Blog 1B

5. Fantasize

I really liked this section of the article, because it makes the most sense. The part that explains how employers want their employees to come up with fantastic ideas, but don't want them to fantasize is very interesting because honestly when people hear the word "fantasize" they associate it with sex. Instead of doing this, people should actually look at the root word and realize that fantasizing is actually a very positive thing. I will definitely implement fantasizing into my life because by doing so, i will be able to come up with possible breakthrough ideas. My father is actually the inventor of the "camera sports seat" which is commonly used in basketball arenas to get the best shots without people's heads getting in the way. When I was younger, I asked him how he came up with the idea and he simply responded "There was a problem, and I came up with a solution." This is basically what fantasizing is, and in order to strive in the creative world it is absolutely necessary. In my creative life, where technology is increasing every day and innovators are needed more and more, I will try to brainstorm as much as possible and thing hard on problems to come up with the best solutions possible.

My current challenge is trying to find the motivation to go to the gym every day. My fantasy solution would of course to actually go to the gym and put in work, but there is a lot of other things on my schedule to do on a daily basis. Instead of giving myself excuses to feel better, I should just go and make a habit of it.

10. Hang Out With Diverse Groups of People

I do not think that this is exactly a way to get a breakthrough idea, because the author insists that you should hang out with people outside of your field of study. I do not think that this will help someone come up with an idea pertaining to their field because people outside of their field know little to nothing about it. The only thing that someone will really do is point out the obvious, which makes their help basically useless. Being in the creative industry, we are all consumers because everyone likes to be entertained. Many people go to the movies, or play a video game and criticize every aspect of it and say how it could have been better. In reality, this is actually an easy way to create a breakthrough idea because if someone isn't doing it right and you're adamant to fix it, you can make a lot of money off of a simple idea. Instead of encouraging people to hang out with a diverse group of people, the Author should encourage people to be a more critical consumer and try to come up with a problem that they see in every aspect of entertainment that they purchase.

I would say that i hang out with a very diverse group of people, which include people that are not in my field of study, and people that like to do different things than me. I also believe that i myself am a very diverse person in the things i like to do.

12. Look For Happy Accidents

I believe that this is a very good method of coming up with new ideas because, as explained in the paragraph, most inventions are the result of someone noticing a total accident as being a completely new breakthrough idea. In order to implement this into my own life, i will have to do things very differently. Usually when doing something, i let my mind wander on to think about things that do not pertain whatsoever to what i am currently doing. In order to fix this, i will have to be completely aware of my surroundings at all times and look at things in a new way. While doing experiments, or seeing other people's failure, i can either see what someone did wrong and fix it, or notice something that i did wrong or accidentally and come up with something totally new. I feel that this is one of the better ways listed in this reading to come up with breakthrough ideas because there are statistics that prove it and it also ties into a lot of other ways listed in this reading. For example, you can tie this into the idea of taking a break, because instead of constantly trying to come up with something innovative, you can let the innovation come to you by paying close attention to things and never taking anything for granted.

One failed attempt that i had years ago was trying to rebuild a microphone that i took apart. I could have possibly reconsidered this failure to come up with something new from the parts that i had available. If i were to have tried again, i would probably invite someone that has a background in electrical engineering to help me with the wires.