ENGINEERING
CREATIVITY
Or
How
to get deliberately better at being creative
Chapter 1: WHAT IS THIS WEBSITE ALL ABOUT?
This is about
learning new ways to be creative and a little about some ways about problem
solving in general.
Am I
qualified to write this? I’m an
engineer, what the hell do I know about being creative?
Well,
engineers must be very creative. No, we
do not create great art or write great literature, but the most challenging
part of engineering is solving problems.
Every time an engineer is given a task, whether it is to design a rocket
to take men to the moon, design a new bridge or building, program a new app, or
provide power to a new factory the first thing he or she must do is figure out
how. Almost every new thing that you see
had an engineer figure out how to design it, the materials it’s made of, how to
build it, how to package it, and how to get shipped to where you are. Engineers just might be the most creative
people you know.
Even if you
are not an engineer, you face challenges every day, at work and at home. Most don’t require creative solutions, but
some do. If you just can’t figure out
the solution, maybe following the steps in this book is the path towards that
solution.
When I say
“problem” here, I am referring to something new that you have to “invent” or
something that is not right. In the
world of engineering, this could be
§ A new device
or software to fill a need.
§ Fix a failed
piece of machinery.
§ Something
changed in a system and needs to be corrected.
§ A process
changed and doesn’t work as well. This
can be any kind of process.
Is this only
for engineers? What about the creative
arts? Certainly, bringing a work of art
to life is a creative process. The
process of making that sketch or painting look like that artist wants can be
grueling and creative. Taking a lump of
clay and turning it into something beautiful requires hard work as well
creativity. These works of art also require skill, the skill of hours of
practice. Writing is a similar process;
it just uses words instead of brush strokes or a potter’s wheel. This book is not aimed directly at the
creation process; it is aimed at helping you find a solution to a particular problem.
So that means
that artists shouldn’t use the techniques in here? That’s ridiculous. Anyone should use any source of creativity
that they can. In fact, the techniques
in this book may be able to help the best of artists start a new work, get past
a problematic plot point, or fit a unique piece of fabric into a quilt.
One
difference between art and engineering is the final product. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I may not agree with your definition of a
piece of great art. But if a machine
works or a repair fixes a problem then we both must agree on that success. It can be poor quality, perhaps not last
long, expensive, but with few exceptions if it works: it works; if it doesn’t:
it doesn’t. To be completely fair, the
sciences and some of the softer fields such as economics may not be so
clear-cut and there may be solutions
be subject to opinion more like a work of art.
For what it is worth; I strongly feel creating, engineering, building,
testing, and commissioning a custom machine to do a particular
task IS a type of sculpture and art.
A new machine or piece of software that is simple, elegant, and works really well is a beautiful as any work of art!
“Elegant?” When I am going through this process I
encounter another measure of success: elegance.
This is not a measure of beauty directly (though it is a component). It is a measure of how simply, how perfectly,
how smoothly, how easily, perhaps how cleverly the solution looks and
functions. Elegance has nothing to do
with whether the solution actually works or not. Stuffing a sock in a drain to plug it up is
not elegant; the way a Rubik’s Cube is engineered is. Elegance is a source of satisfaction and
pride. You know it when you see it. And
when you see it, you can’t help yourself, you say “Wow, that’s cool.” Hopefully, the techniques here will help you
find not just working solutions, but great and elegant solutions!!
How about
writers and storytellers? Pretty much
the same applies, they are just working in a different medium and we hear or
read the art instead of seeing it or feeling it. It is a very similar process and with similar
problems. The writer can certainly use
some of these techniques, as can the seamstress, the glassblower, etc.
“Done Deal”
so let’s get started, right?
Not so
fast. I wrote this book about my
experiences. I have spent more than a
half-century figuring out how my brain works and how to make it work
better. When I was much younger, I
attended my share of classes and seminars about time planning, scheduling,
project management, design, note taking, etc.
Fresh with the new ideas I would take them back to school or work and
eagerly use them to make my life better.
Guess
what? Most of them didn’t work. (But a few did, and I use those every day.)
But they
carefully told me how to use them, how they were supposed to work, and how they
would help me. But they didn’t!! Clearly the person giving the seminar liked
the tricks and tips they were teaching.
They weren’t just some snake oil salesmen peddling worthless ideas. Some people loved the ideas and they did work
well. Slowly I realized that my thought
processes and quirks are different from the instructors. And I am not some outlier either; many people
I knew had the same problem. But
everybody usually did find something they could use.
Yes, it seems
obvious, we are all different and we all think differently, especially when it
comes to creativity. But these
instructors either didn’t know that or didn’t make it clear. I’ve come up with these techniques over many
years of work. They all work for
me. Honestly, some of them work much
better than others, but they all work.
Even though some are only helpful a small percentage of the time, I
still use them faithfully because they do give me good ideas. Any tool that helps me will be will be kept in
my mental toolbox. Unless you are a lot
like me, the ideas in this book will not
all work for you. Do not be
discouraged, do not “throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
My
recommendation to you is to read this work carefully, really try the ideas and
processes I am presenting. Not just once
either, but several times. If there are
parts that really don’t work for you, then they don’t. Don’t force them, just like you wouldn’t
continue using a tool that doesn’t work.
I would also suggest this: try modifying them to be like the ones that
do work. Use the ones that do work and
think up some new ones that do!
Chapter 2: THE PROBLEM
Being
creative is all well and good. Artists, writers, potters can create what they
want. They can create what looks and
feels right to them. If you need a
solution for a problem, the first thing that you must do is to ensure that you
are actually working on the right problem.
“Of course,
I’m working on the right problem, what are you talking about.”
If you are learning
of the problem from another person, the very first thing that you must be sure
of is that you are communicating effectively.
There are entire books on this subject, so this book won’t go into a lot
of detail on the subject. Here are the
most important points:
Are you
listening to the person? Are you
listening with respect? When you are
solving a problem, it doesn’t matter if you like the person, if they smell
funny, if they clearly don’t understand what has happened. They have watched it; they probably
understand the normal operation of the system better than you ever will. They will
have information that you need.
If they are
asking you to create something new, you must make sure you are creating
something that they actually need, and they actually
will use.
Does the
person understand what is happening? Or
just relaying what he sees? Ask
questions about what happened. Ask about
what used to happen, ask about what goes on before the problem and after?
Look for
things that don’t make sense. Is the
person assuming you know some things about the situation? What happens (ed) before and after the
problem event?
Does the
person assume something and not even realize he is assuming something? Is his experience coloring his description of
the problem? (Hammer and nail problem)
Does this
person really understand the problem or is he trying to fix the symptoms (this
is a really important question). An example of this situation is that the
production supervisor wants you to fix a problem with a molding die, clearly it
is a problem with the die because the edges of the product aren’t always
molding correctly. Is this really a
problem with the mold? Is it a problem with
the channels feeing the material? Is it
a problem with the temperature or pressure of the material? Is there something wrong with the material
itself? The symptom, incomplete molding,
may have many different and not-so-obvious root causes.
Are you
creating something new? There are other,
similar concerns. Make sure you understand
the parameters and the limits. These can
be cost, number of parts, color, weight, size, portability, etc. Make sure you BOTH understand what the person
actually wants AND needs and agree to the parameters
before you start working.
Another useful
thing is to add additional value. As long as we are here and am working on this, is there
something more? Are there other problems
that have gone on so long that they forgot they are problems? Are there bottlenecks that can be
opened? Can I make other parts
better? Can it be extended? Can it do something else? Just make sure you don’t make anything worse!
Chapter 3: CREATIVITY
How does
creativity work? Well, if I knew that, I
wouldn’t have written this. This is
written in the event that some of the things I do just
might help you use your creativity better and more effectively.
Here is what
I do know about creativity: It can
happen in a flash of insight, it can happen slowly, it can do both? Even the most creative peoples have ways to
jog their minds and spark the creativity.
The artists I know tend to go through various steps and thoughts to stay
creative. Some of the steps are similar to the ones I do and have put in this book. They have ways they look at the world.
You might
say: “But I am not creative, how can I do this?”
Everybody is
creative, or you wouldn’t be human. You
just don’t think you do creative things for a living like an artist. But, I’ll bet lunch that you solve problems
in your work or hobby every day. You
have done this job for a while and gotten good at it. When you started, you probably weren’t very
good at it. You didn’t know a lot about
the things that went on. But as time
went by and you got more experienced you got better at the job. You have seen
things that help you do your job. I’ll
guess that you even have solved problems!
What was
happening? Practice! Many years ago, I watched a friend sketch
something. He is a graphic artist and
very good at it. I marveled at his
ability. He dismissed my admiration with
the comment “I do this every day, that’s why I’m good at it. If you did it, you would be too.” That offhand comment has stuck with me over
the next 3 ½ decades. He is
right. Within some limits. If I practiced every day, I would get very
good at sketching. However, I don’t
believe I will ever be as good as him.
By the same token, he will probably never be able to create a custom
machine as well as I. People are
different (yes, we really are) and are better at some things than others.
Does this
mean that you shouldn’t try? Heck no,
try, try again, and keep trying. I am
much better at sketching and you can get much better at creativity.
Left Brain
vs. Right Brain? There is some very good
science that says that this distinction isn’t all that it is cracked up to
be. However, if you believe that you are
“Right Brained” and are not creative, well, you probably won’t be
creative. You must let yourself try.
Are you going
to brilliantly solve the World’s problems the first day? Of course not, but you will solve problems
creatively and you well do it better as you practice.
Remember when
I said we are all different? It’s
true. Just because I have written a
wildly successful website on creativity, it doesn’t mean that everything here
will work for you. If some of these
things don’t work for you, DON’T force yourself to do them! Use the ones that do work. Modify the ones that work to work better
(maybe even modify the ones that don’t!!).
You might even discover some new tools that work great for you!
Sometimes you
just need to get out of a rut or out of a mental box. These tools are just good for small problems
as they are for big problems.
You do have to work at this. It is not magic. Creativity is no different from any other
skill. Practice, practice, practice.
There is one
more dimension here. You must give yourself
permission to do the things in this book, to be creative, to think
differently. Can trying these
techniques embarrass you? Yes, you can
be embarrassed, but ONLY if you let yourself be embarrassed. Muttering to yourself, waiving you hands in
the air while you are looking far away or have your eyes closed can seem a
little odd, but when you come up with the answer, then no one will remember the
odd part.
Think of this
as a set of tools. You would certainly
use every tool in your toolbox (or every brush in your paint box, or every pair
of scissors in your sewing machine) to fix something. This is just another type of toolbox. Use the tools with the pride of an old-world
craftsman. Know in your heart that the
people that might make fun of you are small minded and NOT creative!
There is one
more thing about these tools. With these
tools, please feel free to use them in ways they were not intended. Swing them by the wrong end. Juggle them while they are running. The best part is that you can’t hurt
yourself. Give it a try!
You work in a
team? Well most of these tools work best
for an individual. They are engineered
to stimulate one’s own brain. That
doesn’t mean teams can’t use the tools.
Each person in a team can use them.
Several people brainstorming can use them. Go through each tool as a team and collect
the team’s ideas. Try them all as a
team, some will work better some will not work so well. It will depend on the people in the team and
it will depend on the facilitator. The
most important thing is to follow the rules!
Chapter 4: RULES IN A KNIFE FIGHT?! (with
apologies to Butch Cassidy)
“After all
that about using tools anyway you want to, and you are telling me that there
are rules after all? I knew it! So much for me developing my
creativity.”
Not so
fast. Yes, there are rules, but these
are reverse rules. These rules are there
to keep your mind open. Just like
communication, there are galaxies of books about brainstorming, so this book
won’t go into a lot of detail. But I’ll
give you the important things to remember.
Rule #1: You
are the expert on you. You know how you
think. Only you can decide what is
working and what is not. But you must be
honest with yourself.
Rule #2: When
you are working through these tools and collecting ideas, DO NOT
criticize. There will be plenty of time
later to sift out the really good ideas.
While you are working through the tools even some goofy and completely
wrong ideas may spark better ones. Keep
them all until you are done.
Rule #3:
Don’t try to remember them all. Write
them down, scribble them, jot them. Look
at the list as you work through the tools.
When you decide you are done with the creative part, then go through the list and sift it for
the best ideas. When you are doing the
sifting, give each idea one last thought before you toss it out.
Rule #3A: Ok,
some of the best thinking comes in “non-conventional” settings and you can’t
exactly write them down. When you are
being creative in these settings, you will also have to be creative about how
you remember and sift through the ideas.
Also, as you get better at this, you will get better at the sifting and
remembering part, too.
Rule #4: Don’t follow the rules! The creative process is almost by definition
not a linear process. If you are
spending a lot of your mental energy on checking where you are on the process,
or making sure you don’t miss a tool, or making sure you don’t criticize, of
carefully write every micro thought that pops up, then you are “following the
rules” and you are not “being creative.”
I will be
honest. Most of the time I don’t go
through the formal process any more.
But, I still do when the problem is intractable, or I just can’t seem to
come up the right, or a properly elegant answer.
When people
are working in groups, it is spectacularly helpful to have a person called a
facilitator. There are people trained to
do this. A facilitator is sort of like a
cross between a coach and referee; the rest of the group is playing the
game. The facilitator is the one
watching the rules, writing things down, keeping the tempo, and keeping
everyone heading towards the right goal.
The larger the group the more important it is to have a facilitator.
I have been
in meetings and brainstorming sessions with a facilitator trained for that type
of meeting. The results were
amazing.
Do you have
to have a trained facilitator? It would
be helpful, but if you don’t anyone can take that role. Be careful.
The facilitator must be totally non-judgmental, must be able to move the
conversation along when it gets stuck or people start repeating
themselves. He must make sure that
everyone in the group is heard and no one is steamrolled. He can also cajole and help ideas flow sort
of like an auctioneer.
Everyone must
agree to listen and follow the facilitator lead. People with strong personalities must promise
to keep them in check.
Being a
facilitator can be a lot of fun, too.
You can watch the show (and even toss in some of your own ideas
carefully) but you must remember your role and not get caught up in the action.
Chapter 5: ARE WE THERE YET DADDY?
Almost. The last recommendation is to make yourself
go through these several times before you start judging them too much. Some of them take practice. Some of them may make no sense until you try
them a couple of times or maybe tweak them a bit in your mind.
Some of them
work better on some kinds of problems, too.
Some work worse on some kind of problems. The order doesn’t matter. I have presented them in the order that I
use.
Give the
tools a chance!!!!
The tools
come in two major categories.
Thought Tools
and Physical Tools. If you are reading this
book you are smart enough to figure out what the focus of the two types are so
I’m not going to waste ink or electrons explaining. I will use up some ink and some electrons to
say that the two kinds of tools are better at different kinds of problems.
Will I give
examples? Not really, I don’t want poke
preconceived notions into YOUR creative process.
All right,
saddle up, get out your thinking cap, pen, paper, tablet (paper or computer), a
drink, what ever works best. We are off
like a herd of turtles!
Chapter 6: THOUGHT TOOLS
Thought tools
are just that: things that you do in your mind.
Some of these you may be able to support by actually
holding the thing in your hand and manipulate it while you are thinking
about it. But be careful with this. These thought tools are intended to break down your “normal” thought
patterns about this thing and things in general. If you find yourself sliding back into your
normal patterns of thought, stop, back up, and try again.
Remember, the
objective of these exercises isn’t to just get them done and make your brain
work. It is to get you to look at the different parts and their relationships
in totally different ways!
a)
Rotate
Left
a.
The
set of “rotate” tools may take some getting used to. By rotate, I don’t just mean to look at the
“problem” from the side (though that may be useful to ensure you understand the
problem in addition to helping with creativity.)
b.
By
“Rotate Left” I mean to take each part of the problem and mentally rotate that
part more or less ¼ of a turn to the left in
your mind. Then make what ever is the
problem happen. Imagine what happens.
c.
Of
course, it will probably be silly. The
candy bars will fall on the floor, or the you will see the side of the box on
the advertisement. But maybe if you
rotated the candy bar instead of the conveyor.
Hmmmmmm.
Even the things that don’t make sense just might help you visualize a
clever new solution.
d.
Rotate
to the left the entire area or parts, or machinery around the problem, what is
happening around it? What is happening
to things that are coming or going into that area?
b)
Rotate Right
a.
Do
the same thing but the other direction.
b.
Yes,
this may really matter. Most things are
not symmetrical enough to make this the same as rotating left.
c)
Rotate
½ way around.
a.
Yep,
do the same thing as before but take each part and the whole and rotate it
until you “see” the back (180 degrees).
b.
This
is actually two parts.
You should try rotating each part and the whole 180 degrees to the left
and then again, from the start, rotate each 180 degrees to the right.
c.
You
might even try rotating each part all the way around just to “see” what
happens. The end point won’t teach you
much because it is the same as the start.
But something clever may pop up while you are doing it.
d)
Rotate
Up
a.
Yep,
the same thing. Take each part and
rotate it up ¼ of the way. The
take the whole area and rotate it up.
e)
Rotate
Down
a.
Take
each part and the whole, rotate down.
f)
Rotate
½ way up and down.
a.
This
one is also two parts. You want to
rotate the problem 180 degrees but rotate it up 180 degrees and then down 180
degrees.
g)
Turn
it over
a.
Here’s
where it gets interesting. This is not
just a variation of the rotation test.
b.
This
one may take some getting used to. Try
to visualize this as though you were watching Claymation or a cartoon.
c.
Take
the middle top of the thing, mentally push the top down through the middle
until it is at the bottom. Move the bits
around a bit. Any ideas?
d.
Reverse
that. Take the original bottom and push
it through the top.
e.
Do
this with each of the four sides.
h)
Turn
it inside out.
a.
Pick
one of the last 4 tests
b.
Take
that part you pushed through and continue, moving all of
the bits with it.
c.
Move
all the parts until it is inside out.
d.
This
one can be very hard to imagine, or it can be easy, depending on the actual
thing you are working with. Just
remember, the objective isn’t to successfully make the thing inside out. It is
to make you think about the parts in a different way.
e.
So
as long as this process has gotten some of your gray
matter going, you have indeed achieved success.
i)
Now for
something completely different:
a.
Make
it huge!
b.
How
do the parts change? How to they fit
with the world? Is it easier to see some inside part? Could you fit something else in there?
c.
Make
it tiny!
d.
How
do the parts change? How do they fit
with the world? Have some parts vanished? Can you put it in something?
j)
What
else does something like this or look like this?
a.
An
animal?
i.
Dog
ii.
Cat
iii.
Mouse
iv.
Snake
v.
Giraffe
vi.
Buffalo
vii.
Horse
viii.
Mouse
ix.
I
think you get the idea here. Run through
an imaginary zoo. Do any of the animals give you any ideas?
b.
A vegetable?
i.
Tree
ii.
Bush
iii.
Grass
iv.
Mold
v.
Flower
vi.
Vine
vii.
Seaweed
viii.
Run
through an imaginary world looking at plants you have seen.
c.
A
mineral?
i.
Stone
ii.
Chalk
iii.
Mud
iv.
Crystal
v.
Glass
vi.
Sand
vii.
Steel
viii.
Brass
ix.
Mercury
x.
Run
through a museum
d.
How
about any other machine you have seen?
i.
A
mixer
ii.
A
toy car
iii.
A
pair of scissors
iv.
A
paper clip
v.
A
spinning wheel
vi.
A
nut and bolt
vii.
A
revolver
viii.
An
electric toothbrush
ix.
Run
through a department store, a hardware store, an antique store.
k)
Try
something ridiculous. Did I mention that
the objective is to make you think about
the parts in a different ways?
a.
This
may depend on what you are working with
b.
Have
an elephant step on it
c.
Let
Picasso have a go at it and let it sag
d.
Wring
it out like a wet towel.
These are my
mental tests. Feel free to add, modify,
remove, play.
Remember the
measure of success is new and different ideas
Chapter 7: PHYSICAL TOOLS
These tools
are intended to use a physical motion or position to break your thinking
patterns. Please be careful. Don’t hurt yourself but do think about your problem
while you are doing these things, sort of in the back of your head. You may want to have some paper close to take
notes.
a) Think about the problem when you are going to sleep, dreamy state can be
very productive but sometimes it can be hard to remember your ideas.
b) Go chop wood or dig a hole or do some other VERY physical task.
c) Do a completely different task.
d) Throw pick-up sticks and look for patterns.
e) Pick random words from the dictionary; read the etymology, read the
entire definition, read the definition of a word you found there.
f) Look through that drawer in your kitchen that is where you put
everything that doesn’t have another place.
Can you use any of those shapes?
g) Grab two things that don’t belong together, hold them together and make
them move about. These can resemble your
problem, or they can be very different, of both!
h) Go to Wikipedia (give them a donation so your conscience is clear). Pick a like from the front page. Glance through that article and look at the
pictures. Pick a link in that article,
pick a like there; follow a rabbit from one link to another,
i) Do something that involves motion.
Any new patterns?
j) Do some routine task in a completely different way
Chapter 8: THE LAST TEST
Mentally grab
a blank sheet of paper: draw a brand-new solution, draw several.
Grab a real
sheet of paper and doodle some new solutions.
This is not
only the end of the brainstorming part of the solution; but it is the start of
the actual solution.
Just
remember, this process can be repeated, every time you run into a stumbling
block. Every time you just are not happy
with what you have.
Chapter 9: SOME MORE RULES
ü Don’t stop at the first good answer.
ü Don’t run off with the first idea, there may be better ones.
ü Go through the whole process, on the rare occasion when the first idea
is the best, other ideas may improve it.
ü Compare your answers and ideas with each other; can you use one to make
another one better?
ü Sometimes you just know there is still a better idea out there.
o
Keep trying, up to a point
ü Sometimes you just go with what you have.
Chapter 10: THE THRILL OF VICTORY
You will know
when it works. You will come up with THE
answer. That perfect elegant answer,
just a few tweaks to finish it.
Wow, there is
nothing better (almost).
Thanks for
reading this bit of my imagined wisdom.
I truly hope it helps!
Derrick
Charbonnet
You can buy this book here at Amazon.com
© 2018 Derrick
Charbonnet, all rights reserved.
If you are interested
in discussing this more, you can find me.
I have left a pretty broad trail in life.