the challenge
What does going in circles have to do with chopsticks? This is what we will try to find out today.
We are playing with the Going in Circles Prism which adds a constraint to our creative exploration: the Insights we capture must include circles. And the Seed we will play with is the Chopsticks Seed. How can the two connect? Let’s see.
my insight
The first thing I thought of after getting today’s challenge is Sushi Roles. They are obviously round — a circle is apparent when the role is cut, and we eat them using chopsticks.
But that was just a thought, and we are looking for an insight to capture, and since I didn’t have any sushi around, I just tried to clear my head and be open to discoveries.
When I saw this bicycle wheel, it was a revelation. As in many such Insights, in retrospect it is pretty obvious. But it wasn’t a second before. The strings of the wheel are crossing each other and they look like many pairs of chopsticks. And the wheel they are part of is obviously a circle which cannot be ignored.
reflection
You know how I often say we should expect the unexpected? The Insight I captured today is a fine example of that. Sitting in front of a blank paper and thinking about the Chopsticks Seed, I would never come up with the idea of the strings of a bicycle wheel. What does chopsticks have to do with bicycles?
The first step toward this Insight was adding a constraint, but this by itself could have easily ended up with nothing.
It was clearing my head and being open to new discoveries that helped me find this everyday object which somehow match both the Seed and the Prism perfectly.
This might not seem like a big thing. After all, what’s so special about this bicycle wheel? But the thing is that such brain-leaps or association-leaps are made possible by not thinking too much on one hand and being exposed to random stimuli on the other. In plain words: when you need a creative idea or solution, let go and take a walk — you can never guess what you will find.
mental notes
- When facing a challenge, let go. Clear your head and take a walk.
now it is your turn… be creative!