“Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.”—Steve Jobs
YOUR FIRST IDEA
In a 1961 experiment, researchers tasked participants with generating a list of ideas to solve a creative problem in five minutes. Then the researchers filtered the ideas through a rating and evaluation criteria. The results showed that the ideas listed during the second half, were significantly better than those from the first. Also, there was a correlation between the top ranking ideas coming from the participants who gave the most responses.
The phenomenon suggests that the mind first explores the most obvious solutions before delving into more innovative or less conventional ideas. This is the danger of gravitating toward the first idea that pops up in your head. It denies you the opportunity to find more creative solutions. Innovation does not occur at the beginning of the creative process. It’s the end result. Move beyond the first batch of ideas so more novel ideas can materialize. Your best ideas are often your last ideas.
When you think you’ve reached the end of your creative thinking process, push through and think some more. Most creators underestimate the value of persistence in their creative journey. Creative geniuses know that their best ideas painfully lie on the other side of what’s obvious. This is the true definition of thinking outside the box.
CREATIVE CLIFF ILLUSION
Brian Lucas, a professor of organizational behavior, conducted eight studies on people’s creative process. He started the experiments by asking the participants to predict how their levels of creativity change over time. They predicted their creativity would decline, but the results revealed their output was more creative over time. Brian calls this the creative-cliff illusion, the misconception people have that creativity decreases over time, even though it tends to rise.
Brian challenges the assumption that our best ideas stem from our freshest thinking. He advocates being patient with your creative thought process to give your mind time to let your best ideas emerge. Don’t give in to the pressure of cutting your creative process short. Great ideas come to those who persevere.