Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• I don't have a creative bone in my body. Where's your proof?
• If I was born creative, what happened?
• How can I play The New Creativity Game with friends and colleagues?

I don't have a creative bone in my body. Where's your proof?

So what do you think creativity is? Building a skyscraper? Painting a Mona Lisa? Writing Sonnets? Sure, all of these are creative. But so is choosing what to wear in the morning. So is choosing what to eat. Creativity is coming up with something new and different - even if it is just new and different for you. You have a thousand little quirks that separate you from everyone else on this planet. And every quirky thing you do writes another line in your unique biography. You have family stories, jokes and laughter. You have had suffering in your life, drama and suspense. You have been writing a fascinating autobiography since the day you were born. You just never bothered to write it down. You are being creative every moment of your life with every word you speak, every thing you see, and every thought you have.

Still not convinced? Go take a look at Theory of Creativity.

If I was born creative, what happened?

What happened?! "Do-Gooders" happened! The do-gooders tell you the right way to do things. They tell you to follow the rules. Heck, they make up the rules! They call them laws, regulations, formulae, recipes, instructions, scripts, and lots more. Your creativity has been stomped on from the first time you heard, "Don't do that!" and "Stop that!" In fact, "No!" was the beginning of your creative downward spiral. Your creativity was a swan in flight which got shot with thousands of "No!"s. (Don't like my grammar? That's another one of them rules - grammar! syntax! Get over it! You're free now! You're CREATIVE!)

How can I play The New Creativity Game with friends and colleagues?

You can play The New Creativity Game by yourself or, even better, with a friend. Frequently, the ideas of one person spark ideas in another. By playing with another person, you are likely to expand your overall creativity than when playing alone. And through the internet, your friend can be virtually anywhere in the world. As for the game itself, the rules are really only guidelines, so you can make up whatever you like. Here are just a few ideas to spark your creativity:

• DOUBLE UP. You could phone your friend or use a "chat room." Instant messaging of any sort should work. (Talking right through a cubicle wall is wonderful "instant messaging.") Of course, you can sit side-by-side, too. Together, you can play any of the playlines of the guidelines.
  
  
• MAKE UP A STORY. The first player begins a story based upon one card. When the cards change, the player will call out, "AND THEN." With this, the next player adds to the story based upon the new cards. Play will then alternate between players ("... and then," "... and then," "... and then," etc.) until the cards come back to the original pair.
  
  
• LET'S PARTY - HIGH SCORE WINS. If you cannot easily communicate with the other player(s), have each player use the same card pair and list all creative relationships found. When the the game ends, each player sends a copy of his or her list to the other player(s). Relationships duplicated on any two or more lists are stricken; ideas appearing soley on one list will give that player a point. After tallying for all players, the highest score wins. (A point penalty and/or time deadline may be used to encourage players to submit their lists to the other players promptly.)
  
  
• ADD DIFFICULTY. As you become more and more creative and innovative, you may find the cards less challenging. You can increase the challenge by selecting only parts of the cards to play. For instance, in the pelican card, you can choose the wing as the sole target. On the adjoining locomotive card, the wheels could be the target. Only relationships using those two parts of the cards would be legal. Another way to increase difficulty is by adding objects or activities going around you. These could be from your desk, from anything seen through a window, or caught on a TV just to name a few. Using family snapshots or pictures in magazines are other great and easy ways to enhance play and add challenge.
  
  
• WORK REAL ISSUES. Try using the cards to form analogies to solve real problems. For example, "The order-entry system is just like a pelican. It should scoop up large amounts of orders at one time and then funnel them into the order processing system." "The order-processing system should be just like a locomotive. In a locomotive, water transfers from the tank, through the fired tubes, converts to steam, and then goes into the pistons. This is a standardized workflow. If the locomotive's workflow breaksdown, the engine stops. Our orders need to follow a standard workflow, too. If order-processing breaks down, the business stops." This ability to create analogies has at least two uses. First, it may help solve a technical or other problem. Second, it can be useful in communicating with others. The exact issue may be too complex to quickly relate to another person. Analogies can help facilitate any communication - especially of complex ideas. "The problem is like a locomotive on display in a park. As powerful as it may be, the track is limited, and the train has nowhere to go. You need an effective distribution plan before we will invest in this technology."
  
  
• PLAY "BREAK THE RULE!" For what ever card you pull, write down what you understand about it. For the "Pelican" card, what do you know about pelicans? What is the pelican doing? Where is the pelican? Each answer you give is one of your "rules." The object of this game is to break every rule. "It's a pelican. No, no! It's a bird with a head made from a carpet bag!" "A pelican eats fish. Why NO! A pelican eats leprechauns! No again! The pelican runs on solar cells and doesn't need to eat!" Whatever comes to mind is perfect. The object is to break through your habits of thought. The more habits of thought you can break, the better.
  
  
• MERGE THE CARDS. Many creative solutions are born of analogies. Use one card as an analogy for the other. "The pelican is like a steam locomotive. It travels fast or slow. It can stop and start. It stokes fuel (fish as opposed to coal or wood)." Or try making one out of the other - make a locomotive shaped like a pelican or covered in feathers. Perhaps a locomotive painted with a pelican motif. How about a pelican with wheels instead of webbed feet? Perhaps a pelican that whistles like a locomotive as it dives into the ocean. Apply anything and everything from one card to the other. Mix and match, merge and smash. The more outrageous and unlikely your concoctions, the better.
  
  
• BE CREATIVE!!! The rules are for you to break, bend, enhance, or modify. How ever you want to play the game, have at it. If you have a fun variant that you and friends enjoy, tell me about it! I'll post it on this site for others to enjoy!