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What can doctors teach us about creativity? People in the medical field actually have a lot of knowledge and experience around innovation. Why? Because they deal with uncertainty daily.  Doctors often take risks and make decisions all in the face of uncertainty. To simply get their jobs done, they’ve got to get creative. In fact, uncertainty forces you to be creative. Today, I want to share some of my experiences from the medical device industry with you. I’ll explain some things I witnessed doctors, nurses, and the like doing that demonstrated great creative ability.  In this episode you’ll hear: The constraints in the medical field that lead to creative solutions. The many uncertainties doctors must deal with. A story that demonstrates how systematic creativity impacts the way we think about the world and address it creatively. What the task unification technique is and how we all use it naturally. How task unification has been used in the medical field to solve chronic conditions. Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

Imagine taking an exam that tests you on your creative skills. Then imagine your final grade in a graduate course rides on how well you do on that exam. That’s what my students at the University of Cincinnati have to go through every semester. I teach a course called “Innovation Tools” and teach my students a variety of methods for becoming more creative thinkers. I also teach them the same SIT method that I teach here on the podcast. Tune in to put yourself in my student’s shoes, take on their pressure, and hear all about the final exam they must take. In this episode you’ll hear: The surprise aspects of my students’ final exam.  The part of the exam where my students apply each of the five SIT techniques to a product. The five criteria my students are graded on. Why I like grading these finals. A challenge for you to practice your creative skills this week. Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

Are you as creative in the virtual world as you are in person? This is an important question to be asking right now. The virtual world is taking over. More and more companies are going remote. You may even be working fully remote! We need to know if our creative output can remain the same online. An article recently came out that says it can’t. It asserts that your innovation abilities and creative skills decrease when you’re virtual. Today, I want to discuss this article and its applications. What does it means for you as you lead your creative lifestyle online and offline? Let’s dig in!  In this episode you’ll hear: Why this topic of virtual communication is so important. A summary of the study recently done on this. My problem with the study. Why multitasking is so detrimental. Why brainstorming gets in the way of innovation. How good creativity techniques overcome the limitations of the virtual world. Why technique is more important than modality. Resources from this episode: "Collaborating Over Videoconference Makes You Both Less Creative” blog post Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

We know that creativity is, simply put, the sudden collision of two previously unrelated things. However, have you ever stopped to think about what would happen if you combined two related things?  It just so happens that that is a fun little tool called fusion. Fusion is used by marketers, designers, artists, and all other kinds of creative people around the world. When you combine two related things, it turns out that something remarkable can result.  Today, let’s talk all about fusion and how it’s useful. In this episode you’ll hear: Where you can find fusion in the world. How fusion helps you be a more effective communicator. Products that utilized fusion to be creative. Different ways to do fusion. Why practicing fusion is important.  Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

As a professor, I’ve worked with people of various backgrounds and majors and given them career coaching. I’ve taught them what to think about as they leave college and enter their career.  Today, I want to do the same for all of you listeners. Whether you’re graduating college, new to the workforce, or changing careers, creativity is your best friend. So, in this episode, I’m giving you three pieces of advice on how to think about creativity and innovation when at this particular transition in life. Tune in to get started! In this episode you’ll hear: Why creativity is so important. How to develop a creative disposition in any job. Why you need to see creativity as a skill. Why brainstorming doesn’t work. How creativity and resistance go hand in hand. How to change your mindset around resistance. Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

Attribute dependency is one of the most challenging creativity techniques to master. For many of us, it can be confusing to figure out what it means let alone apply it. However, in my opinion, it’s the most powerful creativity technique of all. We must get a good grasp on it so we’re able to use it confidently. Well, today’s your lucky day! There’s a new web app out that allows you to perform attribute dependency. Tune in and I’ll tell you all about it. In this episode you’ll hear: A refresher on attribute dependency. Examples of innovations that utilize attribute dependency. How this new web app, Omni Vati, allows you to use attribute dependency. An example of how you could use the app for innovation. How Omni Vati helps you come up with ideas you never would’ve come up with on your own. Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

I hate Post-it notes. No, that’s not true. I love them as a product. I use them nearly every day. What I do hate is how they are used as an example of innovation and creativity. To me, they set a terrible example of creative thinking. Tune in to learn some of the history of Post-it notes and why I don’t think they teach us any good lessons about creativity.  In this episode you’ll hear: Who invented Post-it notes and why. Why serendipitous products aren’t that creative. How the inventors of Post-it notes struggled to get buy-in. When the product started to take off. Why the launch of Post-it notes is a dreadful example of innovation. What we can learn from failures like this. Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

Ever said, “I’ll know it when I see it?” I said this recently to a salesperson in an art gallery. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular but knew that if there was something I really liked and was interested in, it would jump out at me. I’m sure you’ve done the same. Well, sometimes our judgments aren’t quite right. We may not be as good at assessing creative work as we think. In this episode, I discuss this and give some reflections on the matter that may surprise you. Join me! In this episode you’ll hear: How we judge a creative idea is affected by how we perceive its inventor. A study on how the gender of an inventor and the uniqueness of his or her name affects one's perception of the invention itself.  Where we see bias in the world of innovation. Why I keep ideas anonymous in my creative work. A mental trick that can help you remove implicit bias. Resources from this episode: Research: Izabela Lebuda and Maciej Karwowski Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

It’s graduation season! College seniors are getting ready to walk that stage, receive their diplomas, and enter the workforce. As a new graduate, working on your creative ability is important. Being an asset to your company by generating creative ideas will make you stand out and leave a great impression on your new employer. In every challenge you encounter in adult life, being able to think about and attack those situations creatively puts you a step ahead of everyone else. Today, I want to teach you how to start doing this. Tune in to learn five tips on how you can step into a new job and start making a creative impact right off the bat. In this episode you’ll hear: Why you should identify the constraints of your new situation or job. What constraints do. How imagining that you’re solving someone else’s problem increases your problem-solving abilities and creative output. The importance of breaking your big problems down. Why brainstorming doesn’t work. The golden rule of creativity and how to apply it at work. Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

Success doesn’t mean doing everything perfectly. It doesn’t even depend on what you accomplish in life. Rather, success is based on how you overcome the challenges presented to you daily. In this episode, I want to teach you five ways to tackle the challenging problems you may be facing. This is called problem-solving.  Problem-solving is different from creativity. They are often intertwined but solutions don’t always have to be creative. Tune in to learn ways to change your thinking around challenges and, ultimately, overcome them. In this episode you’ll hear: How to chunk your problems down. How to simplify challenges. Why drawing your challenges can be helpful. How rearranging a problem makes it more manageable. The importance of challenging your assumptions. Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

I always say “think inside the box.” However, this week, I want you to instead think inside the skyscraper! We’re going to take a little trip to the world’s tallest building and see what we can learn about creativity from it.  I recently had the opportunity to travel to Dubai and visit the world’s tallest building. I even went to the very top floor. That caused me to reflect on all skyscrapers have to teach us regarding creativity and creative patterns. Today, I want to share some of the lessons I learned and apply them to your day-to-day life.  In this episode you’ll hear: How skyscrapers make use of the multiplication technique of innovation. Where we find the division technique in skyscrapers. How the tallest building in the world uses the task unification technique. What pattern spotting is. How attribute dependency is in skyscrapers. The benefits of all of these innovative techniques. Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.

Do you want to be a more creative person? Of course you do! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be listening to this podcast. There’s one thing that will make you a much more creative person: pattern spotting. Pattern spotting is when you take the time to analyze things you find creative. Then, you try to understand the underlying structure of those things and figure out why they’re creative. In this episode, we will talk all about pattern spotting while you travel. Airports are a neat venue where you will find loads of innovative ideas. When you’re at the airport, you can practice pattern spotting by noticing creative things.  Let’s dive into that now! In this episode you’ll hear: Why airports are a great opportunity for pattern spotting. The innovative aspects of baggage claim. How to practice pattern spotting on advertisements. How pattern spotting makes you more creative. Resources from this episode: Downloadable scorecard to rate your idea   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.