Creativity needs all types of fuel to be ignited, but perhaps none more so than curiosity.
Very loosely adapted from the theoretical elements of research, creativity is the natural process evolving from the transformation of general information into ideas, a six-step process that I call in my workshops "the Information Chain."
Building from the hour-glass figure highlighted in my post on 16 January 2008, the creative process begins when you (the brainstormer) states the ...
GOAL ... which establishes the initial general direction for your curiosity to gather information. In other words, 'to research.' To begin research, you dive into the world of ...
DATA ... which simply describes all of the static information there is the world, the vast majority of which you’re not familiar and perhaps don’t even know to know. With your curiosity intuitively asking 'why is this?' or 'why isn't that?', you begin to gather specific data, such as text, charts or pictures. By selecting these individual items, you turn data into ...
INFORMATION ... which is distinctive data you have selected for your continued curiosity, primarily because you believe this information will help to make decisions or to take steps to accomplish the goal. (Don't forget, even bad information is helpful because it tells you where not to research.)
The process of how you chose the information is also important, as is the process of interpreting the information. By interpreting information, it’s no longer static. In fact, you moved it into your head, and by doing so, you've turned information into ...
KNOWLEDGE ... which is information that you’ve acquired by learning. Generally speaking, you have two types of knowledge. First, you have your existing knowledge, accumulated over the years - which also gives you perspective and context. (Existing knowledge is specifically known as 'crystalline intelligence.') Second, you have your immediate knowledge, which is new information acquired about your topic or issue. Immediate knowledge informs, adds to or changes your existing knowledge. Both types force you to interpret, synthesise and reduce your collective knowledge to an ...
INSIGHT ... the isolation of the essential understanding of a topic, or perhaps of the issue itself. People often say information is power, but information is more or less useless until you decide what it means, or what to do with it. This final point - action - is when you transform the insight into an ...
IDEA ... the most powerful and valuable stage of the Information Chain because it allows you to say "Here is what we should do with our knowledge." (It's also a poor excuse for me to use a favourite quote of Thomas Huxley: "The great end of life is not knowledge, but action.")
The Information Chain - from goal through information to knowledge and ideas - might sound clear, but in reality, the path is rarely linear, defined or simple. It’s more likely that a lot of information was synthesized and twisted together - sort of like making taffy - that any path would be impossible to trace.
In fact, noted theologian Albert Schweitzer probably said it best: "As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more mysterious."
Ah, therein, lies the fun of creativity and ideas.
