The power of creativity: how to constantly generate new ideas

Basic attitude and mindset for better creativity

Here are the 9 most important factors and personal attitudes that help to generate more ideas and make better use of your own creativity:

1. Allow bold ideas: Creativity requires the courage to take risks and question the familiar.
2. Flexibility and perseverance: The ability to adapt quickly to change and adapt ideas accordingly promotes a creative mindset. Creativity can be associated with challenges. Perseverance and the willingness to stick with an idea and develop it further are essential.
3. Curiosity as fuel: Curiosity is the first step in generating ideas. It is important to look at the world with open eyes and constantly ask questions. It is important to question even seemingly simple things and explore alternative perspectives.
4. Diversity as a breeding ground: Diverse experiences enrich creative thinking. People who pursue different activities, get to know different cultures and accumulate knowledge from different areas have a richer pool of ideas. A kaleidoscopic mind recognizes patterns and connections that remain hidden to others.
5. Allow breaks: The mind needs space to be creative. Compulsion and pressure are poison for generating ideas. Pauses and meditation can therefore act as a catalyst for creative processes. These moments of silence make it possible to organize thoughts and make new connections.
6. Mistakes as a learning process: Fear of making mistakes slows down creativity. An environment that accepts mistakes and sees them as a learning opportunity promotes the emergence of creative ideas.
7. Reflection and analysis: Reflection is a powerful tool for sharpening creative thinking. By constantly reviewing and questioning one’s own ideas, the mind becomes agile and open to new ideas.
8. Collaboration: Collaborative efforts can multiply creative potential. The exchange of ideas and perspectives encourages the emergence of something new and unforeseen.
9. Implementation: Creativity requires not only the generation of ideas, but also their implementation. The ability to put ideas into action is what gives creativity its true power.

Everything is a remix: The creative process of copying, transforming and combining

In his impressive video series “Everything is a Remix”, Kirby Ferguson sheds light on the often misunderstood concepts of originality and creativity. He paints a picture of a world in which nothing is really new, but merely a reinterpretation or adaptation of something that already exists.

Ferguson emphasizes that this pattern of creative development is found not only in art, but also in technology, science and nature. He argues that our notions of creativity and originality are often misleading and that true innovation builds on and reinterprets the achievements of previous generations. In this perspective, “Everything is a Remix” becomes a reflection on creative work and at the same time a challenge to common notions of originality and intellectual property.

Ferguson identifies three core techniques of creative work: copying, transforming and combining.

• Copying as a basis: According to Ferguson, copying lays the foundation for creativity. By examining and imitating existing works, we develop a deep understanding and craftsmanship.
• Combining as evolution: The next step is combining, where the copied is adapted and changed. This may involve marginal modifications or a radical repositioning in the context.
• Transformation as revolution: Finally, the transformation takes place, in which the appropriated work is modified to such an extent that it is perceived as new and unique. Here, the end product is so far removed from its origin that it is barely recognizable.

Creativity techniques for more and better ideas

Creativity techniques are used to develop the potential of creative thinking and problem solving in individuals or teams. They aim to remove mental barriers, stimulate the flow of ideas and develop innovative approaches to tasks.

By stimulating the thought process, changing perspective and strengthening the ability to associate, these techniques help to overcome fixed mindsets and create novel ideas. They can exist in a variety of formats, from individual exercises to collective activities, and can take both structured and free-form approaches.

There is a wide range of creativity techniques that can be used depending on the context and requirements. Among the best known and most widely used are

• Creative Visualization
• Forced Relationship Technique
• Forced Analogy Technique
• Associationism
• Conceptual Blending
• Morphological Box
• SCAMPER Method
• Mindmapping
• Brainstorming
• Five-Whys-Analysis
• The Laddering Technique
• Reverse Brainstorming
• Lateral Thinking

Alexander Löwe

Alexander is co-founder of the 111 Percent Knowledge Center, the we dot agency, as well as other ventures. He lives for entrepreneurial visions – at the age of 6, he founded a jam manufacturing company in South America with his mother. Alexander's talents include his holistic and strategic mindset and curiosity for economics as well as new technologies. Branding, user experience and marketing strategies are among his expertise.