Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What You’re Not to Read 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
How This Book Is Organised 3
Part I: Laying the Foundations: Understanding Creativity 3
Part II: Preparing Yourself: Creating Your Creative Mindset 4
Part III: Getting Creative – The Practical Stuff 4
Part IV: Applying Creativity to Your Life 4
Part V: The Part of Tens 4
Icons Used in This Book 5
Where to Go from Here 5
Part I: Laying the Foundations: Understanding Creativity 7
Chapter 1: So What Is Creativity? 9
Seeing Creativity Everywhere 9
Spotting obvious signs of creativity 10
Noticing less obvious signs of creativity 11
Finding Curious Ways to Fulfil Your Curiosity 12
Reconciling paradoxes and juxtapositions 13
Combining the familiar and the strange 13
Entwining the tangible and the elusive 14
Experiencing the seductive and the scary 14
Adapting Strategies to Help You Survive in the Creative World 15
Emulating child’s play 16
Recognising creativity as a necessity – not a luxury 16
Appreciating creativity as your lifeblood 17
Getting into a Creative Frame of Mind 18
Converging and diverging 18
Storming ahead 19
Being physically passive but mentally active 20
Being physically active and mentally alert 20
Programming Yourself for Creativity with Neuro-linguistic Programming 21
Fighting through Uncreative Times 24
Being stuck 25
Getting unstuck 26
Chapter 2: Living in a World of Creativity 27
Searching for Spiritual Expression 28
Embodying spirituality and knowledge in architecture 28
Connecting body, mind and spirit 29
Meeting the Muses 29
Musing with Greeks and Romans 30
Meeting modern muses 31
Finding your own muse 31
Tuning In with Music and Creativity 32
Challenging the Status Quo with Creative Thinking 35
Playing a revolutionary role 35
Working within the system 36
Creating political art 37
Connecting Religion, Politics and Creativity 38
Pomp and propaganda 38
Nudge – when politicians get ideas 39
Shedding Light on the Dark Side of Creativity 43
Limiting beliefs 43
Generating energy and ignoring burn-out 45
Melding creativity and personality 46
Chapter 3: Exploring the Creative Mindset 49
Being Creative – All the Time 50
Realising that you can’t not be creative 50
Exhibiting everyday creativity 51
Knowing creativity when you see it 51
Having the creative touch 52
Knowing the Moment versus Knowing the Outcome 53
A change is as good as a rest 53
And a rest is as good as a change 54
Exploring Different States of Consciousness 54
Memories, dreams and reflections 54
Daydreams, sleep and meditation 56
Being wide awake and curious 58
Altered states – sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll 59
Exploring the subconscious 60
Understanding Different People and Different Kinds of Creativity 62
Jung’s theories and the foundations of modern personality assessment 62
Convergent and divergent thinking 66
Gender 66
Age 67
Creativity across cultures 67
Beyond the five senses 69
Part II: Preparing Yourself: Creating Your Creative Mindset 71
Chapter 4: Preparing to Be Creative 73
Understanding the Creative Process 74
Opening up to ideas and originality 74
Closing down to solve a problem 74
Changing your mind for a different perspective 75
Capturing Your First Ideas 75
Getting into the Right Space – Mentally and Physically 76
Getting in the mood 76
Setting the scene 77
Flying Solo versus Working in Teams 83
Working alone 84
Working together 84
Having it both ways 86
Assessing Outcomes 87
Did it work? 89
What to do next 91
Chapter 5: Committing to Creativity 93
Creating Continuously – Keeping the Tap Running 94
Being creative for a living 94
Stressing about creativity 95
Achieving the magic 10,000 hours 96
Preparing for good results 96
Living Like Leonardo – Working with Creative Continuity 97
Being insatiably curious – curiosita 98
Testing knowledge through experience – demostrazione 101
Refining the senses – sensazione 103
Embracing ambiguity – sfumato 105
Balancing art and science – arte/scienza 106
Cultivating the finer aspects of life – corporalita 107
Connecting everything – connessione 109
Experiencing a Creative Burst 110
Lighting up – the light bulb effect 110
Exploding with creativity 111
Finding Your Own Creative Style 112
Part III: Getting Creative – The Practical Stuff 113
Chapter 6: Changing Your Mind with Creative Thinking 115
Discovering Ways of Changing Your Mind 116
Getting to Grips with Mind Mapping 118
Designing a mind map 119
Employing Table Games 122
Building with Matchbox and other games 122
Using creativity cards 124
Playing with Language 125
Harnessing the power of metaphor 125
Talking about narrative and trance 127
Finding a way into trance states 131
Using Random Input 133
Playing word games 133
Making complexity simple 135
Transforming language 135
Visualising Success 136
Putting visualisation to work with image streaming 137
Discovering other creative visualisation techniques 138
Chapter 7: Opening Your Mind with Creative Thinking Techniques 141
Generating Ideas with Brainstorming 142
Processing the rules 143
Brainstorming the right way 144
Making refinements for better brainstorming 146
Signing Up To Synectics 150
Inventing a prototype for brainstorming 151
Referring, reflecting and reconstructing 152
Tooling Up with SCAMPER 157
Working with a handy toolbox 157
Using Thinkertoys – a bigger toolbox 160
Thinking Laterally 160
Introducing Parallel Thinking 161
Provoking Provocative Operation 163
Wearing the Six Thinking Hats 164
Chapter 8: Closing In on the Answer: Creative Problem-Solving 169
Working Creatively to Find a Solution 169
Using the Disney Model – Being in Character 170
The dreamer 173
The realist 174
The critic 175
Trusting Young’s Five-Step Technique 176
Using the Whole Brain with Herrmann’s Model 179
Listing dominant types 181
Seeing HBDI in action 182
Putting the Whole Brain Model to work 185
Chapter 9: Playing Creatively 189
Provoking New Ideas with Thought Experiments 190
Drawing and Doodling 192
Drawing on the right side of the brain 192
Seeing passively and actively looking 194
Building a visual vocabulary by asking questions 195
Working with SQVID 199
Playing with paint 203
Playing with Role Play 204
Walking a mile in their shoes 205
Evaluating role play 205
Keeping and Breaking Rules 206
Thinking in and out of the box 207
Encountering blue skies, clouds and storms 208
Choosing chance 209
Having Whole-Body Experiences – Indoors and Out 211
Creating Movement When You Get Stuck 213
Part IV: Applying Creativity to Your Life 215
Chapter 10: Living the Creative Life 217
Living the Benefits of a Creative Life 217
Improving your health 218
Managing stress 219
Living a long life 222
Getting good sleep 222
Measuring wealth 225
Celebrating the Creative Power of Happiness 227
Searching for happiness 227
Failing happily for success 228
Joining the club – happiness is catching on 230
Getting a Sense of Humour 230
Taking humour seriously 231
Laughing at an important subject – deflating the balloon 232
Enjoying humour and creativity together 232
Experiencing Wellbeing 233
Ascending Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 233
Feeling good about yourself 235
Creating a healthy brain 237
Chapter 11: Children and Creativity 239
Looking Inside Children’s Creative Minds 239
Blooming buzzing confusion 240
Modelling mastery 241
Becoming competent 242
Considering what babies do because they don’t know better 244
Playing as a learning method 244
Developing patterns and habits 246
Showing acquired skills through drawing 247
Observing How Education Influences Creativity 251
Debating the purpose of education 252
Balancing rigid and relaxed teaching 252
Applying Creative Thinking Lessons in Daily Life 253
Fostering creativity 253
Getting culture into the bloodstream 254
Partnering with modern technology 255
Chapter 12: Working Creatively 257
Looking at Creative Industries and the Bottom Line 258
Auditing creative business 258
Driving business through the creative engine 259
Moving creativity from back room to front office 260
Generating Ideas that Make Money 261
Putting a premium on creativity 261
Owning ideas that change the world 262
Protecting the Creative Franchise 262
Where there’s a hit there’s a writ 263
Engaging in the eternal battle between artist and producer 264
Instilling Creativity in Companies Large and Small 265
Doing business as usual 265
Drawing creativity from the outside in and inside out 265
Overcoming Resistance to Creativity 266
Living by logic – or not 267
Riding your obsessions into oblivion 268
Planning in a straight line 270
Resisting vision 270
Creating (and Maintaining) a Creative Workplace 271
Choosing a space 271
Making a creative space 272
Living with the Difference between Innovation and Creativity 273
Defining the difference 273
Owning the creativity 274
Making it happen at Saatchi & Saatchi 275
Chapter 13: Embedding Creativity in Your Personal Life 279
Becoming Continuously Creative 280
Changing the habits of a lifetime – or a minute 280
Perseverance versus perseveration 282
Appreciating Creativity and Culture 283
Asking what culture is 285
Pushing the culture button 285
Breaking the barrier – official creativity 286
Celebrating everyday life 286
Discovering Transferable Skills and Resources 287
Trying self-remembering 287
Reaching resourceful states 289
Using Your Creative Awareness 289
Getting serious 290
Joining creative networks online 290
Being in touch with creativity around the world 291
Maintaining a Creative State of Mind with Fun and Games 294
Discovering an app for that 297
Simplifying 298
Noodling and doodling 299
Part V: The Part of Tens 301
Chapter 14: Ten Great Ways to Get Creative 303
Seize the Moment 303
Give Yourself Permission 304
Make Time to Relax, Play and Have Fun 304
Immerse or Isolate Yourself 305
Immersion 305
Isolation 305
Tolerate Ambiguity 305
Find Your Personal Centre 306
Develop Endless Curiosity 306
Make Things Bigger, Smaller, Distorted or Inverted 307
Organise a ‘Creative Heroes’ Dinner Party 308
Indulge in Creative Sleep 308
Chapter 15: Ten Acorns That Became Oak Trees: Great Ideas that Became Reality 309
Gutenberg’s Printing Press 309
Galileo’s Understanding of Mankind’s Place in the Universe 310
Newton’s Insights into the Physical World 310
Henry Ford’s Vision of Modern American Industry 311
Edison’s Persistence and Inspiration 311
Tesla’s Electric Inventions 312
Marconi’s Radio 313
Picasso’s Works of Art 313
Alan Turing’s Modern Computers 314
Richard Feynman – Bongos and Atom Bombs 316
Chapter 16: Ten-Plus Essential Books 317
The Act of Creation by Arthur Koestler 317
Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind by Guy Claxton 318
Secret Knowledge by David Hockney 318
The Power of Creative Intelligence by Tony Buzan 319
Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko 319
The Creative Brain and The Whole Brain Business Book by Ned Herrmann 319
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell 320
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb 320
Strategies of Genius, Volume One by Robert Dilts 321
Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono 322
The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley 322
A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young 322
Making by Thomas Heatherwick with Maisie Rowe 323
Chapter 17: Ten Inspirational Creative Businesses 325
Saatchi & Saatchi – Bringing World-Changing Creativity 325
The Mind Gym – Instigating Intelligent Interaction 326
Pixar – Creating an Ideas Playground 327
Apple – Sustaining an Atmosphere of Maverick Thinking 328
DPA – Thinking Space 328
LEGO – Building a Business Brick by Brick 329
ChiatDay – Reinventing Creativity 330
St Luke’s – Redefining Creativity 331
Caffeine – Stimulating Business 331
Jack Tinker – Achieving Creativity Heaven 332
Chapter 18: Ten Unusually Creative Individuals 333
Eric Clapton – Learning His Craft the Hard Way 333
David Hockney – Working at Everyday Creativity 334
Bob Dylan – Reaping the Rewards of Creative Persistence 335
Brian Eno – Being Eclectic 336
Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren – Producing Punk 336
Benoit Mandelbrot – Fascinating Fractals 337
Anita Roddick – Creating a Body of Work 338
Malcolm Gladwell – Making New Sense 338
Ferran Adria and El Bulli – Cooking Up Magic 339
Richard Hamilton – Inspiring a Generation 340
Index 341
