This document provides guidance on finding ideas through exploration and association. It encourages the reader to keep an open mind, freely explore different environments and experiences, and make new associations between old and new ideas. Specific tips include observing people and media, asking questions, listening without distractions, capturing ideas in a notebook, networking, learning from failures, and looking for ideas in unexpected places. The overall message is that being open to fresh experiences and connections can lead to spotting new ideas.

1. Grace Before Reading a Book
Eternal Father, as we open the pages of this book we have
chosen to read, we would express our gratitude for all the noble
thoughts which the mind of man has given to the world.
We are grateful for the opportunity afforded us by good books to
become companions of great minds and hearts. May we keep our
minds always open and receptive to truth and beauty, knowing that
these finally are manifested in our character.
May we treat this book as we respect and admire a friend. May
we always choose for our reading moments books which will elevate
our hearts, ennoble our minds, and lift our spirits.
For all the good things which come our way, we are grateful and,
most of all, dear Father, may we be worthy of them. Amen.

2. ideaSPOTTING
HOW TO FIND YOUR NEXT GREAT IDEA
SAM HARRISON

3. ideaSPOTTER vs trainSPOTTER
winner loser
capture lots of
ideas

4. EXPLORATION IN LIFE
ASSOCIATIONS
HOW AND WHERE TO FIND IDEAS?

5. EXPLORE – open mind
ASSOCIATE – watch, ask and eavesdrop

6. OLD IDEAS
Associate
OLD IDEAS
OLD IDEAS
Associate
NEW IDEAS
NEW IDEAS
Associate
NEW IDEAS

7. Five steps and 101 tips for creativity on command focuses on a
five-step methodology for generating idea.
IdeaSpotting focuses on the Explore
phase of the creative process – using
exploration and association to
spot great ideas!
There is no formula for creativity.
No cookie-cutter solution.
BUT THERE IS DEFINITELY A FLOWING
FORM IN THE WAY HIGHLY CREATIVE
PEOPLE GLIDE TOWARD EXCITING,
ENDLESS IDEAS.
EXPLORE
OBSERVE & LISTEN
FREEDOM
BRAINSTORM &VISUALIZE
EMBRACE
EDIT & SELECT
PAUSE
STOP & DETACH
LIFE
PROTOTYPE & IMPLEMENT

8. exploring begins with an open mind.
START WITH A BLANK SLATE.
FILL IT WITH INSIGHTS.
OPEN MIND
CREATIVE EXPLORING
FRESH EXPERIENCES
KNOWLEDGE & INSIGHTS

9. EXPLORE
RANGES OF POSSIBILITY.

10. FREE – RANGE
EXPLORATION
FIRING RANGE
EXPLORATION
YOUR PIERIAN SPRING
OF INSIGHT
PIERIAN SPRING: n. A source of inspiration. (From Greek
mythology; a spring in Macedonia, sacred to the Muses.)
- Fill your work with life
- It’s a BIG WORLD

11. ENTERTAINMENT
(MOVIES, THEATER, MUSIC, ZOOS, THEME PARKS, ETC.)
1.
2.
MEDIA
(NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, BOOKS, TV, RADIO, ETC.)
1.
2.
FOOD
(RESTAURANTS, SNACKS, HOME-COOKED MEALS, ETC.)
1.
2.
PEOPLE
(FRIENDS, STRANGERS, CUSTOMERS, COWORKERS, ETC.)
1.
2.

14. “Sometimes during the two-year curriculum,
every MBA student should ought to ear it
clearly stated that number, techniques and
analysis are all side matters. What is central to
business is the joy of creating.”
Peter Robinson,
Snapshots from Hell:
The Making of an MBA

15. WHAT YOU SEE
IS WHAT YOU GET.

16. THE MORE you look, THE MORE YOU find.
Be current.
IDEAS LIVE IN LIFESTYLES. LOOK INTO
LIFESTYLES.
WHAT PUBLICATIONS, WEB SITES AND EVENTS CAN HELP YOU MONITOR THE LIFESTYLES OF
YOUR AUDIENCES?
PUBLICATIONS WEB SITES EVENTS
FASHION
FOOD
MUSIC
SPORTS
HOMES
HOBBIES
OUTDOORS
POLITICS
OTHERS

17. rashomon effect:
n. The effect of subjectivity of perception. For every event
there are X versions of what happened, with X equal to
or greater than the number of witnesses. A well-known
phenomenon to detectives, reporters and creative
explorers!

18. GET A SQUIRREL’S camera.
Ever wonder how squirrels find all those nuts they
hide? They make mental snapshots, according to
Dr. Temple Grandin, an autistic person who uses
her autism to help explore animal behavior. After
burying a nut, the squirrel looks right and left
before moving on. He’s taking mental pictures of
physical coordinates, reports Dr. Grandin, and the
visual memory later helps him recover the nut.

20. LISTENING 101
a. CLOSE MOUTH
b. OPEN EARS
LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT CUSTOMERS
WANT.

21. • WE IGNORE THE PERSON
• WE PRETEND TO LISTEN
• WE SELECTIVELY LISTEN
• WE ATTENTIVELY LISTEN
“I would say that listening to other person’s emotions may be the
most important thing I’ve learned in twenty years of business.”
Heath Herber.
FOUNDER
Herber Company

22. LISTEN WITHOUT
multitasking (on the phone).

23. “Tell me a story’ still comprises
four of the most powerful
words in English.”
-Pat Conroy, AUTHOR

24. ask the question, play the
fool.
don’t ask the question,
STAY THE FOOL.
“ The important thing is not to
stop questioning.”
-Albert Einstein

25. Ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, ask.
FOCUSED QUESTIONING
“How does this make you feel?”
“What does this reminds you of?”
“I keep six honest serving-men, they taught me all I knew.
Their names are What and Why and When and How and
Where and Who.”
-Rudyard Kipling

26. WHEN IS YOUR NEXT CLIENT MEETING?
LIST SIX CREATIVE QUESTIONS YOU’LL ASK:
1. ?
2. ?
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?
6. ?

27. know what makes your
audience
LAUGH, CRY AND
SCREAM

28. “we have a program called Follow Me Home,
where we literally follow consumers into their
homes and watch them use our products.”
- Jacqueline Maartense,
- EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
- Corel

30. “we don’t see things as they are. we see things as we are.”
Anais Nin, writer
WHO CAN HELP YOU SEE YOUR ORGANIZAITON WITH NEW EYES?
1.
2.
3.
WHO CAN HELP YOU SEE YOUR CLIENT’S ORGANIZATION WITH NEW
EYES?
1.
2.
3.
WHO CAN HELP YOU SEE END USERS WITH NEW EYES?
1.
2.
3.
WHO CAN HELP YOU SEE COMPETITORS WITH NEW EYES?
1.
2.
3.

31. - the lizard – or reptilian – brain of survival
instincts
- the leopard brain of emotions (limbic system)
- the intellectual brain of learning and reasoning
“the starting point was the question, what’s the
users experience?”
Steve Jobs

33. IF AN IDEA POPS UP,
write it down.
If a vision drifts in,
SKETCH IT OUT

34. CAPTURE IDEAS AND INSIGHTS.
GRAB IDEAS / TAKE DOWN NOTES…
like Leonardo da Vinci
have a NOTEBOOK

35. Try tree branching, which is much like using
mind-maps for brainstorming. Write your key
word and circle it. Build branches supporting
other words, symbols, and ideas.

36. Write a key word in the top right corner of each
filled sheet in your notebook. When trying to
find info later, you can easily thumb through the
pages.

37. Here are a few other search tools to try if Google doesn’t
give you what you need.
A9.COM
This search engine from Amazon.com includes images, media columns and blogs in its
first search.
ANSWER.COM
includes, authoritative sources, such as Merriam Webster and Columbia University
Press.
CLUSTY.COM
Clusters the results from other search engines, sorting by category.
GROKKER.COM
Visual people often like this Yahoo-powered engine that shows results with a graph
containing circles filled with dots.
HOTBOT.COM AND INFO.COM
Both provide Google results along with those of other search engines.

38. MOLESKINES
Inspirational book: quotes, clippings often stimuli
daily recorder and list keeper
MIQUELRIUS
SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS
INDEX CARDS = SOFTWARE
TREE PAD
of course – PENS AND PENCILS

39. “I never travel without my notebook.
One should always have something
Sensational to read in the train.”
- Oscar Wilde

40. YOUR YARD ISN’T THE
ONLY YARD IN TOWN.
and your next idea
MAY BE JUST OVER THE NEXT FENCE.

41. “Masters open the door,
but it’s up to you to enter.”
-Chinese proverb

42. “Originality consists of the
achievement of new combinations
and not of the creation of something
out of nothing.”
-Richard V. Clemence
Economist and Writer

43. WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

44. Don’t Go It Alone.
NETWORK
Build your Network.
“Networking is a powerful way to
stay alert and gather insights.”
Scott Orazem
Hallmark

45. Networking provides the crystal ball for
future trends.

46. 1. Pick strong partners.
2. Be s strong partner.
3. Focus on what’s important.
4. Expose yourself.
5. Remember Ethos.
6. Nurture the network.

47. “Keep away from people who
try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that, but
the really great will make you
feel that you, too, can become great.
- Mark Twain

48. We’ve all had our shares
of blunders, flops, bad
moves, goof, gaffes,
clunkers.
SPOT WHAT YOU CAN DO
to salvage

49. Everybody fails from time to time. By exploring
failures, they generated better and bigger
IDEAS.

50. “From error to error, one discovers the entire
truth.”
Sigmund Freud
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can
never live long enough to make them all
yourself.”
John Luther, writer

51. 1. Mistakes tourists make.
2. Mistakes web designers make.
3. Mistakes taxpayers make.
4. Mistakes dieters make.
5. Mistakes salespeople make.
6. Mistakes new dog owners make.

52. FINDERS, KEEPERS.

53. Be a creative street scavenger.
Ex. Kenneth Cobonpue

54. look for one thing,
STUMBLE OVER
ANOTHER.

55. collaborate with A
HIBISCUS.

56. a rust is a coffin WITH
THE ENDS KICKED OUT.

57. the world is a book. IF
YOU DON’T TRAVEL YOU
ONLY READ ONE PAGE.

58. when you can’t go, stay
put. AND MAKE THE
MOST OF WHAT YOU’VE
GOT.

59. You can do everything
we’ve talked about. You
can spot IDEA AFTER
IDEA AFTER IDEA