POV

Excerpt from former Disney executive, Duncan Wardle’s book, “The Imagination Emporium: Creative Recipes for Innovation…”

“Invigorate” is an innovative and creative tool that highlights the essence of infusing new energy into your creative process, awakening innovative thinking through a shift in perspective. By embracing change and seeking fresh experiences, you can revitalize your approach to challenges and open pathways to inventive solutions. Just as a gust of wind breathes life into a still pond, invigoration renews your creative waters, guided by the spark of inspiration.

For example: you return to your favorite restaurant, dutifully scan the menu for appetizers, main courses, and deserts. You listen attentively as the wait person recites the daily specials. Then you proceed to order the very same thing as the last time. Do you sleep on the same side of the bed every night? Even when you are alone in a hotel? How often have you arrived home after the daily commute, only to stare at the front door with no recollection of how you got there?

The point is that if the brain is fed the same stimulus day after day, it tends to shut down, to zone out.

That’s why we need new stuff in our lives. No fresh stimulus in, no good ideas out. It’s time to shuffle the deck. Go back to that favorite restaurant and order something different. Take an alternative route to work. Try sleeping on the other side of the bed. These may seem like small things, but successful companies realize the importance of the creative behavior, called Invigorate.

How Top Brands Encourage Creativity

Hasbro employees receive a small stipend every quarter to purchase something new and fun to put on their desks, maybe just a toy to spark a different kind of conversation with a curious coworker. Microsoft has what it calls “Think Week,” one in which there are no meetings, no emails, and no presentations.

In meetings at Pixar, co-founded by Steve Jobs, people don’t sit by department—marketing or sales or legal. They sit all over the place, interspersed with people from different parts of the operation. This is part of
the philosophy that Jobs created called, “Unplanned Collaboration,” an environment specifically designed to bring people together who were not supposed to meet, so those people could have conversations they were not meant to have.

How many new ideas are the result? The most formidable barriers to innovation: “I don’t have time to think,” was the response.

Google gives their engineers 20 percent of their time to work on a totally unrelated passion project. What is the return on that investment… Gmail, Google Goggles, Google Maps, self-driving cars, and wait till you see Deep Mind in action. I’m not suggesting you ask your boss for one day a week to muse. But start small.

Create a Creative Company Culture

On the first Friday of every month, set aside an hour in the first part of the morning for breakfast with your colleagues. Offer free coffee and doughnuts, and the turnout is guaranteed. Power point presentations are banned. People are merely asked to share something they’ve experienced in their personal or professional lives that month that they thought was creative. You will be amazed at the new ideas for your business that result.

Top tips for invigorating fresh energy in your organization:

• Embrace discomfort and explore unfamiliar activities to break routine.
• Engage in spontaneous interactions with diverse colleagues for new insights.
• Incorporate dynamic elements into your environment to spark inspiration.
• Prioritize time for personal projects that ignite your passion.
• Initiate conversations that prompt the exchange of creative experiences.

Implementing these tips will achieve practical outcomes including:

• Cultivating a renewed sense of curiosity and excitement.
• Elevating creativity by integrating diverse experiences into your thought process.
• Fostering a culture of collaboration and cross-disciplinary interaction.
• Enhancing brainstorming with fresh ideas that reshape approaches to challenges.

Invigorate breathes vitality into your creative realm, encouraging you to embrace change and renewal. Just as a chef combines ingredients to craft inventive recipes, your innovation journey gains strength from the energy of invigoration, fueled by your inner Spark that fires your creative essence. As you strive for innovative breakthroughs, remember to incorporate Invigorate’s tips into your routine.