Welcome back to our series on the Magic of Innovation. In this installment, we will be discussing growing and developing an idea or invention. If you missed out on part one where we talked about what actually constitutes and invention and where the ideas come from, CLICKHERE.
Inventors Block
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. –Thomas A. Edison
If your first attempt at creating a functional version of your idea doesn’t work, don’t be discouraged. Problems are part of the process. Expect problems and solve them through perseverance. Some thoughts on how to overcome the obstacles you may face:
Frame It Differently: one of the most effective ways to solve a problem is to “frame” the problem differently or change the way you look at it. For example, when you try to move a bulky piece of furniture through a small doorway and it doesn’t fit, you can change the way you “frame” the problem by turning it around or upside down.
Let Go of Assumptions: Innovation is, by definition, the adoption of something new. You cannot innovate by holding on to the assumptions based on what exists.
Meditation: Meditate on the problem , or meditate merely to get away from the problem as the situation dictates.
Use Your Right Brain: you may have trouble logically working through a problem because logical thinking is a linear type of process which utilize our left (or logical) brain. Since we are working on a problem based on a new set of knowledge or experiences, it will be more effectively processed in the right (or creative) brain.
Dreams: As as Thomas Edison once said: “I never invented anything; my dreams did.”
Take Action
Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits. –Thomas A. Edison
A misconception that still persists is that all that is needed to make a bundle of money by a fledgling inventor is to show their invention to a company, sign a lucrative contract, and let the money roll in. Unfortunately, it rarely happens like that. The elements of a successful invention process usually include; the inventor having recorded the invention properly, built and tested a prototype (desirable but not always absolutely required), filed a patent application, sought out suitable companies to produce and market the invention, and finally worked like the devil to sell their invention to one of these companies.
Summary
Hell, there are no rules here — we’re trying to accomplish something new.
–Thomas A. Edison
An open curious mind enables one to see beyond what is known. Inventors live outside the box, seeing new possibilities, connections or relationships that can spark the invention process. This out of the box thinking involves working with elements from different realms that would not normally be put together, Materials, processes or tools from one realm are used to create new and unique combinations that nobody has ever imagined.
The Magic of Innovation – part 2
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.”
–Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Nobel Prize 1937
Welcome back to our series on the Magic of Innovation. In this installment, we will be discussing growing and developing an idea or invention. If you missed out on part one where we talked about what actually constitutes and invention and where the ideas come from, CLICK HERE.
Inventors Block
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
–Thomas A. Edison
If your first attempt at creating a functional version of your idea doesn’t work, don’t be discouraged. Problems are part of the process. Expect problems and solve them through perseverance. Some thoughts on how to overcome the obstacles you may face:
Frame It Differently: one of the most effective ways to solve a problem is to “frame” the problem differently or change the way you look at it. For example, when you try to move a bulky piece of furniture through a small doorway and it doesn’t fit, you can change the way you “frame” the problem by turning it around or upside down.
Let Go of Assumptions: Innovation is, by definition, the adoption of something new. You cannot innovate by holding on to the assumptions based on what exists.
Meditation: Meditate on the problem , or meditate merely to get away from the problem as the situation dictates.
Use Your Right Brain: you may have trouble logically working through a problem because logical thinking is a linear type of process which utilize our left (or logical) brain. Since we are working on a problem based on a new set of knowledge or experiences, it will be more effectively processed in the right (or creative) brain.
Dreams: As as Thomas Edison once said: “I never invented anything; my dreams did.”
Take Action
Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.
–Thomas A. Edison
A misconception that still persists is that all that is needed to make a bundle of money by a fledgling inventor is to show their invention to a company, sign a lucrative contract, and let the money roll in. Unfortunately, it rarely happens like that. The elements of a successful invention process usually include; the inventor having recorded the invention properly, built and tested a prototype (desirable but not always absolutely required), filed a patent application, sought out suitable companies to produce and market the invention, and finally worked like the devil to sell their invention to one of these companies.
Summary
Hell, there are no rules here — we’re trying to accomplish something new.
–Thomas A. Edison
An open curious mind enables one to see beyond what is known. Inventors live outside the box, seeing new possibilities, connections or relationships that can spark the invention process. This out of the box thinking involves working with elements from different realms that would not normally be put together, Materials, processes or tools from one realm are used to create new and unique combinations that nobody has ever imagined.