechanically

is me calling time organically is you

really are out of ideas so you just stop

right I've always been interested in

this shape in what happened right there

what happened at that turn it's usually

when someone said something

stupid if you go back on your lists

about halfway down there's an idea

that's stupid and it's sparked all a

whole bunch more ideas to where you were

like oh okay if that's where we're

playing okay then now we can say this

and this and this and this and this

right now I use this term stupid in the

most loving way possible the reality is

it these are absurd ideas something

sparked more this absurdity happened and

that's and that's drastically important

stupidity absurdity is part of the

creative process and inside of our

corporate environments we try to we try

to rip it out we try to pull it out

because it doesn't feel professional it

feels childlike but inside of this

inside of that moment is Brilliance

here's the other thing that happens we

talk about solving problems with

relevance and Novelty in general these

ideas have a tendency to be more

relevant those ideas have a tendency to

be more novel so if you look at your

lists the ideas that you came up with

first they fit in the Box they they're

small items they existed at that time

but then after stent

stupid you get into some more novel

ideas see from an ideation standpoint

most of the ideas we generate have to be

pushed forward to be interesting they

have to be pushed forward because we're

usually in in a society we're usually a

society of attachers and improvers and

Innovation comes through

stupidity right we we want to be able to

start with novel and pull them back into

relevance because Innovation happens

there creativity happens there and if we

struggle from from a novel standpoint we

need to get to stupid

faster if there's anything that we learn

about this it's two things one this

process plays out every single time

every time you generate ideas this is

what the graph looks like and if it if

that's true then you can plan for it you

can bring what you need to bring to get

to stupid

faster problem solving with relevance

and Novelty that's what creativity is

and as such that definition now brings

in more people into the creative fold it

brings in the engineer Who develops a

part for a machine to make it work it

brings in this the mom who finds a way

to make five meals out of the three

ingredients in her pantry and it brings

in you because every single day you

solve problems with relevance and

Novelty and you can do with a greater

degree if you'll practice thank you

[Applause]