creativity
creativity is combinatorial, that nothing is entirely original, that everything builds on what came before, and that we create by taking existing pieces of inspiration, knowledge, skill and insight that we gather over the course of our lives and recombining them into incredible new creations.
Maria Popova • Networked Knowledge and Combinatorial Creativity
A good conversation is an act of joint exploration. Somebody floats a half-formed idea. Somebody else seizes on the nub of the idea, plays with it, offers her own perspective based on her own memories, and floats it back so the other person can respond. A good conversation sparks you to have thoughts you never had before. A good conversation starts
... See moreDavid Brooks • How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen
Ursula Le Guin: "They talked, and new worlds were born of their talking. It is of the nature of idea to be communicated: written, spoken, done. The idea is like grass. It craves light, likes crowds, thrives on crossbreeding, grows better for being stepped on."
you actually don't need everyone to understand you or what you do and you're probably working on something too safe if they all easily do. your knowing you don’t need them to understand is also exactly what makes them want to
Molly Mielketwitter.com“But museums also choose what to display, what to let rest in the dark, and what to reveal again under new light.
They’re not mausoleums — they are spaces of loss and rebirth. Alive, even in silence.
We are like that too.
Full of rooms. Piled-up memories. Crookedly hung frames.
Ideas that need to come out of storage.”
They’re not mausoleums — they are spaces of loss and rebirth. Alive, even in silence.
We are like that too.
Full of rooms. Piled-up memories. Crookedly hung frames.
Ideas that need to come out of storage.”
Laurent François • Saving the Invisible
Building a knowledge library for creative work
The Importance of an Idea Library
“The world’s biggest lie: I’ll remember that idea later”
Our brains excel at creating with ideas, not storing them
Having the right idea at the right time acts as a powerful lever for creative work
An idea library serves as insurance for your mind
Sublime grew from 50,000
the creative process typically involves three steps:
- Collecting: Gathering interesting ideas
- Connecting: Drawing connections and organizing materials
- Creating: Producing something new