A feature of an object is an effect of an interaction. New features then come from new interactions.

This definition, inspired by the philosopher Nietzsche, has broad implications for creativity.

1. New features come from new interactions. Superconductivity in ceramics resulted from a new interaction: a particular ceramic material interacting with electricity and a near-absolute-zero temperature. Interacting microwaves with candy in Percy Spencer's pocket led to the discovery of a new feature of microwaves--that they could cook food. In contrast, well-known features come from well-known interactions. Water conducts electricity. Water turns into ice at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. These common features of water result from common interactions.

2. Find new, obscure features of your object of interest by interacting it with things and conditions it has never interacted with before.  For example, interacting a fluctuating electromagnetic field with a metal cooking pot heats up the pot, which cooks the food in the pot (i.e., induction cooking). Or, interact the concept of earbuds with the concept of a zipper and you get tangle-free earbuds--a new feature of both earbuds and zippers.

3. The number of features of an object most likely grows on a daily basis.  Each day, patent offices around the world grant patents to new objects and materials. Interact any common object or material (e.g., rice) with the new objects and materials granted patents and you are sure to discover new features of the common object/material. For example, use can use rice to dry out your wet cell phone. Thus, you have a new feature of rice: the ability to salvage wet cell phones.

4. No feature of an object has a static value, but dynamically changes as circumstances change. The mass of an object, once thought to be an unchanging feature, increases as the object approaches the speed of light. Mass is the result of an interaction between the object and its speed. Recently, the mass of an object has been shown to result from interactions between the sub-atomic particles of the object and Higgs bosons. Similarly, all features we thought were static are really the result of interactions. Features do not "belong" to the object but "belong" to the interaction.

"You have to think outside the box." This common statement doesn't help us be creative. We need to know more. How far outside the box? And how do you get there?

You have to think just outside the box--one or two steps. Here is an example and a method for getting to that sweet spot just beyond the common features to the obscure ones.

Inside the box above are a few of the common features of a candle. Being motionless is a commonly overlooked (i.e., obscure) feature and thus ideal for grounding new candle designs. But how do you get just outside the box to the obscure features? One way is to examine the 50 types of features that all objects could possess. In this way, both the common and obscure features will become apparent. See the blog entry 50 Viewing Lenses to learn the specifics and see one of our candle-in-motion designs, the self-snuffing candle, produced by this method.

For example, suppose you want to create new kinds of candles. Innovative designs are built on the commonly overlooked (i.e., obscure) features, but how do you notice what is obscure about a candle (or any other object, for that matter)?

Let's look at the candle through 50 different lenses and notice which lenses are rarely used for a candle. Each lens represents a different type of feature that any object could possess.

When examining a candle, people generally notice the size, color, and shape of the candle. But almost no one notices motion--that a candle is motionless when it burns. It is just too obvious to come into awareness. However, when shown a rocking chair, people notice motion right away. So, motion is obscure for candles and thus a good feature upon which to build new candle designs.

Let's build a candle that goes into motion of its own dynamics. The rising hot air from candles has been used to turn little fans above candles, but weight loss of candles is a feature that is generally overlooked and thus underutilized. Using weight loss to cause vertical motion led to the self-snuffing candle, which has been licensed for production by Pilgrim Candle.

As it burns the candle loses weight and slowly moves upward. After a while, it will move into the snuffer and extinguish itself. Make it look ornate and adjust the counterweight to alter the time before snuffing and you have a new candle built upon two obscure features: motion and weight loss.

This is just one of our moving candle designs and there are many more obscure features of candles that the 50 Viewing Lenses uncovered. The 50 Viewing Lenses can be applied to any physical object to help notice its obscure features. Once obscure features are noticed, then innovative designs come quickly.

Contact Dr. Tony McCaffrey to learn all 50 lenses.

We’ve all heard of Six Degrees of Separation among people. Well, did you know there are Three Degrees of Separation among concepts? Our mental network is densely interconnected--a fact that helps us be creative.

Given any two concepts, there is a path through at most two other concepts that leads from one to the other. I have never found two concepts that are separated by more than two intermediate concepts (i.e., 3 degrees). All connections must be close associations—see example below. 

This game is useful as a warm-up to practice finding connections between distant concepts--a skill that is crucial for creativity. In fact, the dense interconnectedness of our mental network makes creativity possible. If our mental network was sparsely interconnected, we would not necessarily be able to bring two distant concepts into a close relationship. 

Example: How can we get from brick to banana using just 2 (or 1) intermediate concepts? Here are 3 possible pathways.

Brick   ____________    _____________    Banana

Solution #1: Brick           Building           Supermarket      Banana

Bricks are used in making buildings. Supermarket is a type of building. Bananas are sold in supermarkets.

Solution #2: Brick           Oven           Bread        Banana

Brick can be used to make an oven. Bread is a made in an oven. Bananas can be part of bread.

Solution #3: Brick           Yellow Brick Road           Yellow        Banana

Brick is part of the Yellow Brick Road, which has the color yellow. Bananas are also yellow.

Pick any two random nouns--adjectives and verbs are too easy. Try these. They each have multiple pathways to get from one to the other.

Egg   ____________    _____________    Tunnel

License   ____________    _____________    Cabbage

Clock   ____________    _____________    Lobster

Styrofoam   ____________    _____________    Prayer