Ignore Everybody: And 39 Other Keys to Creativity

1) There are many lessons that can be drawn from this book. Hence why it is published and people read it. However, there were a few that really hit home.

1.You are responsible for your own experience. Meaning it’s up to you to take the risk or not. But how are you going to know if your idea is a good one if you never pursue it? The answer is you won’t.

2. Keep your day job. Just because you have some great idea that you want to pursue, and it might possibly be a great one doesn’t mean that you go out and leave something that is paying for your bills. You have to keep a good balance between the two and that’s how people become successful.

3. Write from the heart. Too many people out there try and follow something that someone else has already done, and try and make their own. Following scripts can kill even the most outspoken of people.

2) Hugh MacLeod, has been doing these small cartoons on the backs of business cards for quite a few years now. In this time he wasn’t looking to be discovered by some publishing company or some newspaper editor to come take his work and promote it. Rather he was just doing something that he enjoyed that ended up turning into something successful. I find this very creative, because instead of having to make these cartoons for a specific audience and do it the way someone else wants it done; Hugh has created a power for himself in his work in the sense that it already is out there the way he does it, and no one can change that except for him. Not even the publishing company that published the book. He found a way to make something totally his, and keep it that way.

3) A) Why do so many people choose to be sheep and follow the path that other people set for them? They want as little risk to them as possible, but they want as much of the reward as possible out of everything that they do.

B) If everything is played up to see only the glamorous side of everything, what kind of effect will that have on society? People only see one side of the story and don’t realize that no matter what you do you have to put the effort in or you will get nothing in return.

Something New ( A little past due)

Not recently, but about a month ago I changed my eating habits. I changed portions, types of food, and the overall caloric intake to about 1800 calories a day. What I have found is that by doing this my body has become a lot less atoned to processing food that has all sorts of unhealthy attributes to it. Anything from a cheeseburger from What-a-Burger to less lean ground beef. It all seems to take its toll on my body when I consume it. So one thing that I've gained from eating healthy is a better mindset to be more aware of what I am eating and putting into my body as well as when to say no to something that I know will have a negative effect on me. The obvious truth is that we can't stop aging, but we can prolong the process by living better and eating healthier.

A little bit about me

My motivation for taking this course (WPC 394: Creativity and Innovation) is to see how far I can expand my knowledge of immagination by trying to solve either some of my simplest problems or minuscule problems that are in society in a cost effective, creative, and profitable manner.

Shark Tank "Shark"

Kevin Harrington (King of Infomercials)

From watching some of deals that Kevin offers as well as some of the products he pursues, I would have to guess a large part of his motivation comes from progression through marketable products, items that will sell to the masses. However, they can’t be part of the “me too” market as well they have to be “seriously” unique items that have marketability. His passion is finding that marketability in concrete ideas or products.

Bug List

1) Ignorance
2) People who squander opportunities
3) People in the right lane who aren't turning right
4) Losing possessions
5) People who always go the speed limit, or less
6) Not being able to compete with the best
7) People that show up way to early to things (it's unprofessional to be too early as well)
8) Having to repeat myself multiple times
9) Not being able to progress as fast as I would like to
10) Slow performing computers or laptops
11) Slurping
12) Technology
13) Over obnoxious people
14) Hitting your shin on the corner of the bed
15) Hot pavement
16) Smelly Shoes
17) Cell phone dying
18) Place with no air curculation and ventilation
19) Dry eyes
20) Unstructured curriculums
21) When my zipper gets stuck in the bottom of the croch hole in my jeans

Do Schools Kill Creativity? It's a strong possibility.

In talking about killing creativity, Sir Ken Robinson makes a very interesting point. When he talks about the story of Gillian Lynne who choreographed Cats and other famous works; he mentions that ADHD was not an “available condition” at the time. I think it’s funny that he mentions this because in education today when talking about creativity and advancement, universities and general education schools all seem to be catering to make everybody equal. If there is a lack of focus then some “condition” like ADHD is the diagnosis; rather than finding what areas people actually excel at. In some senses you could say this is punishment because people are telling us what we have to be good, and are reprimanding us for being interested in other areas. Doing this is killing creativity. The quote by Picasso that Robinson recites “all children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up”; is a great reflection of the sense that originality comes from trial and error. However, as we age we come to have a fear of error. I see it in lecture halls, in study groups, and in general events when people do not participate because they are afraid to be wrong and ridiculed by their peers. Therefore, this could be a cause or relative to what Sir Ken Robinson is talking about when he says that schools are killing creativity.


http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html