A Relaxed Look at

Creativity by

shanthini

How to remain original and creative?

• strong passions and base emotions, like anger, are strong creative forces• do not take sides in a topic where there is an intense debate• choose interesting problems (close to heart), not easy ones

• recognise and overcome mental barriers• keep the mind flexible

(possessing a childlike innocence and sense of wonder, and theability to ask naive questions)

• knowledge is an obstacle to being creative (don’t be an expert)

• don’t read the literature first

Barriers to CreativityBarriers to Creativity

• Concreteness (Newton vs Einstein; Euclid vs Riemann)

• Complexity (making point masses out of sun & earth)

Proposal for research grant: Proposal for research grant: investigator : A. Einsteinoccupation: Clerk, Swiss patent officeaim: To study the nature of space and time methodology: Conduct thought experiments in armchair, supported by abstract mathsduration: 01 lifetime

by Craig Loche

Work HabitsWork Habits

• Boredom and Inactivity

• Thinking (taking long walks)

• Don’t be routine • Be unrealistic about your mental capacities (such as IQ)

IQ is not predictive of either productivity or innovation

Simonton, D.K. 1988Scientific Genius Cambridge University Press, NY

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a better measure than IQ

Is it?

Wherever you can, measure or count.

Francis Galton 1855The Art of Travel

If you can talk, If you can talk, you can sing.you can sing.If you can walk, If you can walk, you can dance.you can dance.