Creativity Challenge 2002

Diverge and Converge

Creativity Challenge 2002 #33

Like breathing in we need to practice breathing out. First we practice taking in very slow and very deep breathes. We hold them. Then we slowly let all the air out. Then force out the last bit of air. Each time we do this we can expand our breath capacity to a point. Because most of us seem not to breath very deeply we can expand our breaths with practice.

Now using the same principle to apply to divergent thinking and convergent thinking we can increase both of these by practicing them separately in order. First we diverge. Second we converge. Don't forget to verge--just let the ideas sit--before you converge.

This week let's use both abilities.

MONDAY
DIVERGE
pick up any typical object in your home, office or school and generate as many ideas as you can for how it might be used differently, made differently, look definitely. Strive to generate 144 ideas. During the day pick up an object away from your home, school, office (legally of course) and bring it back with you for Wednesday. Don't think of ideas intentionally. Just pick up the object and carry it with you so you have it most of the day Monday and Tuesday and have it available on Wednesday.

TUESDAY
CONVERGE
organize your 144+ ideas for the object into categories that you see looking at the ideas. Then rate each idea: don't see it's use now, usuable, very good, fantastic and show potential, out of this world and would take some time to make happen.

WEDNESDAY
DIVERGE
Using your second, away from home, office or school object, generate as many ideas as you can for how it might be used differently, made differently, look definitely. Strive to generate 288 ideas.

THURSDAY
CONVERGE
organize your 288+ ideas for the object into categories based on their potential use: don't see it's use now, usuable, very good, fantastic and show potential, out of this world and would take some time to make happen. Then rate each one 1) fantastic, 2) very good, 3) good, 4) not so good, 5) no real potential, at least now.

FRIDAY
DIVERGE & CONVERGE
DIVERGE
Take your best ideas from Monday and Wednesday and combine them in pairs, traids, or foursomes to generate new ideas for either challenge. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes.
CONVERGE
Then put the ideas into two categories: Monday's object, Wednesday's object and evaluate them: Immediate useful, useful soon, useful in future, so potential for use.

Remember to practice VERGING in between and of course do not DIVERGE AND CONVERGE at the same time. If you catch yourself converging or critiquing ideas while you are diverging, simply stop, take a breath (slap yourself silly....ha ha) and start diverging again.

Have fun being creative this week 20% of the time each day.

Alan

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