First, watch this TED Talk by our next author, Steven Johnson, on the phenomena of where good ideas come from. Leave two connections to Austin Kleon's Steal Like an Artist.
Finally, watch this video by Sarah Lewis called "Embrace the Near win." Find two connections on how this relates to innovation or creativity.
The first coffee house to open in London was pretty successful. Steven Johnson points to the fact that they are going from drinking basically nothing but alcohol, a depressant, to drinking coffee and tea, a stimulant. That would do wonders for the mind and its ability to process. The "invention" of the coffee house was extremely successful, but was it really invented, or was it stolen? A building where people meet to socialize and enjoy a beverage sounds extremely similar to a bar, which I assume were fairly popular at the time in London.
ReplyDeleteI like how in the first video he says that we take ideas from other people and stitch them together to make a new form. I think this is a very good way to put "the stealing" of ideas that goes on. We are just taking good ideas and blending them with other good ideas. This is what people have been doing for years, and it has gotten us very far by helping us develop new things. This relates to Steal Like an Artist in the way that Austin Kleon also talks about how we develop our "new" idea and characteristics from other people and things we observe.
ReplyDeleteI like the story he tells about how GPS was developed and the message that goes with it. You shouldn't be afraid to try out new ideas. In fact people need to try out their ideas more often. It is how we expand and grow. Like Steven Johnson pointed out, we would probably not have GPS at all if the people didn't take the initiative to test out their idea. This relates to Steal Like an Artist in the way that they both express that you need to step out more and embrace your ideas. Don't worry if they seem stupid or that they don't work, just try.
Another point that came to mind when watching Steven Johnson was that innovation doesn't just appear out of nowhere. It is similar to Austin Kleon's idea in chapter two of "Steal Like an Artist" that you aren't born innovative. You need to be able to take little ideas from what you know and create them into something bigger. The incubator that Steven Johnson talked about is the perfect example. The people who created the idea had zero idea what they were doing. They didn't wake up and say, "Let's make an incubator today, it'll be easy!" They saw something that they could use from what they already new, and the created something bigger and better.
ReplyDeleteIn the first video Steven Johnson talks about how innovation happens by people stitching ideas from other people and things to create something new. I connected this to the way that Austin Kleon says that we should steal ideas and take bits and pieces from others to create something. Nothing is truly original because everyone steals things from others and just remixes them into something of their own.
ReplyDeleteThe other connection that I made to "Steal Like An Artist" is when Johnson talks about the slow hunch. It reminded me about the part in Kleon's book where he talks about how you shouldn't wait to get started when you have finally figured out who you are. If you do you will end up wasting a lot of time, and probably time that you could have been doing something that would have helped you figure out who you were. People linger on things and work on other things when in the back of their head they have this idea that could potentially be great. Sometimes people are just scared to start.
I think what Sarah Lewis is trying to say is that you need to become a master at a certain topic before you can truly become innovative in that field. That takes time. I like when she said something along the lines of 'Mastery is sacrificing for the craft, not about sacrificing to for the craft of your career.' I also like that she says mastery is reaching for your goal, and trying to get further, it isn't being at your "peak." I think that you need to master a topic, and let your innovation fly, take the topic a direction it has never been taken, and find a way to make that into your career.
ReplyDeleteI really like how she says that success is hitting the target, but mastery is being able to hit it again and again. I think people need to hear this more. Just because you did good at something, does not make you an expert. You need to keep working at it. This reminds me of a section in Steal Like an Artist where he talks about keeping all of your hobbies and working on them. Don't just it because you think you are good enough or because you suck at it. That is why you should keep the hobby, because you haven't mastered it.
ReplyDeleteI like her statement the mastery is about sacrificing for your craft, and not for the sake of crafting your career. To me, this statement say that you should not give up what you are passionate about for a career that you just think is okay. The sacrifices in your life should be about something you really care about, not simply a job or to make other people happy. It is important for you yourself to be happy, not for you to neglect yourself to make other people happy. This relates to Steal Like an Artist in the way that both seem to really stress the point of stay dedicated to what you are passionate about. Don't give up what you love just because it is easier than following through.
In Sarah Lewis's video I really thought the part where she talks about the "near win" could be connected to innovation and creativity. She talks about how success is just a moment, but there is so much that has to go in to getting that moment. I remember the video where that one guy did his workouts and stopped right when he was close to his end. I think we need to know what near wins feel like so that we can get to the actual win. To have innovation and creativity we have to have a lot of "near wins" so that we can keep on going and make something or do something remarkable.
ReplyDeleteI really thought that the part where she talks about the frustration difference between a silver medalist and a bronze medalist was important to creativity and innovation. A silver medalist typically feels much more regret because they almost had that win, whereas the bronze was most likely just happy to medal. But the silver medalist is now probably going to try as hard as they can to get that gold medal next time. The frustration is their drive to be innovative and creative to come up with ways to be better and get the win the next time out.
In Austin Kleon's book "Steal Like an Artist," he wrote a quote from Gary Panter, "If you have one person you're influences by, everyone will say you're the next whoever. But if you rip off a hundred people, everyone will say you're so original!" Sarah Lewis talked a lot about completion, and she doesn't think that completion is really attainable, and I tend to agree. Whatever it is that you do, somebody else will always be able to improve on it. It's all about what you have experienced, what you know, and having to courage to give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteSteven Johnson speaks on how great ideas often times require long periods of incubation. Austin Kleon mentions in chapter two of steal like an artist that if you have an idea, then you should start working with them imediately. The time frame of your idea blooming could be shortened if you work right away instead of stewing on your ideas.
ReplyDeleteJohnson also speaks on the events relating to side projects that a few researchers at APL did with sputnik. It reminded me of Kleon's chapter on side projects and hobbies. Using the doppler effect, The researchers found out, with the help of other friends, how to track the satelitte. This innovation was born from a side project. Hobbies and side projects are very important.
In the first video by Steven Johnson I saw the connection to Steal like an artist in his liquid network model. If two people come together with a half of an idea than innovation will occur. The fact that ideas don't come from a single person or place but a network is much like Kleons idea that nothing is original. Every idea comes from somewhere or someone and we add our idea to theirs to create something new. Everyone coming together and sharing ideas is prime for the creation of innovation.
ReplyDeleteThe second point from his video is a relation to Kleons collecting idea. The slow hunch talked about how we already have an idea well before we find it and used the example of Darwin and his notes. He was collecting them all but he couldn't put them together until he had every one. We collect ideas and save them until we know what we can use them for. The slow hunch is basically saving ideas you steal for a later time when you know what you can do.
In the second video I found a connection to innovation in the near win. If we don't find success but we came near it, we will constantly try to make ourselves better and to change or innovate our work till we win. When we have a near win we find ourselves more likely to keep trying and to innovate.
It also relates to creativity in saying that creativity cannot be captured in a single success. We are always in the process of trying to be creative and to master what we do. We are creative in our work to find mastery. "We thrive not when we've done it all, but when we still have more to do" Masters realize that there isn't really an end to anything. There is always room to be creative.
Sarah Lewis is basically saying practice makes perfect. Accomplishing something once doesn’t mean you’re good at it unless you can accomplish that something again and again. I like how she says success is just a moment. Mastery is something that stays with you, and isn’t the same as excellence, it’s a value.
ReplyDeleteMastery has to be persistent. Like her story with the girl and the target, that’s how we need to act in order to master something. You have to keep trying even if you mess up a few times. Messing up is what will help you to you’ve practiced how to get around that. Again, practice makes perfect and that is the point she is trying to get across.
I really connected with how he said that success is hitting the target and that mastery is knowing you can hit the target again and again. Anyone can work at something to be successful but it takes mastery to continue being successful. I also think to be truly creative you have to master something. I can relate this personally to doing makeup. Anyone can watch a youtube video and make your face look good but it takes mastery to take a group of products, create a look, and create something completely from your mind.
ReplyDeleteThis also goes with the second video. You have to practice things and to be able to master something. I really believe that you can't be 100% creative without mastering something. When you go through the process you learn how to deal with your failures and that gives you more ideas of how to get around the failure and more ideas of how to not fail in the future.
Chaotic places bring out the best innovation in people. You get inspiration from random things that you see or maybe even hear. I like how Steven Johnson claims that our offices and workplaces should look a little more chaotic rather than a plain chair and desk. The more stuff we are surrounded by, the more inspiring things come to our minds.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting how he said people sometimes keep ideas in their heads for decades. Think of how many great ideas that might be out there but someone doesn’t know how to get it out of their head? This is where taking risks comes in. If you think it’s a good idea you’ll have to take a risk to get it across to others.
In Steven Johnson's video, I connected with the idea that innovation often correlates with time and place. If the Soviet's hadn't launched Sputnik when they did, GPS may not have been developed for a longtime. I also took away that when significant life style changes are made, innovation and production increases. An example of is the creation of coffee houses in England. The latter two takeaways relate to Steal Like an Artist by demonstrating that you should always be looking to innovate, especially in significant moments.
ReplyDelete"Masters aren't experts because they take their subject to its conceptual end, their masters because they realize their subject has no end." To me, this statement demonstrates that you can never stop exploring your passion, you must never settle for not knowing the reasons. This ultimately brings back the point that finding your passion or true calling is ultimately everything. When you have found your passion or something worth spending your whole life investigating, endless creation and innovation will come naturally.
ReplyDeleteWe have to steer away from the normal or the way everyone has their ideas. Our ideas are not one single thing, as Steven Johnson says, ideas are a network. We have to get our brain to process these new networks in a creative way for the ideas to work. This reminds me of the book, "Steal like an Artist." It talks about how creativity and yourself work together.
ReplyDeleteWe steal ideas from other people to make it something of our own. We might still do the same concept but we stick with the same idea. This relates to Austin Kleon's book. It's just using what other people have come up with but making it into something of our own. It shouldn't be thought of as coping.
I like how Sarah Lewis talks about how if we want to hit a target, we have to aim a little off from it. It's like thinking of a new idea, but thinking of things kind of related to it to think of the really big idea. It's like making a house, build the foundation, put up the walls, and soon enough you have the finished project, even thought it didn't start out like that.
ReplyDeleteSome people's in completes, could be someone else's masterpiece. Creativity can be different for everyone. Everyone is different and thinks things different. Everyone will always think something is wonderful, while others would never do anything with it.