How to Be an Innovator for Life

I found this great talk by Tom Kelly at the Stanford Technology Ventures Program lecture series.  I found his ideas on how to be creative and innovative very encouraging. 

"Tom Kelley, general manager at the world-renowned design firm, IDEO, presents five core practices that enhance creativity. Through entertaining stories and examples, he describes how these techniques help us all become more innovative in every aspect of our lives and lead to more success."

 Here's some interesting quotes:

• "Every child is an artist.  The problem is to remain an artist when you grow up" - Picaso
• Be childlike as often as possible but not childish.
  
• Deep expertise is extremely valuable to the organization... but they start filtering things out as distractions
• Take an anthropology course
• If you figure out you are the most productive and creative from 8-10 am whatever you do, do not look at email or attend anything resembling a status meeting during that time.
• Find out what your muse is.
• The supreme achievement in life is to blur the line between work and play.
  

Major themes for staying innovative:

• Think like a traveler all the time (as if visiting for the fist time).  See with new eyes. 
  
• Treat life as an experiment.  You must actually be willing to fail.  "Fail forward."
  
• Have an attitude of wisdom.  A balance between trusting what you know and distrusting what you know to be true just enough to keep you from "resting on your laurels."
• Use your whole brain (left and right brain)
  
• Use your "tortoise mind".  (Work on an idea "in the background" or using your subconscious mind.)  You have to take time to daydream.
  
• Follow your passion. 
  

This talk is definately worth listening to!  Check out Young at Heart: How to Be an Innovator for Life or also on iTunes,   Here's a link to Tom Kelly's book on innovation.