It doesn’t take a genius to invent things. It just takes an understanding of something and the right mental models to think things through. You don’t even need a scientific background. People from all walks of life invent things every day.
An invention is a new solution to an existing problem. It can be as complex as a robot that does brain surgery, or as simple as a cardboard sleeve to keep your cup of coffee from burning your hand. Every problem or annoyance you experience in everyday life is a potential invention.
You might think that some people are more creative than others, but that is a myth. Creativity is the set of tools your mind uses for solving problems. When you add more tools or hone the ones you have, you become more creative.
Creativity is a skill you can learn and practice just like any other skill. And just like any other skill, you can become “rusty” at creativity when you don’t practice it often. In How Ideas Are Made, I will offer a few tools for coming up with ideas, and also a few ways you can practice your creativity.
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