8 kinds of creativity

One way I’ve found to gain innovative insights is called “forced connection.”  When you give concentrated attention to seemingly random information or visual, you can allow your brain to process it and find a new relationship or meaning. This leads to original ideas and original ways to implement them.

So for my upcoming book, I have been collecting a wide variety of “top 8” lists you can use for inspiration in your N-of-8 exercises.  They contain seeds and sources of ideas that can applied to an array of challenges.  And when you find one seed you might find an entire garden – or even a farm – of new insights.

Here is a list of 8 kinds of creativity from The Creativity Conundrum: A Propulsion Model of Kinds of Creative Contributions by Robert J. Sternberg.

1. Replication
2. Redefinition
3. Forward incrementation 
4. Advance Forward Incrementation
5. Redirection
6. Reconstruction/Redirection
7. Reinitiation
8. Integration

Consider collecting your own lists, quotes, and articles. From books, magazines, biographies, the Bible (or other religious texts), newspapers, trade journals, best-selling songs, and many more sources.

Innovation that come from the words and thoughts of others often come through a new route in the imagination:  free association. This can lead you to explore links that would not be ordinarily brought to bear. It increases your probability of looking at the challenge in a new way.