Creative Think

Watermelon Butterfly

What do you see in the Photoshop art below?

Well, it depends on who you are.

If you're a swimming coach, you might notice a few things other folks don't.

Tim Edmonds, head coach of the Stanford Masters swimming team had the following comments about it:

The "underwater recovery" butterfly drill which works on, among other things, getting the breath really early in the stroke was nicknamed the "watermelon seed spitting" drill by [Stanford men's assistant swimming coach] Ted Knapp probably 10 or 11 years ago. 

He thought the movement was similar to how you would move in order to win a watermelon seed spitting contest. 

This is a great, if slightly ironic, image....The fact that this little fella's head is "in line", his chin is "neutral," and his arms are about to exit into a quick recovery (but aren't out yet) is just about perfect technique.

Personally I'd prefer if his movement was a little less vertical, but it's still pretty great.

You can tell he is a Noon swimmer by his dark goggles and his sunburn.

Thanks for the analysis, coach. It just goes to show that inspiration is all around us!

Anyone know the source of this image, and others like it?

Give Yourself A Whack on the Side of the Head

The more often you do something in the same way, the more difficult it is to think about doing it in any other way.

Break out of this "prison of familiarity" by disrupting your habitual thought patterns.

Write a love poem in the middle of the night . . . Eat ice cream for breakfast . . . Wear red sox . . . Visit a junk yard . . . Work the weekend . . . Take the slow way home . . . Sleep on the other side of the bed . . . Such jolts to your routines will lead to new ideas.

How can you whack your thinking? What would really disrupt the way you are currently thinking about your problem?

How would each of the following situations change the way in which you think about your issue:

• not being able to talk for a week
• breaking your leg
• losing your job
• suddenly growing ten years older
• suddenly becoming ten years younger
• swallowing a pill that gave you three times as much energy
• having to sleep fifteen hours a day
• your being forced to spend a night in a scary graveyard
• having your IQ increased by 50 points
• having your IQ decreased by 50 points
• having your deadline moved up to tomorrow morning
• having your budget cut by 75%
• having to crawl to work on your hands and knees
• having a good friend from your past allege that you did evil things
• suddenly becoming ten years old for a day
• a vicious civil war in your country
• heat waves in the winter and snowstorms in the summer.

How do you whack your thinking?

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The 25th Anniversary Edition (completely revised, redesigned, and updated) of the book "A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative" will be published by Business Plus on May 5, 2008. It is currently shipping from Amazon. The retail price is $16.99 ($11.55 at Amazon). Yowie! Zowie!

Practice the Art of Forgetting

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It's time for some wisdom from Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher whom I consider to be the world's first creativity teacher. His words today are: "Knowing many things doesn't teach insight."

As with all of Heraclitus' ideas, there are many ways to interpret this. What stands out for me, though, is this creative strategy:

Practice forgetting.

I think what he's getting at is this: forgetting what we know — at the appropriate time — can be an important means for gaining insight. Without the ability to forget, our minds remain cluttered with ready-made answers, and we're not motivated to ask the questions that lead our thinking to new ideas.

For example, one day on his regular walk past the local blacksmith's workshop on the island of Samos, the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras temporarily forgot that the banging sounds produced by the smith's hammering of iron bars were "noise" — his usual reaction — and instead viewed them as "information." He soon discovered that musical pitch is a function of the length of the material being struck — his first principle of mathematical physics.

Remember: everyone has the ability to forget. The art is knowing when to use it. Indeed, novelist Henry Miller once stated:

"My 'forgettery' has been just as important
to my success as my memory."

Some questions to think about: 

What conventional wisdom are you relying on? What would happen if you forgot the obvious answers that spring to mind and searched for new ones?

Today's Forecast: Five-Ninths Daylight

I read in the paper that today, where I live in northern California, there will be 13 hours and 20 minutes of daylight. (And 10 hours and 40 minutes of darkness.)

Intriguing numbers I thought. It turns out that 13:20:00 is exactly five-ninths of a 24 hour day.  That means that 5/9 of today will be light, and 4/9 be dark. That's a nice comfortable balance especially in April.

I'll get to experience 5/9 daylight again in late August, but it will feel a lot hotter then.

When Do You Get Your Ideas?

The 25th Anniversary Edition (completely revised and updated) of the book "A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative" will be published by Business Plus on May 5, 2008. It is  appearing in stores this week, and is currently shipping from Amazon. The retail price is $16.99 ($11.55 at Amazon).

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Exercise: When do you get your ideas? During what kinds of activities and situations do you get your ideas? For example, doing routine work, as a response to questions, during physical exercise, late at night, driving, in the company of others, under stress, etc.

I have asked this question to probably a million people. The answers I've received can be grouped into two categories. The first is necessity, and is represented by replies such as:

• "When I'm faced with a problem."
• "When things break down, and I have to fix them."
• "When there's a need to be filled."
• "When the deadline is near . . . that's the ultimate inspiration."

These responses bear out the old adage that "necessity is the mother of invention."

But interestingly enough, an equal if not greater number of people get their ideas in the opposite situation, and they respond along these lines:

• "When I'm just playing around."
• "When I'm doing something else."
• "When I'm not taking myself too seriously."
• "After my second beer."

From this I conclude that: "Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father."

Indeed, I sincerely believe that a playful attitude is fundamental to creative thinking. I'll bet that you generate most of your new ideas when you're playing around in your mental playground. That's because your defenses are down, and there is little concern with the rules, practicality, or being wrong. When you play, you give yourself a license to try different approaches without fear of penalty.

How can you play with your problem?

Reverse Your Point of View

While poking around on the net, I discovered an ad produced by Leo Burnett Italia. It runs forty seconds: check it out.

This is a powerful ad. And I hope its message is heeded by those at whom it is directed.

But it reminded me of what a wonderful mind-opening technique looking at things in a reverse manner can be.

Here is one of my favorite examples of "reverse." I'll quote a section from my book, A Whack on the Side of the Head**, called "Reverse Living":

Life is tough. It takes up all your time, all your weekends, and what do you get at the end of it? Death, a great reward. The life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, and get it out of the way. Then you live for twenty years in an old age home, and then get kicked out when you’re too young. You get a gold watch and then you go to work. You work forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement.

You go to college and party until you’re ready for high school. Then you go to grade school, you become a little kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months floating, and you finish off as a gleam in somebody’s eye.

What can you look at backwards? How might you see it in a fresh way?

**The 25th Anniversary Edition (completely revised and updated) of the book "A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative" will be published by Business Plus on May 5, 2008. It is starting to appear in stores this week, and is currently shipping from Amazon. The retail price is $16.99 ($11.55 at Amazon).

Roger von Oech: "Whack-25" Interview

The 25th Anniversary Edition of the book "A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative" will be published by Business Plus on May 5, 2008. It should be in stores next week, and is currently shipping from Amazon. The retail price is $16.99 ($11.55 at Amazon).

Recently I did an interview with Andrew Mercer about the new edition. Here is part of the conversation.

Could you compare the climate for creative thinking in the early 1980s with today?
Roger: Back then, there was much less of an expectation for people to be creative — especially in their work situations. That has changed significantly. Nowadays, creative thinking is regarded as a vital survival skill. I’d like to think that “Whack,” in its own small way, was one of things that helped ignite and fuel this creative revolution.

Why do you think this book has been such a consistent strong seller over the years?
Roger: “Whack” is a fun, friendly, and interactive approach to using your creative abilities more effectively. I’ve tried to create a book that a person can open anywhere and find some inspiration. There’s some weird stuff in it, some mind-stretching stuff, but also a lot of good practical tips and strategies that readers find value in. Plus, the illustrations by George Willett are a treasure.

What are your feelings about the new 25th Anniversary Edition?
Roger: I’m thrilled! I can’t believe that it’s been a quarter century since “Whack” first came out. And, of course, I’m delighted that it’s available to a new generation of creative thinkers.

How different is it from previous editions?
Roger: The core ideas of “mental locks” and my discussion of the creative process are the same. As are a number of stories and exercises. I’ve kept the old favorites. But I’ve also been able to add a number of new anecdotes, provocations, and strategies. Plus, this one has a “Breaktime” in the middle for the reader to stretch out.

How has your thinking on creativity changed over the past twenty-five years?
Roger: Well, I’ve come to appreciate more the value and importance of constraints and limits in stimulating the creative process. And I’ve added a new section on this topic. Several other areas I’ve expanded include: “Seeing the Obvious,” “Expecting the Unexpected,” and the “Thuban Phenomenon.”

Who are your readers?
Roger: They’re from all walks of life — and from all over the world. Over the years, I’ve heard from business people, ministers, teachers, coaches, nurses, people in prison, entrepreneurs, and students. They’ve sent me a lot of interesting stuff!

When you were creating this new edition, what resource did you employ that was previously unavailable to you?
Roger: One big thing is blogging (which I’ve been doing since 2006). It’s been a great way to get and share ideas with a wide variety of people. It’s also been a good way to get feedback on my new ideas.

Any final thoughts about this new edition?
Roger: I thoroughly enjoyed working on the project — everything from doing the design and layout to adding new material. It’s been like getting to play with an old friend. I feel fortunate! Oh yeah, one more thing: give your friends a “whack on the side of the head.” They’ll thank you for your thoughtfulness!

The 25th Anniversary Whack!

I'm proud and pleased to announce that the 25th Anniversary Edition of my book "A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative" will be published by Business Plus on May 5, 2008. It should be in stores next week, and is currently shipping from Amazon. The retail price is $16.99 ($11.55 at Amazon).

This is the fourth edition of Whack. The first came out in 1983, the second in 1990, and the third in 1998.

I've completely updated, revised, and re-designed this new edition.

Business Plus—an imprint of Grand Central—is the same publisher as always (my long-standing publisher Warner Books had to change its name after it was sold by Time-Warner to Hachette).

Over the years, Whack has reached a wide audience of business people, students, coaches, ministers, teachers, artists, and entrepreneurs. It's my hope that this new edition will find a new generation of creative thinkers and innovators—in a variety of different disciplines!

I'm excited!

A Phrase Past Its Expiration Date

Do you have a phrase or expression that you're really tired of hearing? If so, I'd love to hear it.

Here's mine:

"It is what it is."

The first few times I heard it back in the early part of this decade (the "double ohs"), I thought, "Hmmmm, what an existential way of looking at things," or "Not bad —judgment free."

By about 2004, this phrase started to wear on me. People would use it as a substitute for thinking. They'd see something, and then rather than taking a moment to analyze it or think about it more deeply, they'd take the lazy way out and say, "it is what it is."

These days I regard this expression as a verbal tick — and past its expiration date.

Question: In your opinion what expressions are past their prime?