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how to be more effictive and productive

The document outlines a five-step creative process that involves gathering material, mentally working over it, stepping away, allowing insights to return, and shaping ideas based on feedback. It uses Frederic Eugene Ives as an example to illustrate these steps in action. Ultimately, creativity is framed as the ability to make new connections between existing concepts.

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14 views3 pages

how to be more effictive and productive

The document outlines a five-step creative process that involves gathering material, mentally working over it, stepping away, allowing insights to return, and shaping ideas based on feedback. It uses Frederic Eugene Ives as an example to illustrate these steps in action. Ultimately, creativity is framed as the ability to make new connections between existing concepts.

Uploaded by

solimanahmedbusiness
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Most important, the ability to generate new combinations hinges upon your ability to see the

relationships between concepts. If you can form a new link between two old ideas, you have done
something creative.

Young believed this process of creative connection always occurred in five steps.

Gather new material. At first, you learn. During this stage you focus on 1) learning specific material
directly related to your task and 2) learning general material by becoming fascinated with a wide range
of concepts.

Thoroughly work over the materials in your mind. During this stage, you examine what you have learned
by looking at the facts from different angles and experimenting with fitting various ideas together.

Step away from the problem. Next, you put the problem completely out of your mind and go do
something else that excites you and energizes you.

Let your idea return to you. At some point, but only after you have stopped thinking about it, your idea
will come back to you with a flash of insight and renewed energy.

Shape and develop your idea based on feedback. For any idea to succeed, you must release it out into
the world, submit it to criticism, and adapt it as needed.

creative-process

The Idea in Practice

The creative process used by Frederic Eugene Ives offers a perfect example of these five steps in action.

First, Ives gathered new material. He spent two years working as a printer’s apprentice and then four
years running the photographic laboratory at Cornell University. These experiences gave him a lot of
material to draw upon and make associations between photography and printing.

Second, Ives began to mentally work over everything he learned. By 1878, Ives was spending nearly all
of his time experimenting with new techniques. He was constantly tinkering and experimenting with
different ways of putting ideas together.
Third, Ives stepped away from the problem. In this case, he went to sleep for a few hours before his
flash of insight. Letting creative challenges sit for longer periods of time can work as well. Regardless of
how long you step away, you need to do something that interests you and takes your mind off of the
problem.

Fourth, his idea returned to him. Ives awoke with the solution to his problem laid out before him. (On a
personal note, I often find creative ideas hit me just as I am lying down for sleep. Once I give my brain
permission to stop working for the day, the solution appears easily.)

Finally, Ives continued to revise his idea for years. In fact, he improved so many aspects of the process
he filed a second patent. This is a critical point and is often overlooked. It can be easy to fall in love with
the initial version of your idea, but great ideas always evolve.

The Creative Process in Short

“An idea is a feat of association, and the height of it is a good metaphor.”

—Robert Frost

The creative process is the act of making new connections between old ideas. Thus, we can say creative
thinking is the task of recognizing relationships between concepts.

One way to approach creative challenges is by following the five-step process of 1) gathering material, 2)
intensely working over the material in your mind, 3) stepping away from the problem, 4) allowing the
idea to come back to you naturally, and 5) testing your idea in the real world and adjusting it based on
feedback.

Being creative isn’t about being the first (or only) person to think of an idea. More often, creativity is
about connecting ideas.

Footnotes
Thanks for reading. You can get more actionable ideas in my popular email newsletter. Each week, I
share 3 short ideas from me, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question to think about. Over 3,000,000
people subscribe. Enter your email now and join us.

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