teaching innovation as a science

one of my friends has asked me to try to quantify innovative thought,
i spend days and weeks trying to explain to my self where innovation comes from,
where ideas that change the world stem from,

this is the conclusion i have come to, and i have decided to share my thoughts and processes with my ATS friends in the hopes that others can add to the thread so that everyone can add how and why they innovate to give insights to people who feel like they want to contribute, but dont know the steps in invention.

savant innovation,
in some cases a person is a savant, in that they can do things that the larger population cannot, these people are exceedingly rare, and sometimes their abilities astound us and challenge our notion of what intelligence actually is.
there are many types of savant, and not all are maths prodigies.

genius innovation,
in some cases a person is a verifiable genius, and they can use their intellect to understand a subject on a whole new level. this insight gives them the ability to not only design new innovations but also describe the underlying nature of how something functions and expalin the reason "why" something works.

specialist innovator,
in some cases a person can be a specialist in a particular field of science, and their knowledge of a specialist subject gives them insight to that feild that the average person does not have access to. usually years and years of study are required to get to the point where a system or field is so second nature, that direct insights can be found that allow innovation

science innovator,
this is usually (not always) some one who tries to advance science using the scientific method and research previously published by other scientists and may combine many different areas of science into one experiment of product or service.

you,
i am hoping if you read this you are interested in being innovative, and i would like to explain my methods to be innovative. i am no expert and this is no magic bullet, i just wanted to let people see how i innovate so that they can try the methods and who knows it may help some one become an innovator or inventor.

first i am biased to how i think the mind works, i accept that and am telling you up front now.

i believe that people are picture processors, to me this means that if you want to understand something complex,
without you even trying to your mind will generate "pictures" or "models" in your mind. in most cases people have the latent ability to construct "models" as well but i want to start simple and progress to the advanced stuff.

my first step is always to construct a picture in my mind of the subject or field i am analysing.

so lets start with an apple,
try to hold an image of an apple in your mind.

the next step is to give the apple some depth and colour and a texture.
try to make the image of the apple a 3D image, give it a colour and a texture.

the next step is to be able to either,
rotate your 3D apple in your mind
or rotate around your 3D apple

once you can hold and manipulate your 3D apple in your mind for an extended period,
you need to be able to clear the apple from your mind and bring it back latter when asked.
the same apple with the same colour and texture.

why you ask should i bother with making mental 3D models in my mind?

well when you can "model" something in your mind, you are exercising a part of your mind that we dont usually use on a regular basis. (some people do with their jobs already)

so this is an exercise to awaken the part of your brain that can both generate and analyse objects you build yourself in your mind.

when i try to innovate the very first thing i do is to make a mental model of the object or system i am investigating.
where i am "animating" the object or system so that it functions in my mental model as it would in any real world scenario. i find watching flow videos or function video helps with this part of the process.
even moving pictures can help with building the mental model.

when you can hold the model and move it (or yourself around it) and can animate the model to show your self differnt views of the model, you are now ready to add variables.

bring the apple to mind, hold it there, now add a knife to your model,
you should be able to describe the type colour and length of the knife in proportion to the apple.

now use the knife to cut the apple in half.
if your doing it right, you will have already made the model show the contents of the apple centre,
without you having to think about about what the core looks like.
you already know what an apple core looks like, and added it to the model without being told to.

this is the basis i use to mentally model things,
over time you can bring the apple back to mind in an instant, and you can manipulate the apple and cut it into many many slices without breaking a sweat.

if you want to push yourself, try with 10 apples and knives and try to have them cut each apple in half one after another.

ok so some of you will be saying ouch at this point, and you head will start to complain.

it takes practice and many attempts.

so how does this help with innovation?

it is my belief that when we stimulate this part of our brains, we are exercising the part of the brain that allows for innovation. when we can cut the apple in a number of different ways in our minds, we may stumble on a new way to cut apples without having to waste a bag full of apples.

this is only how i try to innovate but i learned it from reading about tesla as a child,
i read that he drew 3 or 4 diagrams from mind and sent them to different component manufactures,
when he received the parts they fit together perfectly.

he used a mental model to design the parts, test them together and to produce diagrams for the makers to build.
and they fit together perfectly.

when i try to understand some thing it is always in a picture or model format,

i usually come up with my best ideas using this method,

would anyone else like to give an insight to their creativity?

it just might inspire others to become innovators

xploder

Cant everybody do this though?


As someone who wants to be a musician I create full songs in my head lol, shame its a struggle to get them to sound the same in real life

Originally posted by Idonthaveabeard
Cant everybody do this though?


As someone who wants to be a musician I create full songs in my head lol, shame its a struggle to get them to sound the same in real life

maby you could describe your creative process?
try to explain where your creativity comes from
or if there is a process you follow?

xploder

I put myself in a situation either in a packed nightclub or on stage in front of thousands and just put together a sound that id like to hear in that situation. I feel the vibe of the 'crowd' and get the energy and things just start flowing. OR I do the samething while listening to an existing song I like and come up with something similar but different, if im feeling emotional at the time then things flow even easier.

I even have dreams every now and then where Im listening to a song and think how awesome it is, then when I wake up I completely forget it. A few moonths back I was having a quite lucid dream and we were all dancing to a song and I was thinking man I wish I had made this. Little did I know, till I woke up I actually had made it, but I forgot that one aswell

I find it amazing that your brain can create not only a setting, but individuals and actions with colour and sound and ALSO an original piece of music all while your laid there sleeping.

Originally posted by Idonthaveabeard
I put myself in a situation either in a packed nightclub or on stage in front of thousands and just put together a sound that id like to hear in that situation. I feel the vibe of the 'crowd' and get the energy and things just start flowing. OR I do the samething while listening to an existing song I like and come up with something similar but different, if im feeling emotional at the time then things flow even easier.

so emotion increases your creativity
it sound intense, being in the moment like that

I even have dreams every now and then where Im listening to a song and think how awesome it is, then when I wake up I completely forget it. A few months back I was having a quite lucid dream and we were all dancing to a song and I was thinking man I wish I had made this. Little did I know, till I woke up I actually had made it, but I forgot that one aswell

so your "dream" create, sounds like you think in pictures?

I find it amazing that your brain can create not only a setting, but individuals and actions with colour and sound and ALSO an original piece of music all while your laid there sleeping.

shows the autonomous nature of the creation of ideas and events in your dreams,
it really is a complete experience?

xploder

reply to post by XPLodER


Innovative thought is just critical thinking without prejudices.
Mind modeling is just a tool of critical thought.
Critical thought is just equation building.


And I'm supposed to say innovative is only innovative if it becomes widely accepted.

reply to post by XPLodER

well when you can "model" something in your mind, you are exercising a part of your mind that we dont usually use on a regular basis.

Speak for yourself.



I do this kind of thing all day, every day....

I have even hijacked my visual cortex to automate my normal gravity based path-finding ability (Walking) so that I can further use parts of my motor cortex to aid in the process of visualization and innovative creativity while walking.

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by Bleeeeep
reply to post by XPLodER

 

Innovative thought is just critical thinking without prejudices.
Mind modeling is just a tool of critical thought.
Critical thought is just equation building.

you are correct, equations can be derived for most instances where mind modelling is successful

And I'm supposed to say innovative is only innovative if it becomes widely accepted.

or if it forces people to re-evaluate their position on a subject.
but yes acceptance is proof that the innovation is useful

xploder

Originally posted by ErtaiNaGia
reply to post by XPLodER

 

well when you can "model" something in your mind, you are exercising a part of your mind that we dont usually use on a regular basis.

Speak for yourself.

I do this kind of thing all day, every day....

I have even hijacked my visual cortex to automate my normal gravity based path-finding ability (Walking) so that I can further use parts of my motor cortex to aid in the process of visualization and innovative creativity while walking.

en.wikipedia.org...

are you talking about a visual aid like google glasses?

or do you have a pc strapped to your head?

or are you using mental modelling to navigate????

xploder

reply to post by XPLodER

are you talking about a visual aid like google glasses?

or do you have a pc strapped to your head?

or are you using mental modelling to navigate????

Your motor cortex usually does all of the work in navigating while you walk.... making decisions on where to put your feet, expected balance deviation, pathfinding, etcetera....

So, instead of using my motor cortex, I look at the ground while I am walking, and use the visual information instead of the normal motor cortex information to guide my steps, pathfind, and estimate balance during each step.

This has the added benefit of clearing up some of the power of my motor cortex to use on imagination type processing.

IT's not technology.... it's just finding out how to use your brain in innovative ways, and for creative solutions.

"Know Thyself."

You know how people usually have their best ideas while sitting down (Like on the toilet) or lying in bed?

It's because while you are standing or walking, a large portion of your brain is being used to keep you from falling over.

So, I bootstrap my visual cortex to process this information, while freeing up the 3 dimensional processing, pathfinding, and environmental mapping systems in my motor cortex to use to imagine complex systems.