Many people complain that they don't have any ideas.  They really do, but they just need a key
to unlock them.  The key is knowing that you have (because every person does) some inventiveness 
already.  It is a myth that only certain genius "types" can invent, and it is also a myth that you
need to have certain characteristics or learning styles to be creative or to be inventive.  
     Unlocking ideas in your mind is like drawing monet of a bank.  You have already been making 
deposits regularly.  Every time you question, "Why does this have to take so long, be so difficult,
or be so inconvenient?" you have the potential for an answery ou, better known as an innovative idea!  
     To help you unlock these ideas or to recognize your own strengths, the following thinking 
exercises and bits of advise are offered (Rowland 41).

			Challenge assumptions.
			Don't be afraid to make mistakes; learn from them instead.
			Take out "It can't be done" from your vocabulary.  Replace with, "How might it be?"
			Be open minded to new possibilities.

     To help you unlock potential ideas, or to think of inventions waiting to be discovered, the
following suggestions for observing the world around you may help.

			Observe things deeply, look beyond the obvious.
			Look at things in a different way, using all your senses.
			Ask why; then ask why not and why else?
			Experiment.

     To help you use idea-generating techniques and problem-solving approaches,  you may wish 
to use the following ways to analyze possibilites.

			Ask "What if?"
			Play with ideas, turning them around from your original ideas.
			Change or combine parts to make another new possibility.
			Use metaphors or analogies. 
			*Look at one thing and see something else.  (an exercise follows)

		ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG INVENTORS

     *A good BRAIN EXERCISE that helps with the inventing process is to select common household items
and think of different uses for them.  For example, find a paper cup.  Study it, turn it around, put 
it upside down; imagine if you added other simple objects to it.  What uses can you think of for it? 
Have a friend over and make a list.  See how many things you can think of together.  After you 
practice with household items for fun, you could try your creative thinking on objects you find in a
grocery store, at school, in a park, or other places.  How could these objects be improved?  How could
you make changes to these things to make entirely new uses for them? 
	 List your problems or inconveniences in a week and brainstorm ways to solve them.  One young 
girl (7 years old) didn't like cleaning the spoon after she fed her cat, so with the help of an 
adult, she designed a cat biscuit in the shape of a spoon so she didn't have to wash anything (Rowland 180).
What don't you like doing?  How else could you solve your problems?



     If you are aware that many challenges will probably face you in the time between getting an
idea and developing it successfully, you may be more prepared for the struggle ahead.  Seek to 
trust in yourself and you, too, will be able to recognize your own talents for thinking creatively.
That ancient bit of wisdom still helps:  "Know yourself."  To further help you "keep on keeping on"
and to persevere, the following list of inventor's traits (that you can "go for") are offered.

			Trusting your "hunches"
			Becoming absorbed in your passion.
			Not giving up in the face of ridicule from others.
			Not giving up when things aren't working; just seeing it as a challenge.
			Having confidence in your own ideas.
			Trusting your own judgement.
			Committing to ideas, even if it takes great resources of energy and time.
			Seeing efforts through to a conclusion or product.
	

	

 Think of a PROBLEM.
 
 
     A great idea would be to keep track of problems you encounter by writing them down, the 
beginning of an "inventor's notebook" for yourself.  If the problem interests you, personally,
you will have more enthusiasm for developing a solution for it.
     Be as specific as possible in stating your problem.  A good way to do this is to put the 
problem in question form, then you can begin your search for an answer.  For example:  How can
I scrub the tub in less time and more easily?  How can I avoid spilling my drinks in the car?  
How can I make it easier to find my keys?   
     Let's try a real-life example to warm up our brains.  Constance Moore lived in Arizona 
and played tennis daily.  Her problem was that her lipstick would melt in her purse by the 
time the tennis match was over.  She realized this must be a problem for many women in a hot
climate.  Try to brainstorm some solutions to her lipstick-melting problem.  After you've 
done some thinking, read the next paragraph to find out what Ms. Moore did.
     Constance Moore, using items at hand, joined two small plastic medicine vials, one inside
the other, and placed "blue ice" in the space between them.  This way, she created a cooler for
her lipstick.  In the evening she put her cooler in the freezer.  In the morning, she put her 
lipstick in its cooling holder. Even carrying it around all day in the heat, it kept cool.  
After making her prototype, she developed  a professional mold and an attractive design.  
Then she received a trademark for her "Koolips" name and went on to receive a patent for 
a Refrigerated Lip Stick Container in 1983.


	
 BRAINSTORM solutions, with others if possible.

     If your trusted friends or relatives can brainstorm ideas with you, you may have a distinct 
advantage.  Brainstorming in a group is a plus in several ways.  Others may instantly see a 
different solution, add expertise from a different perspective, offer different technical know-how
from yours, or take your original idea in a different direction that improves it or makes it more
widely applicable. 
	 Here's a refresher of guidelines to make brainstorming more effective and enjoyable.
Do not criticize!  Ideas won't flow if people feel that they or their ideas will be judged.  
Write down all ideas, without either praise or criticism.  Then the written list can be reviewed 
later.  
Take your time!   People usually come up with common ideas for the first few minutes of an
idea search.  If you don't rush and don't give up, the more innovative and creative ideas have the
time to happen.  Originality flows best after many minutes of getting the ordinary out of the way. 
Relax and take your time.
*Allow for fun and crazy ideas also!  Even wild ideas can later be tamed, and they will offer a 
basis for real orginality.  Don't discard improbable solutions; these might become a creative new 
approach when tamed  down.  Encourage fun ideas and you'll have more fun, also!
  For more information on brainstorming go to MIND TOOLS

ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG INVENTORS	

     A fun way to develop familiarity with the inventing process is to design what is known as a 
"Rube Goldberg" sequential style invention.  These inventions are for amusement and are based on 
the cartoons of Rube Goldberg.  He took simple tasks such as turning on a toaster and created absurd
sequential inventions to complete the task.  His cartoon character, a Professor Butts, had the goal
of making the simplest task incredibly complicated. 
     A serious point in all this is to learn that additive design is to be avoided.  A beginning 
inventor might be tempted to "add on" features after a basic design should be finished.  Elegant 
invention is the result of reducing design to be simple and efficient.   
     Using the Rube Goldberg style, see how many steps in a design you can create for a T.V. remote
control, a toaster, a personal fan, a mousetrap, or any other invention idea of your own.  







	
 KEEP A NOTEBOOK.
 

     To an inventor, a notebook is like a saving account.  Making deposits frequently assures you of
a bigger return on your investment.  Also, your dated entries may be used as a legal document should
a question arise about who got an idea first.  This is rare, but it does happen if two people request
a patent on the same idea at the same time.  
     More importantly, you will have a record of your evolution as an inventor and you will also have
an organized system for saving your ideas.  You may want to return to an older idea to add a new twist,
or you may want to refresh your memory about an idea you had previously.  Date your entries, and draw, 
as well as describe, your idea.  Use a bound notebook with pages that cannot be easily inserted.  
Do not use a loose-leaf notebook.  Number each page consecutively (don't skip any).  Every time you 
write an entry relating to your invention's progress, date and sign it.  Don't leave blank spaces in
the middle of your notes or a patent  examiner trying to determine when you got your ideas, may feel
you have cheated by allowing spaces to fill in information later.  Not every day or every week, but
periodically, have someone else witness and sign and date a few pages.  This will provide proof that 
you were the first to think of an invention and that you worked on it diligently. 
     Many people prefer to carry a small pocket-size notebook with them at all times to record ideas 
immediately so the ideas are fresh and before information is forgotten.  Later, information can be 
transferred to your workshop notebook so it can become part of your official record of the process 
of your invention.
	
	

	
 "To give a fair chance to potential creativity is a matter 
  of life and death for any society."
  --Arnold Toynbee

	

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