Creative Streak

The Definition of an Idea / The 90:10 Rule

Quick: what's a simple definition of an idea?

Funny that, it's one of those common words we use frequently throughout the day, but when it comes to defining it concisely, it's not so easy. Doesn't it make sense that if you aren't sure what an idea is, it'll be more difficult to create one in a brainstorm - of any type?

Here's the simplest business definition I've ever found: An idea is one single solution, plan or option which might solve a problem or fulfil a need.

The only way that creativity can be demonstrated is by its outcome - that is, an idea - which has no universal standard of measurement. This is part of the reason why creativity is such a complex subject to many people: because they can't see, touch, use or experience creativity in the same way as everyone else.

Well, that’s not entirely true. The only ‘true’ standard of measurement of an idea is whether it helps to achieve a specific goal, effectively and efficiently. And, if it's a bad idea ... well, you get the idea.

As I noted in an earlier post on 6 January 2009, "one's prolific ability to generate ideas (both good and bad)" is a useful definition to judge how creative someone is. This notion of volume - or what's called "frequency" in creative philosophy - is another creative principle to remember. You want as many alternative plans, soltuions or options as possible. Why? Because of something I call "the 90:10 Rule."

When you think of any brainstorm, isn’t it true that 90 percent of the ideas were bad, wrong, improbable, immoral, criminal, and/or senseless? They wouldn’t help you achieve your goal. However, 10 percent of the ideas were worthy of more discussion and thought. That’s the 90:10 Rule. In a brainstorm, you want as many ideas as possible - both good and bad - because volume of both kinds exponentially increases the 10% of good ideas.

This also begs the side question: do bad ideas have any value? YES, because almost every good idea comes from a bad idea. 

And finally, something for the trivia-minded among you. The light bulb is the universal symbol of ideas and creativity. Do you know why?

Creating light without the use of fire was virtually a ‘Holy Grail’ for many scientists during the 1800s. Many people think that Thomas Edison of New Jersey, USA, invented the incandescence lamp by 1879. In fact, the evolution of the bulb goes all the way back to 1802 when Sir Humphry Davy of the UK created light by passing a current through a small piece of platinum.

Other scientists continued to improve upon Davy’s idea, but none more obsessively than Edison who toiled with his team for nearly 10 years and 1,000 variations to find a solution to allow the bulb to burn for many hours upon end.

When it was announced to the public in the early 1880s that Edison had created the first commercially available bulb, as well as inventing the power stations to bring electricity directly into the home, its influence was immediate and profound – so much so that the light bulb continues to be the enduring symbol of ingenuity in virtually every language and culture worldwide.

(Ah, could you imagine being in charge of the press conference to announce the light bulb? PR nirvana!)

Eureka! Hirameita! Se Me Encendio La Luz!

We might not know what an idea is, but we certainly know when we find it.

AHA! is a frequent cry of delight for those who speak English. The Spanish have a colloquialism of se me encendio la luz which literally means “my light bulb went on.”

The Japanese exclaim Hirameita! (“I have a great idea!”) which uses the character hirameki ”閃”. If you look closely, the character represents a person opening a door as a metaphor for discovery.

The Koreans say Gu Bun i O Shio So Yo which means “He came to me (my brain)” – which may or may not refer to God, and which may or may explain why the French might say j'ai une illumination, loosely meaning I have a bright light coming to me.

Of course Archimedes, the brilliant mathematician and physicist, provided us with the most common exclamation. He was asked by King Hieron II of Syracuse to determine if goldsmiths had cheated him by making a gold crown out of less than 100% gold.

Archimedes struggled with the puzzle – until the answer came to him in a blinding flash of inspiration in the most unlikeliest of places: during his evening bath. He noticed that when he lowered himself into the bathtub, the water rose in direct proportion to his own weight. He instantly realised that he could submerge the finished crown in water and compare the displaced water to an equal weight of gold versus gold substitutes.

Imagine with me his excitement as he leapt naked from his tub – well, let’s not imagine that – as he shouted Eureka!, which is appropriately Greek for I have found it!

Next up:  so what is an idea?

Is creativity an art or a science?

Let’s put it this way: creativity would be easier to define and learn if it was an exact science, like mathematics.

An exact science is knowledge systematised to the extent that you can predict and verify it through measurement, experiment and observation. For example, mathematics has specific elements which you can define (such as the numerals '0' or ‘1’), and finite and repeatable steps (like addition or multiplication) which allows you to create the same single answer, again and again and again. Thus, 1 + 1 will always equal 2. In chemistry - another exact science - two parts hydrogen plus one part oxygen is the eternal recipe for water.

While creativity may not be an exact science, it’s still a science. It has specific elements which can be defined (like an idea), and there are finite and repeatable steps (like the rules of a brainstorm). The difference – and the fun – lies in the glory that creativity creates the opposite of a single answer. By compiling different elements together, you create trillions of answers. (I didn’t say they would all be good answers, but we’ll come to the value of bad ideas in a moment.)

Perhaps this explains why some people feel creativity is the opposite of science – an ‘art’, which means innate (not learnt) knowledge, or what’s commonly known as ‘talent.’ For those who are or are known as creative, coming up with lots of ideas is as natural as breathing. It’s a talent. But that’s not to say anyone can’t learn the basic principles, practice the methodologies (as you would in a mathematics or chemistry class), and gradually improve over time.

P.S. There's an interesting story - probably a myth - that Picasso created Cubism (an art movement founded with Georges Braque about 1906) to rebuff a novice art collector. This man told Picasso that it was impossible for ayone to see two different perspectives at the same time.

In fact, you can see two perspectives at the same time - and do. Hold up your right index finger at arm's length, then close your left eye. You see one perspective. Still holding up your index finger, and closing your right eye, you have a different perspective.

Key creative points to wrap-up January 2009

As I sat down over the weekend to outline creative topics for the next few months, I also decided to review some of the key creativity principles during the past month.

1. Your first idea in a brainstorm is rarely good.  In fact, it's usually average. That's OK - in fact, it's normal because everyone's ideas typically are pedestrian when they first pop out of their head. Like a car in winter, your brain needs to "warm up" its creative thinking skills. So, you need to get these initial ho-hum ideas out of the way at the beginning of the the brainstorm so the better ones can emerge later. As well, never accept your first idea about any topic until you're able to judge it among all ideas to ensure it's "best."

2. Do some mental gymnastics immediately prior to a brainstorm.  Professional athletes would never play a game without stretching. The same is true for your brain. Do anything you can to mentally separately what you were doing immediately prior to the brainstorming from the brainstorming itself. Look through a visual magazine. Try to solve a brain teaser to sudoku. Get up and walk around to get the blood circulating. If nothing else, start your brainstorms with an ice-breaker.

3. You don't need to brainstorm all of your ideas at once.  Break down your idea generation into smaller periods of time, or at different times of the day. Do some now, others later. Giving yourself time between brainstorms is also good because your imagination continues to think unconsciously about the problem, need or desire after you've gone on to another project. It's also a good way to give yourself a mental break on those other projects.

4. Do not let anything get in the way of generating as many ideas as you can.  Of all the mandatories in brainstorming, this - to me - is most important. You want quantity, not quality. If that means cutting negativity in the bud, so be it. (We'll discuss the purposeless of negativity in a few weeks.) Does that mean generating hundreds of ideas in each brainstorm? No, because that's not always possible. But, you should strive to generate 50 percent more ideas by the end of the brainstorm than you thought you would.

5. Creative thinking may be fun, but it's not easy.  You always need to push and stretch your imagination beyond both your initial expectations and your first set of ideas. The good news is that you'll be more likely to generate a brilliant idea which could have a profound impact on your business situation.

And isn't that really the point of business creativity?

Finally, a last thought for January 2009.

Discussing creativity in his book Care of the Soul, Thomas Moore tells how Russian composer Igor Stravinsky was suspicious of people who were simply a font of creative ideas.

Stravinsky believed creativity owed as much to hard work, discipline and craftsmanship as to imagination and inspiration. “Should the impossible happen, and my work suddenly be given to me in a perfectly completed form, I should be embarrassed and nonplussed by it, as by a hoax.”