Composing Melodies

There is a video on YouTube where the Mary Poppins tune "Chim Chim Cher-ee" is played using a pencil.  I've been using the sound a biro makes when writing numbers on a piece of A4 paper to create melodies for years, so I thought I'd share the method. I don't know if it will work for anyone else - let me know - but I have managed to "scratch the itch" I had to write a few good songs I'm chuffed with.

Brief Overview

I pick four numbers (between 0 and 9), and write them on the piece of paper, and I write the numbers  in varying sizes (Loosely the sizes are: very small (normal writing size), small, medium, and large). I focus on the sound made, and try to pick out an original melody in the sound. (I might have to rewrite over the numbers a few times!)

The First Step

To kick off, I think of a singer and a song in the style I might like to write in. I write just two numbers on the top half of the paper (see diagram below), and I can write over them again and again if I like until I can pick out a melody. The melody will be maybe just one or two bars long, or perhaps I could say it could be the length of the first line of lyrics in a song. It doesn't have to be the catchiest tune ever - just something that is a new melody that I'm imagining being sung by my singer of my choice, and in the style of the song I chose. The important thing to do once I have a tiny melodic idea is quickly make up lyrics for that little section - even if it's any nonsense words as this helps to make the first melodic section more memorable when I introduce the next two numbers.

Adding the next two numbers

The four numbers will look like this:

Template 

I can pre-draw a template that will guide the size of the digits I am to write. 

And when the numbers are written it will look something like this: 

But will quickly look something like this when I've drawn over the numbers again and again in search of a melody!

Not much effort has to go into creating a melody - to a degree they "lift" from the sound the biro makes. Just the four numbers is often enough to create a melody with "personality" that can be expanded into a song. Though sometimes I have needed a verse for a chorus, or a chorus for a verse, and written more numbers to help trigger an idea. (The more "personality" a song has developed, the harder it seems to be to  use the numbers to generate a new part of the song, though.)

Funnel Method

This is a similar idea I've used. I put a funnel over my ear and move my fingers around the stem and "body" of the funnel to make "sliding" sounds that I try to pick out a melody from. Like above, I try to start out by just picking out a melody that is just a bar or two bars long, or the length of the first line of lyrics of a song. Melodic ideas don't jump out as easily as they do with the "writing numbers" approach above, but I've still got some decent tunes out of it. 

Neo; Neologisms and Fake Encyclopedia Entries

I've always called this the Neo technique, which is short for neologism. The idea is to make up a new word and treat it like a fake encyclopedia entry, with a fictional definition. 

Making Fake Words

To make a word I take two words from a random word generator, lift a few letters (it's usually between two and five) from the ends or the beginnings of the words, and stick them together. 

Example:

Weird Electron

= Irdron.

With the word created, I then have to think what it means; What would I guess that word means if I saw it in an encyclopedia and couldn't see the definition? "Irdron" kinda sounds like a quantum particle, so (with a little imagination thrown in):

Irdron = Hypothetical quantum particle. 

The General Encyclopedia

Pursuing this "general encyclopedia" path, it's like I've flipped open a general encyclopedia on a random page, picked out a random word, and read the definition. However, the word and defintion are both made up! Some examples:

Claw Fly = Clafl. 

Clafl definition = Musical instrument, makes a "clap clap" sound. Works same way as castanets. 

Airship Freak = Hipeak.

Hipeak definition = The peak of hippy culture in the 60s.

Ether Diabolotry = Therbolotry.

Therbolotry definition = When a theramin solo in a performance goes on too long and the audience exclaim, "This is utter therbolotry!"

There is sometimes a "feel" that the hybrid words have that intuitively leads to an idea for a definition. If a definition doesn't pop into my head, I'll try to think of a couple of words that the neologism sounds like it could be composed of, and use those words to steer me to thinking of a definition. Example:

Urban rural 

= banrur

"Banrur" sound like "banned roar" which leads to the definition:

The peak volume permitted by law at a public performance.

Coupling The New Word with A Real Word

This approach uses the format:

Neologism + real word.

The neologism goes in front of a real word chosen by a random word generator, and the neologism modifies the real word. 

Liberating massacre = tingma.

Random word = bulldozer. 

The neologism and random word put together gives: Tingma bulldozer. "Tingma" sounds like a remote tribe, so the definition I create is:  When a remote tribe - The Tingma - link arms and combine strength to function as a human bulldozer.

Torrid Township = Torrtown. Random word = Hop.

Torrtown Hop = Variation of the Lindy Hop, invented in the U.S. town of Torrtown. 

Above Church = Bovech. Random word = root.

Bovech root = Hallucinogenic plant root found in Bovech, Germany. 

Logic Blasting = Logiblast. Random word = implant. 

Logiblast implant = Hypothesised AI brain implant that can supplement all normal thinking with pure logic. 

The Encyclopedia of Psychology

I can specify a type of encyclopedia for a particular area of interest. Here are some neologisms and definitions generated for an encyclopedia of psychology. 

Clock Orangutang = Clocutang = An orangutang's perception of the passing of time. 

Baseline Every = Lineeve = Any individual's line of female ancestors. 

Atrocity Negative = Atrotive = (adj, of chemicals) Any chemical that inhibits brain functions. 

Neologism and Real Word

As above, I can use a neologism to modify a real word and come up with a definition for my psychology encyclopedia. Examples:

Amiss Similar = Misssimilia. Random word = doll. Misssimila Doll = Automaton doll from the 1800s that the inventor wanted to improve incrementally until the doll functioned as a human. 

Innocent Bulbous = Innous. Random word = Canvas. Innous Canvas = the blank "canvas" of the mind of a young infant. 

Democratic Cortex = Demotex. Random word = Uncertainty. Demotex uncertainty = The mistaken assumption made by learners that all concepts that are unknown to them are of similar complexity. 

Encyclopedia about...The Summit of Mount Everest

I can make the topic of my encyclopedia about anything I want, from the general to the specific. Here's some ideas for an encyclopedia about the summit of Mount Everest. 

Capsule Educated = Sulecated = Adjective that describes the surface appearance of rock where that rock is constantly at sub-zero temperatures and is at an altitude with low pressure. 

Hiss Continuous = Hiscon = A worsening of tinnitus symptoms due to low air pressure at high altitudes.

Zoo Perplexing = Zooxing = When a mountaineer hallucinates fanciful non-existent creatures when affected by altitude sickness. 

Blister Democracy = Blicracy = A hierarchy a group of mountaineers generate to decide which climber will have the honour of summiting first. 

And now with a neologism modifying a random word:

Atrocities Crook = Tiescroo. Random word = block.  Tiescroo block = When the summit is blocked because a group of euphoric climbers are spending too long celebrating an ascent. 

Blip Disfigured = Lipgured. Random word = Purpose. Lipgured purpose = The medical procedure taken to treat frostbitten lips. 

Uses

This is good fun, but it's also great for generating quiz questions (by using definitions to remind you of things in real life) and highlighting gaps in your own knowledge. 

Examples of WIPED SWABS

This post has examples of thinking "journeys" generated with the WIPED SWABS thinking tools. 

Example 1

For the first example I'm going to choose an unusual focus: my ignorance of Wat Tyler, with the emphasis being on the ignorance. This is the extent of my knowledge of Wat Tyler:

Around14th century?

British.

Rebellion? Possibly the poor against the rich? 

For this example I'm going to go through all the WIPED SWABS tools one by one. The alternative (which I enjoy more because it involves more interesting tangents) is to pick the which tool I'll use by random means.

Wat Tyler

What if I told you...Someone alive now wants to emulate him.

Interrupt: I'm thinking about Wat Tyler, and my lack of Wat Tyler knowledge.

P. Positive: I may find out about history. (Positive of that = I might find other historic areas of interest.)

Everyone Would Call It: Tyler project.

Dictionary: Wat Tyler was a14th century peasant who rebelled against the rich.

Superpowers: What would I do if couldn't fail? Answer: Go back in time and meet him.

Won't: I won't...read the entire Wikipedia entry on him. 

Advice: See if there any famous paintings depicting him (like a Bayeux Tapestry kind of thing).

Big or Small thing? Answer: Small. General interest. My life won't be affected too much by my lack of knowledge of Wat Tyler.

Sentence: (My ignorance of Wat Tyler) is a sentence. It's also a fact. 

Next I'll pick one of the thoughts generated above and run through the WIPED SWABS tools again. I choose: Reading the entire Wikipedia entry on him. 

Reading entire Wikipedia entry on Wat Tyler. 

What if I told you... Your knowledge of history is so poor you'll have no idea of context.

Interrupt: I'm thinking about reading an entire Wiki entry on Wat Tyler.

Positive: I'll learn about Wat Tyler. (Negative of that): I might find that era of history doesn't interest me.(Negative of that): I might be wasting my time filling my head with useless knowledge.

Everyone Would Call It: Intensive learning. Or Wikipedia learning.

Dictionary: Learning about a topic by reading an entire Wikipedia entry.

Superpower (What would you do if you couldn't fail?) Answer: Speed-learn the Wikipedia entry in one second.

Won't: I won't research the topic well enough to be able to critique the Wikipedia entry.

Advice: Find out what kinds of diseases were around in Wat Tyler's time to "fill out" your knowledge of those times.

Big or small: It would probably be a big undertaking to read the entire Wikipedia entry and learn it.

Sentence: (Read entire Wikipedia entry on Wat Tyler) is a sentence. The sentence is a goal. 

More examples to come...

WIPED SWABS Thinking Tools

This is a bunch of ten thinking tools I've developed over the years. 

The main point of the tools is to guide my thinking on any topic. It's a bit difficult to define it simply, but basically the idea is that the tools direct thoughts, turning them upside down and inside out to see where they end up.

The ten tools are represented by the acronym WIPED SWABS.

WIPED SWABS stands for:

1) What if I told you...

2) Interruption

3) Positive and negative array

4) Everyone would call it...

5) Dictionary 

6) Superpowers (What would you do if you couldn't fail?)

7) Won't

8) Advice

9) Big or small

10) Sentence operations

I'll go through each of the ten in turn.

The topic I'll be looking at with the tools is: Snakes and Ladders game. At the end of the post I'll link to some examples of the tools used on various topics.

Tool 1: What if I told you?...(WIITY)

WIITY?... is intended to jolt thinking. With WIITY? it's like a mentor is with me who tells me surprise information that provides a jolt. So with the topic Snakes and Ladders, I ask myself, "What information about Snakes and Ladders could surprise me?" and I write it in the What if I told you? format:

What if I told you...There's a Snakes and Ladders club near you.

What if I told you...You can play Snakes and Ladders online.

What if I told you...The most expensive Snakes and Ladders set  is worth millions.

The Feeling Nudge

I can give the way I generate the WIITY a nudge by  naming a feeling to modify the WIITY. I give myself a directive using the template:

Create a WIITY that has an X feeling.

The X will be a randomly generated feeling. Here are three WIITYs that are generated with the feelings critical, general and examine-y:

Create critical-WIITY: Playing Snakes and Ladders might not be as educational as you think.

Create general-WIITY: You could find other games similar to s and l.

Create examiney-WIITY: You could look at your own set and think of ways to improve it.

Tool 2: Interruption Tool

The purpose of Interruption is to simply make myself take a step back and become aware of what I'm doing right now. I will then write it down on paper so I can think about it using other tools. 

It's generated by imagining someone interrupts me right now and says, "What are you doing now?" I answer that question using a sentence or two. So the current simple answer to the question would be, "Writing a blog post about WIPED SWABS". If I was in a game of Snakes and Ladders the answer would be, "Playing Snakes and Ladders".

Baton Approach

There can also be a "baton" approach to Interruption that generates more information about the present activity. With the baton approach, I think about what I would say to the interrupter if I was "passing the baton" to them. That is, asking them to take over my role from that point. In a game of Snakes and Ladders I could respond to the interrupter (baton taker) with, "I'm playing Snakes and Ladders with Steve, I'm on square 37, it's Steve's go".

I can also think about what I would say to a child if I I was passing them the baton. Assuming they're at an age where they know nothing about Snakes and Ladders, I would need to provide a lot of information. It's like the trigger question, "How would you explain this to a child?" It can generate a lot of useful information.

Tool 3: Positive and Negative Array

Positive and Negative Array is about positive and negative thinking. It's also about generating more information to think with. 

It's easy to list a positive and negative for Snakes and Ladders:

Positive: I'll have fun with the family.

Negative: Someone will throw  a tantrum. (Not me.)

With the array I pre-decide a sequence of negatives and positives, then respond to each in turn by applying it to the information above. The sequence for this example is +--+-

The first in the list is +, so:

Positive (of Snakes and Ladders) I will have fun with the family.

The next is -, so:

Negative (of having fun with the family) It might eat up a lot of time.

The next is - again:

Negative (of eating up a lot of time) Chores might not get done.

Then another +

Positive (of chores not getting done) Chores won't matter when it's pure fun time.

And finally a -, so:

Negative (of it being pure fun time) The kids might get too excited and be unable to sleep.

Tool 4: Everyone Would Call It

With EWCI I take a piece of information and ask myself, "What would everyone call it in two words?". So with Snakes and Ladders it could be board game. Or family time. 

The negative thought above listed with Tool 3 - chores might not get done -  could be represented with the two words: chores crisis. Or wrong priorities.  Or balance quandary. 

I can also ask, "What would everyone call it in one word?"

So Snakes and Ladders could be: game. Or competition. 

And for a sentence - like chores might not get done,  the one word could be: problem. 

Tool 5: Dictionary Tool

With Dictionary tool I look at a piece of information - such as a word, sentence, etc - and generate a definition for it that looks like it could be a definition in a dictionary. 

So Snakes and Ladders could be:

A game where a number of players traverse a board while sliding down snakes and climbing up ladders. The first to reach the 100 square wins. 

Family time would be: A time set aside where the whole family participate in an enjoyable activity. 

It can get a bit trickier if there is a bigger chunk of information to define. So with the example the kids might get too excited and be unable to sleep I might apply the Everyone Would Call It (EWCI) to reduce the sentence to a more manageable two words. Those two words could be something like: sleepless kids. The definition for that could be: Kids that are too excited from recent activities and can't settle. 

There is another option that can be used with the Dictionary tool. Its ICO. ICO stands for "Is a case of...". The aim of this is to kind of step up the concept level. I look at information and ask, "This (the information) is a case of what?" So with Snakes and Ladders the ICO could look like:

Snakes and Ladders is a case of...what?

Answer: A board game. 

There aren't really any right or wrong answers, so other possibilities could be: family hobby. Or colourful game. Or numbers game. 

The Dictionary and ICO options can be used together. Here's a sequence of Dictionary and ICO applied randomly:

Snakes and Ladders ICO...a family game. 

Family game dictionary definition: Something the whole family can do and enjoy.

Something whole family can do and enjoy ICO family pastime.

Family pastime ICO: activity unit.

Activity unit dictionary definition: A section of time that contains action.

Tool 6: Superpowers; What Would You Do If You Couldn't Fail? 

Tool 6 is about sparking up the imagination. With Superpower/What Would You Do If You Couldn't Fail? I'm asking:

What would I do if I had superpowers? (Or if I were an all-powerful being, godlike entity, etc.)

and

What would I do if I couldn't fail?

I'll explain WWYDIYCF? first.

WWYDIYCF?

To start off, I go intuitive. I look at Snakes And Ladders and intuitively think about things I'd do if I couldn't fail. Maybe:

Invent an improved version that requires strategy instead of luck. 

Make it an educational tool by doing a version that uses more maths. 

Do a version that introduces more characters and objects with different functions. Eg, Magic wand = multiply two dice to decide how many spaces you move. Banana skin = your opponents must move five spaces back. 

Ask WWYDIYCF?  About Something Else

With this approach,  I look at something unrelated to Snakes And Ladders and ask the WWYDIYCF question about that.  Then I see if I can apply the generated idea to Snakes And Ladders. Examples:

What would you do if you couldn't fail about the local playground?

Answer: Make a tree walk among the trees where people can cross from tree to tree by rope bridges. 

Applied to Snakes and Ladders: Make a 3D Snakes And Ladders game that is played among the trees. 

What would you do if you couldn't fail about a robot?

Answer: Get it to do boring jobs. 

Applied to Snakes And Ladders: Get a robot to pack away the game at the end of play. Get it to store all the tiny pieces - the dice, the counters - that are easy to lose.

What would you do if you couldn't fail about snails?

Answer: Be a snail for the day to see what it's like. 

Applied to Snakes And Ladders: Have an option when playing Snakes And Ladders where a player can play the part of a snake for a while. The snake can move around the board, generally making itself a nuisance to other players. 

What Would You Do If You Couldn't Fail and Had Superpowers?

For the first few ideas I start intuitively:

Go back in time and watch myself playing Snakes And Ladders as a child. 

Devise the ultimate Snakes And Ladders game. 

Devise a robot that draws a Snakes And Ladders game with chalk onto the playground. Every board is unique. It washes away in the rain.

Superpowers About Something Else

Again, I look at something else, but this time I'm asking what I'd do to the thing if I had superpowers. Examples:

What would you do with superpowers about shadow puppets?

Answer: Invent magical gloves that automatically move your hands into the correct position to cast the shadow of the required animal. 

Applied to Snakes And Ladders: Invent magical gloves that always roll a six. 

What would you do with superpowers about paper cuts?

Answer: Invent a new type of skin that heals itself quickly.

Applied to Snakes And Ladders: Invent a board that has "skin" that can heal itself when scratched, and move pieces around.

What would you do with superpowers about the periodic table?

Answer: Invent a smart periodic table that can answer any question about any element.

Applied to Snakes and Ladders: Devise a smart Snakes And Ladders board that asks a player their interests then customises the board to suit their interests.

Tool 7: WON'T

The Won't tool is used to list more information about a subject and look at different angles. To apply the tool all I do is name something about the topic I won't do.

For example:

I won't play Snakes and Ladders right now.

I won't learn the maths to work out the probability of winning from any stage of the game.

I won't try to find the set I used as a kid. 

I can also use the Won't sentences as an introspection tool, where I can look into the psychological reasons why I won't consider an option; am I automatically saying no to something when it could be worth pursuing the idea?

The Absolutely Last Thing I Would Do

To expand the thinking a bit I can also generate ideas about the absolute last thing I'd do. Some examples:

I won't spend the rest of my life playing Snakes and Ladders. 

I won't visit the factory to see how it's made.

I won't start collecting different Snakes and Ladders games. 

Tool 8: Advice

With Advice tool it's like a mentor is with me who offers advice. 

Intuitive start

I start by intuitively making up some advice a mentor could give me:

See if you can play Snakes and Ladders online.

Find out if your family want to play.

Work out a way to play it so pre-maths children can join in.

Advice With a Feeling

I can also create advice where the feel of the advice is coloured by a feeling. The template for this reads:

Create advice with (feeling) feel.

With the feeling dirty selected this looks like:

Create advice with (dirty) feeling = Find out ways you can cheat. 

More examples:

(Greyhound-y) advice: Make a version with cats and dogs instead of snakes and ladders. Or do one with spiders and electric eels.

(Fast) advice: Do time limit for games.

(Leggy) advice: Do a long term tournament with legs, sets, leagues etc.

(Stick) advice: Put Blu Tack on counters so they don't move when board is nudged. (Yes!)

(Teenage-y) advice: Introduce game changes so it's more exciting for teens.

(Link: How to list feelings.)

Tool 9: Big or Small

The purpose with Big or Small is to evaluate the importance of something to me. So with Snakes and Ladders I'll be asking:

How do I see Snakes and Ladders?...as a big or a small thing? Is it a big or small thing to me?

Answer: It's a small thing to me (unless I'm doing blog posts) and as a game it gets quite boring quite quickly.

Big or Small...what?

I can also become mindful of the scale of things by asking the questions:

It's a big...(what?)

and

It's a small...(what?)

and then let those two questions lead me to thinking of an apt word or words.  For example, Snakes and Ladders could be:

A big problem.

A big hobby.

A big challenge.

A big waste of time.

A big argument causer, etc.

It could be:

A small irritation. 

A small pastime.

A small burden. 

A small matter.

A small project, etc.

Tool 10: Sentence Tools

This last tool is made of two tools. Label the Whole and Extract.

Label The Whole

To Label The Whole I choose a word to represent the sentence. I always start with using the label sentence. Thus:

The Snakes and Ladders game last night was great = sentence.

So when I'm referring to "the sentence" I'm referring to "The Snakes and Ladders game last night was great". 

Once I've labelled the sentence as a sentence, I then aim to find more words that could label the sentence. I do this by asking myself:

That sentence is a (what?)

The sentence The snakes and Ladders game last night was great is also: a perception, a fact, an opinion, an information-container, a reflection, a memory, etc. 

Once I've represented the sentence with label words, I can use the labels to generate ideas by thinking what actions I could take on them. Examples:

The perception: Challenge it!

The opinion: Spread it.

The memory: Log it. 

Extract

With Extract Tool I take a word out of a sentence and opt whether to treat it as a verb or a noun. 

For example, with the sentence:

Playing Snakes and Ladders is educational.

I can extract the playing and treat it as a noun (often by putting the word "the" in front). Thus: The playing.

I can extract the educational and treat it as a verb (by adding "ing"). Thus: educational-ing. (I can define what this means if it were listed in a dictionary as a verb. It could mean To use Snakes and Ladders as an education tool. )

I can extract the Snakes and treat it as a verb - Snakes-ing. (If defined by a dictionary it could mean the action of sliding down a snake in a Snakes and Ladders game.)

Brackets

I can also extract chunks of words using brackets and again treat them as a verb or a noun. For example, with:

Playing Snakes and Ladders is educational.

I can bracket (Snakes and Ladders) and turn it into a verb: Snakes-and-Ladders-ing. (Which defined in a dictionary would mean Playing a game of Snakes and Ladders.)

Examples of the Tools Used on Topics

PENLIO. Focus.

I learned all the cognitive biases to see if a common theme was evident. One thing I noticed was that many of them focus on things that are hard to focus on (an easy focus for example would be something like getting up in the morning, something more difficult to pick out would be something like  the amount of sugar I put in my coffee) so I developed this PENLIO approach to find focusses about my life - where those focusses can be both the obvious focusses plus the non-obvious, more elusive focusses. 

General Method

This is a generalised description of the method:

1) I focus on an earlier event.

2) I dig out how that event will occur later to a small degree. (Even if that degree is tiny.)

For example, If an earlier action was having a drink, then it's obvious that I will have a drink again later, so the final focus is having a drink. 

If I switched off my alarm this morning, then it's obvious that I won't be doing that later, so I have to dig out how I'll be doing that action to a degree later - even if the degree is very small. The nearest I'll get to switching off my alarm later is setting my alarm for the morning, so setting the alarm is the final focus. 

If, earlier on, I climbed up onto the roof with a ladder to fix a loose tile, then I have to work much harder to dig out how I'll be doing that action later, because it's obvious I won't be climbing up on the roof. Maybe:

I'll check the tile from the ground, visually.

I'll climb up the stairs.

I can pick either to be the final focus. I'll go for:

I'll check the tile from the ground.

PENLIO

PENLIO is an acronym where each letter stands for a different segment of time. It stands for: Past, Earlier today, Now, Later today, In the future, and Over any times  I'll start with just E - for earlier today, and L - for later today.

Earlier to Later

Like above, I want to list an action from earlier today, then dig out how that action will be done again later today. To list the earlier action I use this template:

What (earlier today) had an X feel?

(where X is a feeling.) 

If I add the feeling broken to the template it looks like:

What (earlier today) had a broken feeling?

Answer: I put a bottle in the recycling but it smashed.

So the initial action is: Putting a bottle in recycling and it smashed.

Digging Out the Action Later

So I smashed a bottle earlier today, and now I'm  looking  at later today and asking, "How will I do that action again later? How will I smash a bottle again later?"  It's unlikely that that very action will happen again, so I have to dig out the event that's nearest to it. I'll probably throw another bottle in the recycling later, so the final  focus is throwing a bottle in the recycling.

Another example:

What (earlier today) had a greedy feeling? Answer: I had extra toast. How will I have extra toast later today?  Answer: I'll probably have a midnight snack. Therefore the final focus = midnight snacking.

Later to Earlier

I can also go from Later to Earlier, where  I name an action from later today and then dig out how I did that to a degree earlier today. I'll use a similar template (and add a feeling) to help me name a later action:

What (later today) could have a steely feeling?

Answer: I'll steel myself when I use the bathroom tap because the water is freezing cold! So the initial focus is:

Washing hands with freezing tap water.

Next I have to dig out how I washed my hands with freezing tap water earlier, It's easy. That tap water was just as cold earlier when I washed my hands, so the final focus is: Washing my hands with freezing tap water. 

Adding Now to Earlier and Later to make ENL

Now I add the N - Now - option to E and L to make ENL.

Now to Earlier today

I'll start with Now to Earlier today, where I name something I'm doing now and then dig out how I did it earlier. I'll use a similar template to the one used above and add the feeling violent:

What (now) has a violent feeling? 

Answer: My wife is watching a violent cop show. 

So the initial action is watching a violent cop show and to do the dig out I ask: How did I watch a violent cop show earlier? I didn't watch a cop show earlier. I didn't even watch any telly earlier, but I did put some white noise on the telly to help me relax. So my final focus is putting on white noise.

Later to Now

For Later to Now I'm finding an action I'll do later and then digging out how I'm doing it now. For the template I'll add the feeling luxury. 

What (later today) will have a luxury feeling?

Answer: Curling up in bed. 

I have to dig out how I'm curling up in bed now. I'm not in bed, but I am sitting here comfortably, so the final focus is:

Sitting here comfortably. 

Adding the P and I Options (Past and In-the-Future) to make PENLI

Past to In-the-Future

I want to name something in the past then dig out how it will happen in the future. The template - with the feeling covered reads:

What (in the past) had a covered feel?

Answer: I slept in a tent in the garden.

It's easy to dig out this action in the future - I expect to sleep out in a tent when summer comes again, so the final focus is: Sleeping out in the tent in the garden.

In-the-Future to Earlier today

I want to name an action in the future then dig out how that happened earlier today. I'll use the feeling downtown-ish and add it to the template:

What (in the future) will have a downtown-ish feel?

Answer: I will visit London.

How earlier today did I visit London? The furthest I got from home was going to the local shops! So the final focus is going to the local shops. 

Adding the O Option - Over-any-times - to make PENLIO

The Over-any-times option completes the PENLIO acronym. It refers to actions that happen over any times, or all times.

Over-any-times to In-the-future

I want to name an action that happens at any times and dig out how it will happen in the future. The feeling is flamboyant and added to the template reads:

What (over all times) has a flamboyant feel?

I'm pretty far from flamboyant, so the nearest I get to being flamboyant is going to a fancy dress party. So the initial focus is: Going to fancy dress party. 

How will I go to a fancy dress party in the future? It doesn't need much digging as I will be going to a fancy dress party at some point. So the final focus is:  going to a fancy dress party.

Later to Over-any-times

The template - with the feeling glory-ish - reads:

What (over all times) has a glory-ish feel?

I like to watch the World Cup. How will I get close to this later? Answer: I'll watch the England V Wales game. So the final focus is: Watching the England V Wales game.

Double Letters

I can use the same pair of letters from the PENLIO acronym: Eg, Later to Later. When this happens I first focus on the action, then think about how that action will happen at another time as well.

What (later today) will have a fakey feeling?

Answer: I'll probably see some fake news online.

So for the second Later part I'm trying to dig out another occasion later today when I'll see fake news online. This will probably be when I see someone spreading fake news on social media. Thus the final focus is: Seeing fake news spreading on social media. 

Double Feeling

For a bigger challenge I can name two feelings in a template. This also helps me to name more specific actions. For example:

What (earlier today) was gross and planet-y? Answer: I realised I forgot to watch the meteor shower last night. 

What (now) is playful and froggy? Answer: I can see my daughter's Tiddlywinks game on a shelf. 

What to do with the information?

Problem Solving

Just focussing on something can pinpoint a problem or suggest ways something can be improved. For example, with the freezing cold water I mentioned above I can I realise it's difficult to wash hands for twenty seconds as a Corona measure when water is freezing cold, so maybe I need to buy some alcohol gel.  

Listing Positives and Negatives

I can list positives and negatives. What's positive about fake news on social media? Being more aware of fake news in social media comments might be positive because it will make me think more critically. A negative might be that I'm sure to swallow some information that isn't true and be influenced by it negatively.

Carrying Out an Action on the Final Focus 

I can name actions I could do on the focusses. For example, if my final focus is going to the local shops, I could:

Order online instead.

Be more organised and make a shopping list.

Experiment by buying food I don't normally buy. 

Buy presents.

Change the route so I get more exercise.

Etc.

SMUCKS talk about human biology

Writing stories and brainstorming can overlap. With the SMUCKS approach, I write a discussion on a subject that takes place between the members of the Star Trek crew. The acronym SMUCKS represents the six main Star Trek characters:

1. Spock.
2. McCoy.
3. Uhura.
4. Chekov.
5. Kirk.
6. Scotty.

The discussion between the SMUCKS can lead to just about anywhere, but I like to pick out:

New ideas.
Areas for investigation and exploration.
Fresh tangents.
Focuses.
Gaps in my own knowledge becoming apparent.
Story ideas.

How

I can use any of the methods that featured in the Methods to generate speech post. For this example I'll use the sound of the writing of two randomly-chosen numbers to inspire ideas for speech.

The subject I'm choosing is human biology because I didn't study it at school and I know very little about it.

I use a dice to choose which of the SMUCKS characters speaks.

So, to start off:

The dice rolls a 6. That means Scotty speaks.
Then the two dice roll a 3 and a 6. I write those numbers and listen to the sound the writing makes.To me - with the subject of human biology in mind -  that sounds like "I could drop dead tonight".

So that gives:

Scotty: I could drop dead tonight.

The conversation continues:

The dice rolls 5 = Kirk speaks.
The two dice roll a 5 and 2. To me that sounds like, "It it was happening, would you know it?"

Thus:

Kirk: If it was happening, would you know it?

And then I continue the process to develop the conversation:

McCoy. It depends if the brain can still function.
McCoy: It might go on functioning
Chekov: Wait! How could it function?

Kirk: Is it because the brain itself wouldn't be damaged?
Uhura: What if a device could sustain it?
Spock: You'd have to act fast.
Uhura: Or the brain would be deprived of oxygen.
Scotty: What if that was a desirable state?

Chekov: Like you stay at a stage of death?
McCoy: Could you measure the stage?
Spock: Or be at that stage without dying?
Spock: I could see this leading to a discussion on ethics!
Kirk: Or the potential of the human brain.

Spock: Our priority should be to cure mental illness.
Chekov: I wish I could've helped my mother.
McCoy: Did she suffer from mental illness?
Scotty: It's hard to watch a loved one suffer.
McCoy: Which is why this should be a priority.

You can see that the conversation develops and in some ways develops a life of its own. The conversation moved into the subjects of psychology and ethics. On the subject of human biology I became aware of gaps in my knowledge and asked questions such as:
What does the brain need to function?
How damaged could a brain be and still manage to function/produce consciousness?
Could an artificial environment support a brain?
How much oxygen does the brain need?
What does the brain do with oxygen?

I also thought of a good idea for a sci-fi story: A scientist discovers a way to make parts of a brain switch off. At a certain stage a person fills euphoria, but at a later stage they experience an increase in artistic creativity, but that comes with mental illness. Does the scientists turn bad and exploit the artistic creativity of the subjects whilst they suffer?

See also

The SMUCKS talk internet

A to Z of useful words.

I've been collecting useful words for many years. That is, words that appear to be key when thinking about a subject, and thus lead to the listing of the most useful information. I've (just about) managed to squeeze them into an alphabet where every letter of the alphabet represents one of the useful words. Here they are:

A: Action.
B: Belief.
C: Cause. (As in something that causes an event. Or a trigger.)
D: Duration. (Any period of time or one specific time.)
E: Event.
F. Feeling. (Or emotion.)
G. Goal. (Or purpose, objective, etc.)
H. Helpful thought. (and positive thoughts. And pros, if listing pros and cons.)
I. Idea.
J. Juncture. (A specific moment in time.)
K. Key-fact.
L. Liver. (Bit of a squeeze; anything that's alive, but usually a person.)
M. Milieu. (Another squeeze. Basically a situation or a scenario.)
N. Negative, unhelpful thought. (Or con, if listing pros and cons.)
O. Object. (As in a tangible object.)
P. Problem.
Q. Question or quibble. (The questions are any question that may arise about a subject. The quibbles are attacks, challenges etc.)
R. Result. (Or consequence.)
S. Solution. (As in the solution to a problem.)
T. The Big Picture. (Or The Whole Affair. Or The Story So Far.)
U. Utterance.
V. A Place. (Another squeeze. I think of the V as representing an arrow that points to a place.)
W. Words. (Or body of words. Ranging from single words up to books etc.)
X. Mistake. (The X represents the crossing out of a mistake.)
Y. Decision. (The stem of the Y representing a direction of thought and the "V" part representing options available, thus a decision.)
Z. Zoom to the future. (Expectations.)

Using the words.

Say the subject is London.

I'll use the format: Name London X

and select a random letter for the X. So Q for quibble would give:

Name a London quibble.

Possibilities: Too much rubbish. Too much pollution. Travel is expensive. Etc.

Another example:

Name a London milieu (situation, scenario):

Possibilities: The New Years Eve celebrations. Crowding on the tube. The Queen's birthday celebrations. Terror attacks. Etc.

Doubles

I like to use two of the words in combination.

Example:

Name a London KZ =  Name a London key-fact expectation.

Possibility: If I research London I'll find lots of interesting facts I didn't know.

Example 2:

Name a London ER = event result.

Possibilities: Winner of the FA Cup. Spectators' ratings of the 2012 Olympics. The role of the London Marathon in motivating people to keep fit. Etc.

The Pangram

I pick the random letters from the following pangram:

The five boxing wizards jump quickly.

Random Word Generator

Highly recommended:

Random Word Generator

DO IT technique

This is a nice simple process to approach creativity.

DO IT 

SSILD Lucid Dreaming Technique

There is now a blog about the SSILD lucid dreaming technique:

SSILD lucid dreaming

29 Ways to Stay Creative

29 Ways to Stay Creative

SSILD lucid dreaming technique

I recommend this new lucid dreaming technique:

Lucid dreaming technique: SSILD, Senses Initiated Lucid Dream.

A quick summary: In bed at night, you do a number of cycles where each cycle focuses on observing the darkness behind your eyelids, listening to the noise in your ears, and noticing body sensations.

More lucid dreaming techniques to come soon!

Reverse Blinking Technique

A friend alerted me to this Reverse Blinking technique. I was sceptical at first, but I was so amazed by the results I felt compelled to share.

What Reverse Blinking may do for you:

Nothing (it doesn't work for everyone.)
Put you to sleep quickly.
Make you so tired you feel you have to sleep.
Put you into a trance so that you can use autosuggestion.
Initiate hypnagogic hallucinations (that is, the kind of hallucinations we experience pre-sleep).

How you do it:

1) Lie down comfortably, as if you're going to sleep.
2) Relax. Close your eyes.
3) Count to five in your head.
4) On the count of five reverse blink: that is, open your eyes quickly (but in a relaxed manner) and close them again. (NB: I estimate that the reverse blinks are about twice the duration of a normal blink - with the eye-opening the duration of one normal blink, and the eye-closing the duration of one normal blink.)
5) Repeat stages three and four.


Experimenting with hypnagogic hallucinations

I wanted to see if I could combine Reverse Blinking with autosuggestion to control the images I would see in hypnagogic hallucinations. I achieved this simply: In my count to four (before the reverse-blink) I would insert the suggestion: "I will see an image of London". Then, after a while - once my eyelids were feeling very tired - I stopped reverse-blinking but continued with the counting to five and the London suggestion. On the count of five I was finding that random images of London places were popping into my head, without any attempt to visualise on my part.

Experiments

There are some experiments I want to try with this technique.

1) I want to see if I can make the hallucinations creative: I'd make a suggestion like, "I'll see a good idea about a place in London" etc.

2) I want to use the suggestion, "I'll see a memory from my childhood my conscious mind has forgotten".

3) On some occasions I've actually stopped blinking and dreamed that I was continuing to blink. I would be interesting in finding out what happens if I create a trigger to ensure I keep blinking and don't fall asleep. Maybe this would be a metronome in 5/4 time. The sound of the metronome click would remind me not to fall asleep. What will I experience when I continue Reverse Blinking beyond the stage where I'd normally fall asleep?

Trying it

Would love to know how others get on with this. I expect that some people will find that it doesn't work at all, while others will, like me, be amazed. When I used the technique two days ago I was reverse-blinking and thinking to myself, "It isn't going to work this time" but within two reverse-blinks I was hallucinating.

A word of warning though: hypnagogic hallucinations can be frightening.

Thinking about thinking...a great blog

If you're like me and enjoy thinking about thinking - and thinking of ways to improve your thinking - then I highly recommend Luciano Passuello's Litemind site.

The site has a simple mission:

To explore ways to use our minds efficiently.

The site is full of information on creativity skills, memory skills (including such methods as the Major system and Roman Room system), self improvement strategies, and Mind Maps on well-known books (such as The Medici Effect). There are also some wise words on overcoming "the dreaded P" - procrastination!

I can't recommend this blog highly enough.

Flip-flop Technique for Creating Ideas and Fresh, Relevant Brainstorming Challenges

This flip-flop technique can quickly generate a list of ideas and fresh, relevant brainstorm challenges. There are three key stages:

1) I create (or find an existing) brainstorm challenge
2) I create an idea for that challenge
3) (The most important stage) I create a hindsight-brainstorm: that is, I look at the idea created at stage 2 and ask "If a brainstorm challenge had created this idea, what could that brainstorm challenge have been? How would it have been worded?"

Example

Say, for example, I am the boss of a pizza shop and I want to improve my business. I can set the brainstorm challenge:

How can I improve my pizza shop?

It's not too difficult to create an idea for this. Maybe:

Have a varied menu

Now for the hindsight-brainstorm: I ask myself: What brainstorm challenge could've created that idea? Maybe:

How can I attract customers?

The cycle continues and for this I create the idea:

Provide small samples of pizzas

Hindsight-brainstorm: What brainstorm could have created this idea? Maybe:

How can I get people to try my pizzas?

Idea: Go to local sporting events and open a stall with samples

Hindsight-brainstorm: How can I use local sporting events to attract customers?

Idea: Put advertising posters at local sports grounds

Hindsight-brainstorm: How can I use local sports grounds to promote my pizzas?

Idea: Offer a catering service for events/functions held at the sports ground

Problems and possibilities

Problem: Can't think of any ideas?

If my brainstorm challenge is:

How can I make my pizza menu interesting?

and I can't think of any ideas, I can simply ask the question: In what ways is the pizza menu already interesting? One possibility could be:

It has lots of striking colours

which expressed as an idea reads:

Add lots of colour to make the menu more appealing

From this point I can either build on that idea and increase the degree (add yet more colours (maybe to appeal to children?) to the menu) or create a hindsight-brainstorm such as:

What would make my menus more appealing?

Problem: Can't create a hindsight-brainstorm?

If I'm struggling to think of a hindsight-brainstorm for any idea, I can choose one of Kipling's six honest serving men -- what, who, when, where, why, how (here's a mnemonic) -- and pick one random word from the idea to see if I can combine the two to construct a hindsight-brainstorm challenge.

For example, if my idea is:

Provide small samples of pizzas

My hindsight-brainstorms could be (among many options)

(What & pizza) = what can I do with pizzas to attract new customers?
(Who can't create a hindsight-brainstorm for this idea)
(When doesn't work)
(Where doesn't work)
(Why & pizza) = why would I cut a pizza into small pieces?
(How & small) = how can I give customers a sample or "small taste" of my products?

Possibility: Keeping one challenge or idea

Of course, at any stage I can decide to keep using one hindsight-brainstorm challenge and continue creating ideas. If the brainstorm is: How can I use local sporting events to attract customers? My ideas could include:

Sponsor a local sporting event
Start a new sports event -- the "pizza shop cup"!
Put advertising at local sports events
Offer discounts to sports fans who can provide a ticket from the sports event

And I can create multiple hindsight-brainstorms from one idea. If my idea is: attract passers-by by putting special offers in the window, my hindsight-brainstorms could include:

Where can I advertise special offers?
Who would be attracted by special offers in the window?
How can I target passers-by?
Why would I be putting something in the window?

Game/Exercise

I started this game/exercise in BrainReactions' Brainstorming Tool :

Flip-Flop Brainstorming Challenges/Ideas: How Can I Improve My Creativity?

Will be interesting to see how it pans out!



brainstorming
ideas
creativity

Quota Listing

I'm an optician, I'm about to leave my premises to put advertising leaflets on the windscreens of local cars. I have hired a temp to help me distribute the leaflets. We have fifty leaflets each to distribute.


Okay, so I'm an optician and I'm sat here ready to distribute the leaflets. Now, suppose that someone walks into my optician's premises and asks "Who's the boss?" Of course, I would answer "I am!" Job done? Question answered satisfactorily? Not necessarily. I can set a quota for my answering of the question; I step into fuzzy-thinking territory and find out how many answers I can create to the question "Who's the boss?"

I call this listing technique quota-listing 25/100. At first I try to create twenty five possible answers to the question and then proceed to thoughts of the first hundred and then beyond. As I do this, I allow a high degree of 'fuzz' in my thinking: I consider how many people could -- even if it's by the smallest, slightest degree -- be labeled "the boss".

The first 25

Boss 1 = me

Boss 2 = my receptionist
Obviously my receptionist plays a pivotal role in the running of the business. So, to a degree, my receptionist is the boss

Boss 3 = my wife
My wife makes a contribution to the business by providing feedback and helping me maintain my well-being.

Boss 4 = the temp
Helping me to distribute the leaflets on this day. A valid contribution to the business

Boss 5 = my most regular customer
Providing regular custom and feedback, and telling their friends and colleagues how good my service is.

Etc to 25

Up to 100

I can opt to complete the listing up to 100, or I can merely acknowledge and entertain the possibility of completing the list to 100; I can ask myself "What sort of person would be numbered 89?" etc.

Boss 38 = the manager of the restaurant next door
How is he the boss? Well, if he provides good food then more customers will come to his shop/the area and thus more people will see my premises.

Boss 50 = the future boss of this opticians
I don't know who he/she is yet, but surely someone will take over the business in the future.

Boss 78 = the editor of the local newspaper who edits my advertisement in the paper
The editor has the power to help my business by printing my adverts.

etc to 100

Beyond 100

I can continue listing beyond 100, or, as discussed before, merely acknowledge the possibility of listing beyond 100. Again I can ask myself questions like "What sort of person would be numbered at 250 or 2400?".

Boss 312 = Tony Blair
Tony Blair? Yes, he's boss to a degree. His decisions will affect the economy and ultimately affect me and my business.

Boss 1045 = my first ever customer
Played a (very minor) role in shaping the business. Made me realise some mistakes I'd made. Put me in a good mood on my first day.

An example of quota-listing for the optician's location

So the question/directive is:

Name the business's location

Location 1 to 25

Location 1 = 22 New Cambridge Road, London
Obviously at number one is the address.

Location 2 = the east end of the street

Location 3 = next to the barber's shop

Location 4 = South England

etc to 25

Location 26 to 100

Location 26 = my home
I take some of my work home. Many important documents are at home. My home address is, in effect, an extension of my work premises.

Location 27 = my car
Contains documents and I spend much time in my car thinking about the business

Location 36 = the map/sign at the end of the road that shows the names of all the shops in this road

Location 57 = the local newsagents: there is an advert for my opticians in the window

Location 89 = the local park
Where I often walk and think about my business

100 plus

Location 101 = the advertisement for my business in Yellow Pages
Another way that my business extends beyond the four walls.

Location 140 = the home of one of my regular customers

Location 812 = the pair of glasses that Mr Rogers bought five months ago
These were once on my premises. There is a chance (and a very slim chance, seeing that this is number 812) that someone will see his glasses (just as they do the glasses on show at my premises) and ask where he bought them.

Location 3063 = the local swimming baths
Providing a great service for opticians: where many people lose contact lenses that need replacing!

etc

The switch to creative mode

There is also a creative mode for quota-listing. Here I make the switch from listing information to trying to generate new ideas. With the listing I was answering the directive:

List (25/100) the boss

but now I set the creative directive:

Create (25/100) bosses

(I colour this blue to differentiate it from the listing.)

The creative-mode is very different from the listing-mode. My first directive reads:

Create boss 1

and I consider what this could mean. The first possibility is this: that I get a partner in the business. I can continue with my creating up to 25:

Create boss 2 = promote my receptionist

Create boss 3 = train the temp in the business

Create boss 4 = start looking for a replacement for when I retire

Create boss(es) 5 = sell shares in the business

etc to 24

26 to 100

There comes a point when I can use the information listed at the listing stage to inspire ideas. For example, number 78 on the list of bosses was: the editor of the local newspaper that prints my advertisements. So although I'm not taking the extreme choice of stepping aside and installing him as boss, I can ask myself how he can play more of a role (a 'boss role', if you like) in the business and pay more of a contribution. The initial answer is obvious: I can proactively ask him if he thinks there is any way my advert in his paper can be improved or if the newspaper can play any role in promoting my business.

Create boss 26 = give the newspaper editor an opportunity to give input

Create boss 36 = (using Tony Blair, number 312 at the listing stage) give Tony Blair a one per cent share in the business. An unusual idea -- perhaps to make some kind of political statement. Sure to attract much publicity. Also, my business could be labeled as a 'typical example of a business' and, at budget time, be used to show how the changes in a budget will affect a typical business.

Create boss 78 = (using 1045 from the listing -- the first ever customer) give some randomly chosen customers the chance to give feedback. Maybe by some market research by phone or maybe by actually bringing them to the premises and asking them for feedback on my services and procedures.

100 plus

Create boss 101 = collaborate with the other shopkeepers in this street: create a "shopkeepers club" where the owners meet up regularly and discuss ways to promote the area and each business

Create boss 983 = utilize passers-by. Stop them and say "Ten seconds of your time. What's your first impression of this opticians as you pass?"

Create boss 4038 = Find the remotest opticians in the world and install it as a 'twin' opticians (like the twin-towning scheme).


Tags:
creativity ideas idea generation brainstorming

500 uses for a paperclip: stepping up the concept level and naming/listing

Stepping up the concept level

There's a solitary red paperclip on my desk that needs five hundred uses. However, when considering that challenge, am I creating uses for that paperclip, all red paperclips, all paperclips in general, or what? What I like to do at the start of a brainstorming challenge is "up" the concept level to dictionary level. On a written brainstorm I remind myself of the need to do this by writing:

The paperclip is a paperclip

where the latter paperclip is the paperclip(s) I would consider as a result of reading a dictionary definition.

Naming/listing

Now that I know I am considering paperclips at the dictionary-level of a concept I can start naming and listing paperclips. The directive can read:

Name paperclip

and I can name paperclips off the top of my head, but I can improve the search by using the directive:

Name X paperclip

where the "X" will be replaced with a random word to help list more paperclip examples.

Naming/listing: using words of two or three letters

For my directive's "X" I usually start by using words of two or three letters. With the random word "key" My directive reads:

Name key paperclip.

I try to list two or three types of key paperclip:

Important paperclips, paperclips used as a keyring, the first ever paperclip manufactured.

Uncovering the "hidden" examples

I like to create a considerable list with the two/three letters approach. This helps to create a multifarious list and uncover the "hidden" examples. For example, the directive:

Name sad paperclip

made me think of an unusual example of a paperclip: Office Assistant. Copious listing helps to uncover more examples -- both the obvious and non-obvious -- and map out the terrain for the challenge.

Using longer words and naming concepts

For my naming/listing directive I can use any random word. So for example:

Name famous paperclip

made me think of this: I traded one red paperclip for a house

However, sometimes a directive will suggest a concept that is worth considering in its own right. With the directive:

Name future paperclip

I can name examples of future paperclips (paperclips I will own, future designs of paperclips etc.) or I can conclude that the concept of future-paperclip is worth listing and remembering in its own right. I can represent this concept with a hybrid-word or opt to make up a neologism.

Using the hybrid-word to list more examples

I can use the above hybrid-word future-paperclip to list more examples. With the directive:

Name next future-paperclip

I could consider: the next paperclip to arrive on the market, paperclips that will by used at the store Next, mooted paperclip designs etc.

Name 500 uses for a paperclip: starting out

As I start out on the classic brainstorming challenge about naming as many uses for a paperclip as possible, there are a number of preliminary stages that I consider:

Switching to present moment awareness
Stating the creative directive
Stepping up the concept level
Naming/Listing

Switching to present moment awareness

Instead of rushing into the exercise of creating uses for the paperclip I can start out by considering present moment awareness. This takes the form:

Now Here Me Doing: creating 500 uses for a paperclip

The full benefits of this will be considered in a later post. But briefly, this information can be changed with the sentence restructuring technique to provide different insights into the challenge and maybe create some other challenges. I could rearrange the information to read:

Creating 500 uses for a paperclip is being done here now by me.

With "me" as the focus word I could consider alternatives such as asking others to participate in the project, etc.

Stating the creative directive

The creative directive reads:

Create 500 uses for a paperclip

As before, the sentence restructuring approach can provide variations or insights into the challenge. So if I rearranged the information to read:

There are 500 uses for a paperclip that you must create

then with "create" as the focus-word I can generate other alternatives such as:

List 500 uses for a paperclip
Find 500 uses for a paperclip
Improve 500 uses for a paperclip.

Stepping up the concept level and naming/listing

Idea generation: the grid technique

I use this grid technique to generate ideas. With this technique I choose an object and mentally superimpose a grid onto the object. With any/each of the squares of the grid labelled as a "square/area" I create a creative directive:

Create X square/area

where the 'X' will be replaced by an adjective or word with an adjectival function.

Example

For my starting object I'll use an object that already has a grid and individual squares in its structure - the tennis net of a tennis court.

I choose a random word to complete my creative directive: in this example my random word is "blood". My directive reads thus:

Create blood square/area

I can consider that the "square/area" part of the directive applies to one specific square, any square, or all the squares. I then ensure that I complete the challenge and guarantee newness - either by creating a thought experiment (or lateral thinking provocation) or by creating a specific new idea.

Here are my thoughts on blood square:

A square that absorbs any blood that lands on it.

My immediate thought is that if the net was from a top tournament like Wimbledon then somebody could sell that part of the net on eBay. Which leads to the idea: cut up the net after tournaments and auction/sell the sections to raise money for a charity.

More tennis net examples (from a 'live' brainstorm)

Create chemist square/area
First thought: the "+" of the squares could be coloured green to advertise a chemist. Which leads to: the squares could alternatively be circular (sponsorship from a tennis ball manufacturer). Further thoughts: some of the circles could be filled in, with the name of the ball manufacturer on the circles.

Create flow square/area
First thought: all of the squares on the net could constantly move (flow along). Further thoughts: sometimes a shot will hit the net and 'bobble over' to the other side, winning an easy point. Is the chance of that happening the same if the ball hits the other side of the net? Problem to highlight: unfair advantages caused by players being at different ends (I'm aware that players swap ends). Example: the problem of the sun in the eyes of a player at one end. Preliminary thoughts on solution: a small portable blimp to block the sun?

Create beg square/area
First thought: a square on the net with the message "please advertise your product/service here for £10,000". Further thoughts: some value is apparent here -- the message would act as a kind of advertising teaser; due to the unusual nature of the message people would be more likely to notice any advert when it eventually appears. Here I also notice an assumption I've been making: that the net is at a top tournament. What if that message appeared on every tennis net in the country? Stepping to a broader concept level: perhaps an advert could appear on every example of a specific thing throughout the country. For example, marathons have a blue-dash line on the road to show runners the route. Perhaps each of the dashes could be replaced with a photo of an energy drink?

Create molecule square/area
First thought: would it be possible to create a version of tennis played at a molecular level? Table tennis could be considered to be a miniature version of tennis -- how far could the miniaturisation continue? What if: the game of miniature tennis occurs on a 'court' the size of a shoe box? Each participant could play the game via a computer which would control the 'rackets' in the box. Further thoughts: maybe there could be a computer game where participants play their opponent via the internet and the game is played on a type of real tangible court at some location.

A second level grid

If I choose to, I can select any of the squares of my grid and again mentally superimpose a grid onto that. With the tennis net example, I can either visualise my grid on objects only (the strands of the tennis net) or imagine my grid within the space of the square (in effect, some of the resulting squares would be in 'thin air').

Project: name five hundred uses for a paperclip

I've been meaning to get this project started and blog about it for some time. The project is based on the classic brainstorming/creativity challenge "Name as many uses for a paperclip as possible". The purpose of this project is to find the most productive ways to create and find uses for the paperclip, explore how focus switching and changing of perspective can occur and, of course, find five hundred uses for a paperclip.

Looking at the uses for a paperclip there are the usual offerings : a toothpick, a bookmark, a hair pin, a key ring, a nail cleaner etc. But I also want to look into how focus-switching and changing of perspective can occur. I mean the kind of focus-switching that can lead to these considerations and ideas:

Start a 'Name a million uses for a paperclip' blog
Contact paperclip manufacturers and ask them for inventive uses
Find more uses by Googling "uses for a paperclip"
Ask other bloggers to post about the challenge on their blogs

Feel free to contribute any uses or new perspectives on the problem.