Concept Combining
(An excerpt from the e-book/course How To Have
New Ideas.)
In this first lesson, we are going to jump right in with one
of the best techniques for creating new ideas: creative combination
of existing concepts. Just start combining ideas and things,
and voila, you're having fun - and maybe creating something new.
Let's get to the examples.
"Tattoo" plus "advertising" might lead
to the first large tattoo placement advertising campaign. Want
a monthly stipend for having a Coke logo on your forehead? For
a ton of new business ideas, just combine the concept of "home
delivery" with almost anything. Parties, tax preparers,
rental swimming pools? Would people pay to have these things
delivered?
As with any idea-generating technique, you need to be careful
not to stifle your creativity. Allow ideas to come without judging
them. Critical analysis is for later. Also remember that these
techniques are tools, not rules. If your mind goes off on a creative
tangent - just let it.
Randomly combining things is a great mental exercise when
you're driving or daydreaming. A boat and a bicycle becomes a
water-ski-bike that glides across the water using pedal-power.
Combining stock-trading and McDonalds has you imagining the selling
of stocks and bonds at drive through windows.
For more specific areas of interest, look for things to combine
with what you already have. If your taxi business is struggling,
combining "taxi" and "pets" might lead to
a successful arrangement with a kennel, to pick up and deliver
their client's cats and dogs. "Famous people," might
give you the idea to run some sort of tour of the town, like
they do in Hollywood.
For maximum creativity in your innovation, look far and wide
for concepts to combine. "Meditation" and "amusement
parks" seem too unrelated to yield interesting combinations,
but I'll bet people at a carnival would pay to be put into a
meditative trance using the latest brain wave entrainment technologies.
Limitless New Creative Concepts
This technique is great for new product ideas, inventions
and business ideas, but it isn't limited to those areas. In fact,
some of the most creative new ideas come from combining concepts
from radically different areas. Need examples?
Church/Shopping Mall. Hmm... Four churches within one
building. Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists all sharing
common space after there respective services and ceremonies.
It might encourage tolerance, and even be inviting to those who
want to "test" the various faiths.
Jail/Mountains. Maybe use prison labor to maintain
the trails in National Parks?
Swimming/Alarm. Alarms for swimming pools? It sounds
if a child falls in, and is otherwise easily turned off for regular
use.
Poetry/Economics. Hmm...
Okay, I stared at the screen for five minutes, and nothing
came to mind. That will happen, and when it does, you can just
skip it. However, if you persist in looking for a new idea in
the combining of two concepts, you'll find one. That is how this
process works.
Your subconscious mind is powerful. Put two concepts together,
assume there is a connection that will lead to a new idea, and
your subconscious will find new creative concepts. Your assignment
for today, if you want to test this, is to...
Continued in the e-book/course How To Have New Ideas.
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