Card #40 – ”You Are the Idea”

Card #40 – ”You Are the Idea” from the Creative Whack Pack

Available on the iOS App Store and as a physical deck of cards

Identifying with your issue is a great way to get a different perspective.

For example, suppose you’re trying to improve the design of a toaster. What would it be like to actually be a toaster? How would you receive bread? What’s it like when your heating elements go on? What happens when seeds fall to the bottom?

Imagine that you’re a parking meter. How does it feel when coins are inserted in you? What’s it like when you’re “expired.” What sounds might you make? How could you be easier to use?

The results of playful speculation can yield quite practical results. A noted scientist once asked himself,

“What if I were an elevator falling through space at the speed of light, and a shaft of light entered the elevator? What would the light’s behavior be?”

By investigating such possibilities, Albert Einstein developed some of his early relativity concepts.

— How would you feel if you were the idea you’re developing?

— If your problem were a person, what kind of attributes would it have?

• How old would it be?

• Sociable or reclusive?

• Athletic? Intellectual?

• Would it have brothers and sisters?

• Who are its parents?

• Does it have children?

• What kinds of pets does it have?

• What are its politics?

• Does it have any hobbies?

• What about its religion?

• What does it believe in?

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