Comments on: Creativity at Any Age http://haykin.net/innovationsparks/2010/02/20/creativity-at-any-age/ Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:24:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Maureen Devlin http://haykin.net/innovationsparks/2010/02/20/creativity-at-any-age/comment-page-1/#comment-458 Maureen Devlin Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:50:52 +0000 http://haykin.net/innovationsparks/?p=321#comment-458 Great article! Great website! I think one of the keys to creativity in your later years is clearing and focusing one's personal landscape to make time and room for new ideas and new action. I'm looking forward to sharing this website and article with my colleagues in education. Great article! Great website! I think one of the keys to creativity in your later years is clearing and focusing one’s personal landscape to make time and room for new ideas and new action. I’m looking forward to sharing this website and article with my colleagues in education.

]]> By: Dan Roberts http://haykin.net/innovationsparks/2010/02/20/creativity-at-any-age/comment-page-1/#comment-454 Dan Roberts Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:57:08 +0000 http://haykin.net/innovationsparks/?p=321#comment-454 Hey Randy, Sidney Frank poppped into my mind when I read this post. I believe he was in his sixties when he started importing Jaegermeister in the United States and in his late seventies when he created Grey Goose Vodka. Not too shabby for an "old fart." I think that the formation of new ideas stems from encountering new, random stimuli in your life and subsequently being forced to figure out how those stimuli fit into your understanding of the world. Being forced to evaluate those stimuli gives you the chance to make connections across concepts and industries. This obviously happens more often with young people, because they are still learning and trying new things. Older people have to do this less, as their career and worldviews solidify over time. However, I think you are correct, it doesn't have to be this way. It is no coincidence that a mid-life career change often sparks a person down a path to creating a new innovation. Older people just need to be more proactive in making sure that they are constantly pushing themselves to encounter new and novel ideas. I talk about this and the origins of creativity extensively in my new book, The Innovator's Sourcebook. Anyone interested can check it out here: www.innovatorssourcebook.com Hey Randy, Sidney Frank poppped into my mind when I read this post. I believe he was in his sixties when he started importing Jaegermeister in the United States and in his late seventies when he created Grey Goose Vodka. Not too shabby for an “old fart.”

I think that the formation of new ideas stems from encountering new, random stimuli in your life and subsequently being forced to figure out how those stimuli fit into your understanding of the world. Being forced to evaluate those stimuli gives you the chance to make connections across concepts and industries. This obviously happens more often with young people, because they are still learning and trying new things. Older people have to do this less, as their career and worldviews solidify over time. However, I think you are correct, it doesn’t have to be this way. It is no coincidence that a mid-life career change often sparks a person down a path to creating a new innovation. Older people just need to be more proactive in making sure that they are constantly pushing themselves to encounter new and novel ideas.

I talk about this and the origins of creativity extensively in my new book, The Innovator’s Sourcebook. Anyone interested can check it out here: http://www.innovatorssourcebook.com

]]>