Category Archives: Ideas

Pick a Fight

In her book The Creative Habit, Twyla Tharp gives several creative exercises. Creative Exercise #16 is Pick a Fight Tharp states that “Creativity is an act of defiance.” What are you defying?  Are you willing to defy your usual route to the office and see what the new scenery inspires? Would you defy your typical …

September 18, 2009 – 5:04 pm | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, Ideas | Comments (1)

180° Ideas

Here’s a quick brainstorming tip. Next time you’re stuck on predictible, unoriginal ideas, try this: Think 180°. Ask yourself, “What is the LAST thing I would do in this situation?” or “What is an idea opposite of these?” Make a list of the ideas that come to mind. Read over the list and evaluate WHY …

September 9, 2009 – 7:43 am | By DUST!N | Posted in brainstorming, Ideas, Society | Comments (1)

Top Posts

If you’d like to read some of the top blog posts from Casual Fridays, here they are: 7 Reasons No One Likes Your Ideas Why don’t people listen or use your ideas?  Here are a few clues. Pull! 10 Signs You’re Shooting Down Good Ideas Are you as open to new ideas as you think? …

December 15, 2008 – 12:52 pm | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, Ideas | Comments (0)

Innovation @ Fight Club

Brian Clark at Lateral Action put together a great list of Tyler Durden’s 8 Rules of Innovation. The list is based on statements by Brad Pitt’s character in Fight Club. Below is my favorite: Tyler’s Eighth Rule of Innovation: “This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.” Brian does a great …

October 3, 2008 – 2:40 pm | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, human spirit, Ideas | Comments (0)

Effects of Collaboration vs. Conspiracy

Alex requested I expand on the effects of collaborative communication vs. conspiratorial communication Collaboration creates teams of teams. Organizations that encourage collaboration will see greater interdepartmental and interorganizational teamwork. A sense of interdependence creates a desire to involve others in on the work at hand. Conspiracy creates lines and sides. Information is held in silos. …

August 8, 2008 – 2:10 pm | By DUST!N | Posted in Communication, Human Resources, Ideas | Comments (2)

Good In A Room

Sometimes it’s harder to blog once a week than everyday. So, I’m going to start blogging as much as possible to get out of the funk I’ve been in. Should make things a bit more organic and not so planned. Just read a Tom Peters “Cool Friends” interview from a few weeks ago with Stephanie …

June 18, 2008 – 10:20 am | By DUST!N | Posted in books, Ideas, Persuasion, Tom Peters! | Comments (0)

Creativity Unleashed!

I recently read a fascinating article on unleashing creativity from Scientific America. Executive editor Mariette DiChristina conducted a roundtable discussion involving three experts on creativity: John Houtz is a psychologist and professor at Fordham University. His most recent book is The Educational Psychology of Creativity (Hamptom Press, 2002). Julia Cameron is an award-winning poet, playwright …

May 30, 2008 – 7:36 am | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, Ideas | Comments (0)

Reclaiming Your Orphans

I got some correspondence on The Idea Orphanage that encouraged me to share advise on reclaiming your idea orphans. I guess it would be rather cruel to raise awareness of the lost and abandoned without giving a way for you to help. So, here are a few ways to get the adoption process started: 1. …

May 9, 2008 – 11:14 am | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, Ideas | Comments (2)

Death of a Moleskine

I was plugging away on my computer when I heard the cry from upstairs.  “Oh no!”  I asked my wife what was wrong.  “You’re going to hate me.”  She said. I climbed up the stairs and found her in the laundry room.  She began to pull out pieces of paper and show them to me.  …

May 9, 2008 – 9:44 am | By DUST!N | Posted in Ideas, Personal/Family | Comments (4)

Building on Bad Ideas

“There are no such things as bad ideas.” Whoever invented that statement has never watched an infomercial. There are plenty of bad ideas. The essence of this statement is that bad ideas can lead to good ones. Unfortunately, we either disregard someone’s bad idea altogether or we embrace it, because we’re stupid and don’t realize …

May 3, 2008 – 4:57 pm | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, Ideas | Comments (0)

The Idea Orphanage

I don’t know how many there are. Millions? Billions? I do know they’re alone and wandering. They have been abandoned and forgotten. How did they get here? Fear. Not their fear. Ours. They are idea orphans. Former hopes, dreams and aspirations who have no guardians. They were once filled with energy and hope. Now they …

April 25, 2008 – 6:00 am | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, Ideas | Comments (5)

5 Signs of a Bad Idea

I got feedback that my Reasons No One Likes Your Ideas was missing one important reason: your ideas are bad. I intentionally left that off the list, because it opens a whole new can of worms. I’m ready to open that can now. You’ve heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as a bad idea.” …

March 21, 2008 – 11:33 am | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, Ideas | Comments (1)

Ideas Are Overrated

… the originator of ideas is undervalued. My family has had a business of somekind in my hometown since 1914. That might be where I get my entrepreneurial spirit. While I was growing up, we had a local grocery store named Staiger’s Grocery. Original, isn’t it? I worked there for nearly five years. Primarily, I …

March 7, 2008 – 10:30 am | By DUST!N | Posted in Human Resources, Ideas | Comments (3)

Courage and Ideas

This was on my cup of Starbucks coffee today: The Way I See It #290 On the battlefield of ideas, winning requires moving toward the sound of the guns. – Newt Gingrich Former Speaker of the House of Representatives I’m not big on battle metaphors. Too often they lead to a zero-sum philosophy of “I …

February 29, 2008 – 11:59 am | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, Ideas | Comments (3)

9 Film Characters for Creative Teams

Many ideas are borne out of solitude. The shower is a classic example of quiet alone-time creating a vacuum for new thoughts. Still, we usually have to bring these thoughts back to a team for development. We also have moments where we need to generate ideas in a team environment. Having the proper team chemistry …

February 1, 2008 – 9:05 am | By DUST!N | Posted in Creativity, Ideas | Comments (4)