Creativity

Success in design involves a good deal of common sense, the ability to plan and organize, a preference for simple solutions as opposed to complex ones, dissatisfaction with the status quo, attention to detail, and an appreciation for constraints of time, material properties, and cost. In what follows, creativity will be considered first followed by description of a number of design solutions. 

The main activity of the engineer is to put science to work. This fi equently calls for new ideas and concepts and an approach that is novel and untried. Increasing one s creativity involves the development of a personality in harmony with innovation. At the same time, it requires the adoption of a few habits of action, which are particularly useful in this endeavor. Attributes that enhance and discourage creativity will first be discussed, and some useful habits of action which enhance creativity will then be identified. Finally, two examples illustrating the points being made will be given. 

It is not difficult to identify creative engineers since they are the ones who come forward with new and unusual solutions to problems. When the characteristics and attributes of more creative people are identified, they are found to correspond to Fig. 12. 1. Blocks to creativity are given inFig. 12.2. A personality favorable toward creativity may be developed by moving in Ihe direction of Fig. 12.1 and away from Fig. 12.2. Of course, the earlier this 

Energetic and hard working Does not value security and status symbols Has good senses of humor Independent and outspoken Insensitive to surroundings 

Overly protective of own ideas Unwilling to accept ideas of others Desire to conform 

Ronald Fieve, of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, achieved national attention ( New Old Treatment, 1973) in newspapers and magazines when he presented theatrical producer-director Joshua Logan at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association, where Logan gave a testimonial for lithium. 

The entire question of testimonials for various treatments is a difficult and complex one. Quack cures, for example, often have avid supporters. Logan (1976), in his autobiography, described his many contacts with psychiatric treatment over the years, including earlier public testimonials for psychiatry. He expressed surprise that people are critical of electroshock treatment, which he found to be very benign.  

Logan s own psychiatrist, Fieve, coauthored an article (Polatin et al., 1971) describing three individuals (rare cases, in the authors opinion) who rejected maintenance lithium, two of whom did so specifically on the grounds that it interfered with their creativity as writers of bestsellers These patients report that lithium carbonate inhibits creativity so that the individual is unable to express himself, drive is diminished, and there is no incentive.  

Despite their claim that lithium does not interfere with creativity, Schou and Baastrup (1973) described its inhibiting, flattening effect  

It is not always the elation that is missed. An undertaker s customers, mistaking depressive sadness for compassion, complained about his appearance of indifference when he was in lithium treatment. Another patient regretted that in discussions he was unable to attain the level of excitement he considered necessary Doctor, I am a communist and I must get excited when I discuss. There are also patients who feel that lithium treatment makes life flat and less colorful, curbs their activity, and prevents them from going as fast as they would like. In most cases these complaints disappear when the patients become used to the stable life course. 

---

We live today in a computer age, which has meant some startling changes in the ways we understand freedom, creativity and language. This major book looks at the implications. 

The Creative Computer Donald R. Michie and Rory Johnston... 

Creativity and lateral thinking can work together for managers in developing new products or ideas Edward de Bono shows how. 

Volume 14 of the Pelican Freud Library contains Freud s major essays on Leonardo, Michelangelo and Dostoevsky, plus shorter pieces on Shakespeare, the nature of creativity and much more. 

The Ukrainian Society for Non-Destructive Testing and Technical Diagnostics (US NDT TD) was established at the meeting of the leading experts of the country, on October 28, 1990, The aim of the Society s activity is consolidation of the efforts of scientists and engineers for development of their creative and business activity, information exchange, satisfying the professional interests, development of international contacts on NDT TD. 

Creative Arts Bldg. 181 Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47405 (812) 855-5539... 

Concluding his remarks Kekule merged his advocacy of creative imagination with the rigorous standards of science by reminding his audience... 

Benzene Dreams and Creative Thinking Carbon Clusters Fullerenes and Nanotubes... 

A flavor differential item is an additive or combination of additives that when smelled or tasted has Httle, if any, character reminiscent of the named flavor. It gives roundness and fixation to the flavor. It may be added by the flavor chemist to confuse simulation of the flavor, and it is neither characteristic of, nor essential to, the intended flavor. The greatest examples of creativity are found in this area. 

H. L. Hanson, Creativity, Innovation and Intellectual yisset Management, Honeywell, Inc., 1984. 

Men s Fragrances. Earlier ia the twentieth century, men s fragrances were expected to have a masculine direction, such as tobacco, leather, fougere, or citms, even if only in name. This is no longer tme, however since the 1970s, men s perfumes have become less conservative and have allowed much more creative use of rich woody, ambery, and green notes. 

Chypre Family. This is an extremely popular group that was well received at the end of the 1940s. It is not exclusively masculine since many women s perfumes have been used as models for fragrances in this family. This group represents creativity at its best and shows how well a basic chypre accord can blend with new themes. 

Synthesis. Exploratory research has produced a wide variety of odorants based on natural stmctures, chemicals analogous to naturals, and synthetic materials derived from available raw materials and economical processing. As in most areas of the chemical industry, the search for new and useful substances is made difficult by the many materials that have been patented and successfully commercialized (4). In the search for new aroma chemicals, many new materials are prepared for screening each year. Chemists who perform this work are involved in a creative exercise that takes its direction from the commercial sector in terms of desirable odor types and specific performance needs. Because of economic limitations, considerations of raw material costs and available processing methods may play a role eady in the exploratory work. 

Similarly, airborne emission limits have been estabHshed by the NRC for nonrestricted areas. Limits of surface contamination must be estabHshed to provide a safe workplace for users (19). The appHcation of the as-low-as-reasonably-achievable (ALARA) principle to the above draws on the creative talents of the user to regard the limits as nonapproachable barriers and not as tolerable maxima for discharge. 

SONY To experience the sheer joy that comes from the advancement, appHcation, and innovation of technology that benefits the general pubHc to elevate the Japanese culture and national status to be a pioneer...not following others, but doing the impossible, respecting and encouraging each individual s abiUty and creativity. 

Do we have the creative climate, tools, and resources conducive to the creation of inventions Do we recognize the importance of a proprietary position Have we developed a patent strategy ... 

C. W. Prather and L. K. Gundry, Blueprints For Innovation How Creative Processes Can Make You And Your Company More Competitive, American Management Association, New York, 1995. 

---