the challenge
Today we are playing with a ReShape Seed. We are on a creative exploration based not on a textual title but on an abstract shape. Let’s see what we can make of it.
my insight
Instead of introducing three of the Insights I captured today one by one, I would like you to see them as a group. Here they are:
Each of these Insights reminded me of at least part or some aspect of the shape on the Seed. While all of them have lines crossing forming implicit or explicit triangles, each of them is unique.
The first Insight is based on a structure made of metal, designed to be strong and durable. The second one, captures a piece of plastic randomly lying on the ground — the shape created by it is purely accidental. And the third Insight is based on a painted shape — deliberate, yet not tangible.
None of them looks exactly like the Seed — they are visual associations derived from the original shape. When you think of it, this is always the case. When we use textual Seeds, we rarely capture something representing their exact literal meaning. We can and should apply the same level of association when working with a visual Seed, or with any other trigger for that matter.
reflection
The series of Insights I captured today is a great example of why we should never settle for one Insight — and that’s true for a seempli challenge and for real challenges we try to solve in our lives.
It is so easy to get hooked on the first idea you find, and forget that as creative as it is, it provides only one perspective on the challenge. Sometimes this might be the Insight you will end up using. But, additional points of view might shed a different light on the problem.
This might sound obvious. But it doesn’t stop there. When you analyze a collection of ideas together, you can come up with new ideas based on the interaction between them — based on how they relate to each other.
For example, the fact that the shape I was looking for can be found in a well-designed object or it can be completely random might spark an Idea. The fact that it can be two-dimensional drawing or a three-dimensional structure looked at from a specific angle might ignite a different thought.
These second-circle Insights are made possible (or at least easier to come up with) when you have a collection of ideas to work on — when you see different points of view on the same problem side by side. The Insights we collect can be used as a playground for the second level of creative exploration. And often this is the playground where you will find the breakthrough you are searching for.
mental notes
- Don’t settle for one creative Insight.
- Analyze the Insights you find together — notice how they relate to each other.
- Find second-circle Insights by turning first-level Insights into a playground.
now it is your turn… be creative!