The Business Stage: Ideation and the Jealous Mistress

We are in a very strange time. We are in a favorable moment for innovation and invention. This will come from the creative thinkers, the conceptualizers, and the artists. This is what we need in business, but our culture has yet to regain an appreciation for such things. Many see art as a luxury and possibly irresponsible. This could not be further from the truth. Art can be the meeting point of intelligence, creativity and commitment.

“An artist is not paid for his work but for his vision” –
James McNeil Whistler

Artists look deeper. They give themselves completely to a notion. Artists don’t take the easy way out. They are not motivated by material things, but by results. Often, they are on a search for the truth. Artists come in all shapes and sizes. They could be the assistant who always knows what his needs are before he needs them, or the engineer who is designing new technology.

“Art is a jealous mistress.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Often when looking for inspiration or ideas, I look to the past. I look at the great artists of an earlier time. If you want to know the truth about yourself or those around you, ask William Shakespeare. The great thing about Shakespeare is his ability to look deeper to really understand the soul. His characters are real. They are as real today as they were when he imagined them. He is very wise. Perceptions of him do not depend on time. They are relevant to business today. Look at Leonardo DaVinci, Michaelangelo or Alberti.

ideation

Ideation is the process of coming up with creative and quick pre-solutions to business problems. Sometimes ideation produces physical designs for products or buildings, and sometimes it produces processes or theoretical approaches. The creative flow for ideation is the same as Project Stream™. First you need to identify the influences. Next, evaluate the impacts of the influences. Then you conceptualize the solution. The heart of ideation lives in the conceptualization phase. This is the creative step.

There is a myth that creativity is something shared only by a privileged few. We can all be creative. There is a process for creativity. Kickstarting creativity sometimes requires deliberate techniques to get the juices flowing. Some use design charets or brainstorming sessions. Some use metaphors or paradigms as guiding influences.

Whatever the method, harnessing creativity is one of the keys to the future of business.