David Usher, I Have An Answer

Posted on May 7, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation | Leave a Comment

I began reading David Usher’s non-music blog, after stumbling on a link from Mitch Joel’s site. It’s different from a typical “I’m a real person who wants to connect with my fans and sell you shit” blog because it talks about art, creativity and technology. And it’s actually written by him (no offense Kanye).
In this […]

Mining For Insights

Posted on April 2, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation | 1 Comment

The most successful ideas are born out of brilliant insights. This is because the insight allows you to uncover a universal truth about people. You can then leverage that truth to help them improve their lives.

One of the most striking insights over the past couple of years was one about the myth of “real beauty”. […]

The Wisdom of Crowds (Part 2)

Posted on March 24, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation | Leave a Comment

Last week , we debunked the myth of the wisdom of crowds. Simple organisms, like ants, can benefit from flocking - individuals follow simple rules, but a complex behavior emerges. Kind of like how you get your McChicken meal at McDonald’s. Or the assembly line that Henry Ford put together.
Unfortunately, when we apply the theory […]

The Wisdom of Crowds (Part 1)

Posted on March 17, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation | 4 Comments

I was reading an excerpt from James Surowiecki’s book “The Wisdom of Crowds” and came across some interesting facts. Ants, as a species, are quite simple and stupid. Individually, they are unable to accomplish complex tasks. However, their intelligence grows as they interact with each other. The individual ants of limited intelligence follow a simple […]

Ode to Crayola

Posted on March 6, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation | 4 Comments

I was reading a post on Nish’s site that lauded pencil crayons. Well, I am putting my stake in the ground. Pencil crayons are no match for regular crayons. You know the ones. Some good old fashioned Crayolas. You never really knew what they were made of, you might have eaten one, and one […]

Don’t Do Drugs?

Posted on February 21, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation | Leave a Comment

Do you remember when you were in Grade 9 English and you had to read Hamlet? Did anybody else watch the movie instead of reading the play? I just want to know that I’m not alone.
Inspired by Hugh’s manifesto “How To Be Creative”, some design students have put together a short video version of […]

Why You Don’t Need A Macbook

Posted on February 13, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation | 4 Comments

There is no correlation between creativity and equipment. None. Zilch. Nada. You don’t need a shiny new Macbook to create brilliant ideas. The more talented someone is, the less they need the props. There are too many people that focus on acquiring the tools to be creative instead of working on developing the ideas themselves.
Instead […]

The Power of Small Ideas

Posted on February 8, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation | 1 Comment

Not all ideas have to be big. They don’t all have to change the world. As a matter of fact, many of the big ideas out there today started as small ones targeted at a specific market. It just so happened that the value that a small group of people found in the concept could […]

Don’t Covet Your Ideas

Posted on December 19, 2007 - Filed Under On Ideation | Leave a Comment

I got a Christmas present today. It was a book. It’s called “It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be.” To be honest, I haven’t had the opportunity to read through it all yet, but it looks promising at a first glance. It’s written by a guy name Paul Arden […]

7 Ways to Boost Creativity

Posted on November 30, 2007 - Filed Under On Ideation, Inspiration | Leave a Comment

1. Listen to Lupe Fiasco. His lyrics are sick. If Lupe doesn’t inspire you, we are obviously from different generations.
2. Always carry a small notebook and a pen or pencil around with you. That way, if you are struck by an idea, you can quickly write it down.
3. If you’re stuck for an idea, open […]