Steal

  

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'Inspired' is the word used by creative types in place of 'steal'. But then "it's is where you take them to" that matters. It is then that people automatically know whether it was 'inspired' or 'stolen'. Amen.

Do not covet your ideas

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Every time I am asked to sign an NDA, I feel like a Luddite. The scholars of the ancient world did not file for copyrights. They shared their knowledge for all of us to enjoy and benefit. They would have been happy with the thoughts mentioned in the poster above. 

The rules of a creator's life

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I love this poster. Rule number 4 resonates a lot with me these days. There very few places in this world (and more so in India) that knows how to make 'work into play'. I hope one day I am able to create a place that puts this simple rule into practice...er...play.


Happy New Year!

Working with uncertainty

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Chaos or uncertainty and my agnostic views towards research have found a place here, here and here. Paul McEnany's presentation above is brilliant and well thought-out. More importantly, he makes some very good recommendations. Happy viewing.

Mind Wandering

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Boredom, is often times seen as one big downer. Being bored is considered to be a form of 'psychological sahara'. Not anymore.  


This interesting piece on psychology of boredom lays to rest many preconceived notions on boredom. Here are some of the excerpts.

Boredom and its synonyms can also become a crucial tool of creativity. “Boredom is your window,” Once this window opens, don’t try to shut it; on the contrary, throw it wide open.”

The secret isn’t boredom per se: It’s how boredom makes us think. When people are immersed in monotony, they automatically lapse into a very special form of brain activity: mind-wandering. In a culture obsessed with efficiency, mind-wandering is often derided as a lazy habit, the kind of thinking we rely on when we don’t really want to think. (Freud regarded mind-wandering as an example of “infantile” thinking.) It’s a sign of procrastination, not productivity.

In recent years, however, neuroscience has dramatically revised our views of mind-wandering. For one thing, it turns out that the mind wanders a ridiculous amount.

The last bit of mind wandering research worth highlighting also comes from the Schooler lab. Not all daydreams are equally effective at inspiring new ideas. In his experiments, Schooler distinguishes between two types of daydreaming. The first type occurs when people notice they are daydreaming only when prodded by the researcher. Although they’ve been told to press a button as soon as they realize their mind has started to wander, these people fail to press the button. The second type of daydreaming occurs when people catch themselves during the experiment – they notice they’re mind-wandering on their own. According to Schooler’s data, individuals who are unaware of their mind-wandering don’t exhibit increased creativity.

What are you waiting for? 

Ideas mean nothing

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Ideas, we all have them. They seem to pop-up like fireflies in the night sky. And like fireflies they seem to disappear in a flash, sucked in by the void. It takes a very brave and persevering soul to bring ideas to life. It does not matter whether the ideas were a success or a failure when finally developed. The fact that the ideas finally came into play is an achievement in itself.

You can find these brave souls in every walk of life. An ability to execute their ideas no-matter-what is the DNA plug that sets them apart. I have immense admiration for them.  I keep tossing lot of ideas but never gotten round implementing even one of them. It can be depressing especially when you see the very idea doing the rounds.

I hope to close the gap between idea(s) and execution thanks in large measure due to inspiration I find in the online (social) world. One such inspiration is a wonderful piece by Derek Sivers.  I have reproduced below a simple formula by which he proves that idea is a multiplier of execution.

Ideas are worth nothing unless they are executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.

Explanation:

AWFUL IDEA = -1

WEAK IDEA = 1

SO-SO IDEA = 5

GOOD IDEA = 10

GREAT IDEA = 15

BRILLIANT IDEA = 20

NO EXECUTION = $1

WEAK EXECUTION = $1000

SO-SO EXECUTION = $ 10,000

GOOD EXECUTION = $ 100,000

GREAT EXECUTION = $1,000,000

BRILLIANT EXECUTION = $ 10,000,000

To make a business, you need to multiply the two.

The most brilliant idea, with no execution, is worth only $20.

The most brilliant takes great execution to be worth $20,000,000.

That’s why I do not want hear people’s ideas.

I want to see their executions.

What are you waiting for?

You've just gotta fight your way through

(Via)


The above statement is attributed to Ira Glass. 


It is meant for beginners is what the poster says. It resonates with me, loud and clear. I have been pottering around in the digital world for over 2 years now. The last 4 months have been particularly intense as I have taken on a full-time role. In the digital space, I can see the relevance of this statement every minute. From the conception of an idea (even the most basic) to its final execution requires one to fight their way through. I guess, this also holds true for most other creative jobs. Therefore, save this poster and be inspired even against the heaviest odds.