Do you use a framework when coming up with creative ideas? \ stacker news ~Design

Do you use a framework when coming up with creative ideas?

1695 sats \ 15 comments \ @cryotosensei 29 Mar Design

Previously, I shared that I get ideas these days when showering my children.. Many of you chipped in to share your routines when it comes to conceptualising creative ideas. Walking, driving, sleeping, among others, made it to the list.

Today, my question is, “Do you use a framework to systematically come up with ideas?” I used to teach Project Work at the pre-tertiary level. My students were given a topic and challenged to come up with innovative ideas to solve the problem. I still remember how I told them the SCAMPER framework because I use it myself to a certain extent, particularly Combine and Adapt.

I also found this photo on my phone. It depicts another way of idea generation.

Do you systematically use such frameworks for ideation or do your ideas just rise to the surface of your consciousness seemingly out of nowhere?

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1720 sats \ 4 replies \ @Car 29 Mar

Today, my question is, “Do you use a framework to systematically come up with ideas?” I used to teach Project Work at the pre-tertiary level. My students were given a topic and challenged to come up with innovative ideas to solve the problem.

My biggest problem is I always have too many ideas in my head. Most of the time, I write them down and wait to see if they return.

Often times, I will give them away to people who are working on similar things, even when it’s a great one I want to get to someday, took me a long time to come to terms with this. I firmly believe now that being a facilitator of ideas is far more important than keeping them to yourself. This just reaffirms why I believe more ideas come to me lately.

Do you systematically use such frameworks for ideation or do your ideas just rise to the surface of your consciousness seemingly out of nowhere?

Idea generation is a ton of fun in a room with a whiteboard, no doubt. But I’ve learned doing PlebLab for these many years it's much better to bring thought-out ideas to the surface before this, especially if it's something new.

Let me explain…

Lately, I have been trying to think through this idea I have had for a year, initially last year, when I would think about it, I couldn't visualize it. It stumped me; the longer I thought about it, it bothered me. It also wasn’t an idea that I know I needed to do because it was “a nice to have.” So I shelved it in my head. Had someone came up to me during that time with a similar idea I would have gave it to them to do. But it never happened.

However, late last year, when I was listening to the advice of a lot of new people that came into my life, I began taking what they were telling me at face value. Because it was something I heard before, just said different.

Again, I went back to looking at this idea again. With new information and time passing, I can now visualize how it will look in my head and possibly play out in a few different scenarios without backstops...now in March, it is starting to feel right as things have just naturally fallen into place for this idea to come to life. Again will see only time will tell, thing is not to force things with ideas. Let it flow naturally.

So to recap three things I've learned when coming up with ideas before shelving them.

Look for the signs.

This is important when optimizing for understanding if it's the right time. Let it flow. God will always naturally guide you to the place your supposed to be.

Do the hard research and find key data to support this idea.

This will help so much when having to explain to others and give you some peace of mind. But ultimately it’s good to have the data to back up a lot of the “flow state” process. Aquinas often used the metaphor of a two-story building to illustrate this concept. I’ve written more about it here.

Make sure it excites and scares you at the same time.

This one I just learned to trust more and more especially in the last year. I used to avoid big ideas that did this to me, but now, not so much.

Inception

Before going through with any idea talk about it with people who want to help you tear it down while it’s still in a dream state. It’s the only way to see if the idea is firmly planted in your mind. This will be helpful when you finally go through with it.

Hope this helps, honestly this is the stuff me and @k00b talk about all the time.

50 sats \ 3 replies \ @cryotosensei OP 29 Mar

Thank you for taking the time to type so comprehensively n share so generously about your process. I think I gathered certain insights that I cannot glean from books:

It’s generous of you to give away ideas. I think you need to acquire a certain level of confidence before you can do that. To dispel the fear that you will run out of ideas if you share so openly with others. But now I see it as a wise thing to do. The flow of ideas is like a tap. 🚰 You need to ensure that you don’t unwittingly stop the flow by hoarding ideas.
Some ideas take time to germinate. I’m rather impressed by how you stayed patient and stuck with that idea for a year. I would probably have moved on to something else if I were you. You remind me that it’s not the end of the world if I cannot expand on an idea now. I need not get flustered. With time comes experience - and there will come a time in which the half-baked idea gets stirred by Life towards completion.

Thanks!

69 sats \ 2 replies \ @Car 29 Mar

Your welcome!

I am actually working on a Thriller post for a few weeks now around some lessons I’ve learned this past year that I am looking to share. As a founder the sharing of these ideas can save a lot of us time and money. My friend Andre just wrote an amazing post around lessons he learned. It’s so good, def check out!

I think you need to acquire a certain level of confidence before you can do that.

💯 my biggest problem is sometimes my confidence comes off as arrogance. Still working on this.

I honestly think now it’s a whole another level of talent that can remain humble while also displaying this level of confidence. My friend @supertestnet is this way.

The flow of ideas is like a tap. 🚰

🎯 things really start taking off for you when you approach your creative endeavors this way.

Some ideas take time to germinate. I’m rather impressed by how you stayed patient and stuck with that idea for a year.

Yes low-time preference building is the way. When I was young this was not the case.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @cryotosensei OP 31 Mar

Thanks for sharing. I devoured the 40 slides. What struck me most was how one can forgo work-life balance when he is truly obsessed about something. Guess I need to find my obsession haha

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @Car 31 Mar

Ya Andre is a real one have learned a ton from that man. Lately I am learning just to weave it in your life and also valuing sleep and at least one day off a week to reset. But ya still learning this as well.

519 sats \ 2 replies \ @NoStranger 29 Mar

I use everything I see and do as source for any type of idea, most of my relax time is me daydreaming, I've never thought of using anything like a framework.

What I do is simply to have a collection of notes somewhere, my own is stored as text files in a folder called "ideabox" and I write everything that comes to mind without structure, then the only "context" I add is a set of specific words for whatever I want to achieve with said note.

For example (feel free to steal them):

App idea: A to-do app that share your private to-do list publicly, if the tasks are not completed before a time limit.

Game idea: Receptionist RPG, a game where instead of being the protagonist of an adventure, you are the one who gives the quests.

All my notes have a title that gives a category somehow, so if I want to look for some older ideas, I just search for "App", "Game", "Story" or whatever I tracked or else, I just go back and dig them randomly for some great mixups.

60 sats \ 1 reply \ @cryotosensei OP 30 Mar

I love how you detail your process. As in how you come up with overarching categories first before slotting your wild ideas into the relevant category. I need to get myself more organised.

Also very touched by your confidence in sharing your ideas haha. True masters are not sacred of running out of ideas, I see

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @NoStranger 30 Mar

Thank you for your sincere observations. 🤗

The thing is, organizational strategies don't fit me, the simplest approach is the only one I can work with.

What I shared are just ideas, they'll matter only if they become reality. I might not work on them for a long time or even at all, I shared them just to not let them go to waste. 😉

Brainstorming works great even when done with many people, don't be shy to share yours!

74 sats \ 2 replies \ @south_korea_ln 29 Mar

Didn't know about SCAMPER.

I did not go through all the details of the method, but it seems to align with my core belief that creativity is rooted in a thorough understanding of what already exists. You can only make creative and unexpected links if you have solid blocks to build with. Most of my most impactful research and current high-impact publications build on years of previous development of computational tools. Of course, I cannot claim Nobel-prize worthy results, but many Nobel prizes are just the culmination of many years of preliminary work by other researchers in the world.

And to bring it back to Bitcoin, Satoshi's main contribution was to bring together years of previous disparate ideas going around in the Cyberphunk world into one coherent product that is Bitcoin. That's one of the reasons I believe Satoshi must be someone who was already active in the field before.

20 sats \ 0 replies \ @cryotosensei OP 29 Mar

I agree with you. It’s akin to writing. One must know and master the basic rules of writing before he can try something unorthodox.

Have you ever encountered plateaus in your work? Do you always know the next level to attain wrt your work?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Car 29 Mar

This is true when your building in the Bitcoin ecosystem you are building on the shoulders of giants who came before you.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @amaurel 29 Mar

the best framework to come up with creative ideas? GET BORED!?!

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Coinsreporter 29 Mar

Out of nowhere, of course. It's not super cool to follow some framework for idea generation, at least not for me. I go with the flow, I get ideas so randomly that sometimes they generate in the crowd and sometimes in the silence of midnight.

I respect the framework thing, but tell me for such an abstract thing as ideas are, do these frameworks really work?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @south_korea_ln 29 Mar

I agree with your point that creativity is something that seemingly comes out of nowhere.

But even then... take artists for instance. The ones that complain very hard about AI saying that it took them years of effort to get to where they are at now. Indeed, each artist's style and creative output gets shaped by all the years they studied other artists work. In a sense, that's also what AI does, but that's a discussion for another time~~

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @03032d5487 29 Mar freebie

I believe a great way to generate ideas is through brainstorming techniques like mind mapping or reverse thinking. These methods help you visualize your thoughts and approach a problem from a different angle...