My Experience with Creative Thinking

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to my blog! I would like to thank everyone who who read all my blogs on creative thinking.

In the course of the blog, I went over 9 creative strategies that were used to solve problems within my organization.

As said before, I want to share my Nicaraguan culture with the rest of the world by selling handmade products made in Nicaragua. Yes, it can be difficult, and it does contain many setbacks, but it is my goal to open my business in the future. One of the setbacks that I utilized for the strategies was the importing of products from Nicaragua, which is what I am currently less knowledgeable on.

By working through the many strategies, from "Looking in Other Worlds" to "Knowing how to See", I had to choose a main strategy that I would be implementing in my business.

That strategy was "Thinking Fluently". The technique utilized for this strategy was SCAMPER, and it allowed me to modify, add, adapt, and magnify my business blueprint, and the problem which is Importing Products from Nicaragua, which can be costly.

The strategy and technique opened my eyes in the direction where I want to  take my business. As an individual who always enjoys helping others, and being part of non-profits, I am interested in adapting a portion of the SCAMPER technique. I would love to work with low-income artists, and create a partnership where I will be selling their products, and a portion of the profit would be given to them. 

I want to use my business to overcome poverty in Nicaragua by thriving the economy of low-income communities and allowing our culture to be shared with the rest of the world. 

There is a city I want to focus on in Nicaragua, which is Masaya. The city has a large population of artisans, and is widely known for it's art, and craftwork. 

As I work through my business, I would like everyone to keep reading my blog, and join me in my journey to sharing my culture. 

Thank You Again For Reading

Best Regards, 

Ana Guevara

Awakening the Collaborative Spirit & Making a Novel Experience

Hi everyone,

I'm excited to go over my last two strategies, and I want to thank you all for being part of my journey and reading my my blog..

As said before, I am part of a Creative Business course at the University of Florida. I took the course because I will be an entrepreneur in the future and I want to open an online business that will sell handmade products made in Nicaragua. Sharing my culture is the main goal of my business and working through this strategies has allowed me to revise and perfect my business blueprint.


Let's get started with the first Creativity Strategy:

"Awakening the Collaborative Spirit"

The strategy is the notion that open and honest collaboration allows thinking to grow as collective phenomenon. Something that can be traced to Ancient Greece.
In the strategy, we need to consider the makeup of the participants, the collegiality, and most importantly, we need to suspend all assumptions.

Quantity breeds quality, which leads to me the Brain-Writing Technique.

The technique is as follow:

• Write the problem in a location visible to all
• Distribute index cards, and silently write ideas
• Pass the cards to the person next to you
• Read the cards, and regard them as stimulation. Write down new ideas
• After, collect them, and tape them to the wall and organize them. 

Evaluate the ideas by having participants place dots on their preferred ideas. 

For this technique, I decided to explain the steps to the technique, and then on the side, work the technique out with two friends. It was hard to get them to participate, but they were willing to help me out. 

This is my experience: 

The problem that we wanted to solve is how to import products from Nicaragua to the United States in a cost effective and eco-friendly way. I allowed the participants to be as creative as possible. 

• One of the most creative ideas was hiring SuperMan to transport the products. The most eco-friendly option.  
• Rocket launching from the capital of Nicaragua to Miami. Not the most eco-friendly but it was an idea that was brought up. 
• But the idea that was preferred by the majority, aside from SuperMan, and I would not hire Superman because is my least liked superhero, but going back to the most preferred, it was partnering with an eco-friendly importing business
• This solution will allow me to leave the eco-friendly portion to another individual knowing that I will get my products in an eco-friendly way. There is a downside that I am willing to accept. The downside is a higher price for eco-friendly transport.

Since the strategy incentivized collective thinking, the solution to partner with an eco-friendly business was decided collectively, and brought and perfected as we went through the problem. 

As a student, and individual who disliked group work, I enjoyed this activity, even though it was with people I am comfortable with. Since they were my friends, I had to put my bias aside, and work together.

Now..to my last strategy: 

"Making a Novel Experience"

According to Psychologist Dean Keith Simonton, a genius is a person who makes combinations. They are able to form combinations from something that is already existent. 

Creative thinking is often forming new associations. Rather than something new, we utilize what is already existent in the world. 

Since I have used this blog as my way of sharing my experience is the strategies, I will be honest, and say that this strategy was the most difficult to do. But nevertheless, I gave it my best try, and I do hope you enjoy the outcome. 

The technique I utilized was the Combinatory Matrix, in which I specified a challenge, separate parameters of the challenge, below each challenge I listed as many variations as possible,  and when finished, list and make random runs through each variations. 

The matrix itself complicated to create, I was able to finalize it. There were many combinations that I was able to create such as the following:

• Pop Up Shop of Knowledge
• Website of Languages
• Candy Shop

The combinations may sound a little strange. But with the matrix, I was able to combine a Website of Knowledge, which you are wondering what it is. 

Let me explain, in Nicaragua, there are different languages that are spoken. So the website will connect individuals from the around the world to connect via video with Nicaraguan natives whom they wish to learn a new language from. They will converse on a regular basis, and the individuals can exchange their languages. 

This is what creative thinkings allows individuals to do. Thinking outside the box may sound cliche, but it is true. As a person who is comfortable in my own box, I had to really think of many ways to do the matrix and not give, because giving up, was giving up on my goal. 

I want to thank everyone who read my blog, and pease stay tune, I will be posting another blog in regards to my overall experience with Creative Thinking :) 

Best Regards, 

Ana Guevara

Looking in Other Worlds & Find What You're Not Looking For

Hi Everyone, 

Welcome Back to my Blog, today we will go over two Creative Strategies that will help me in my future business venture!

As mentioned in my other blogs, I will be opening my own online business where I will be selling handmade products made in Nicaragua!!.

Without further due, Let's get started!!

The first creative strategy we will go over is;

"Looking in Other Worlds"

This strategy defines a genius by being able to imagine comparisons and similarities between parallel facts and events in other worlds. Meaning, that invidiuals are capable of making comparisons between two parallel facts. As humans, we can always compare something that is not comparable by find similarities. 

The technique I chose to go over  this strategy is called World Of Essences. The technique requires me to decide a major principle presented by my problem, then list other things that are from different worlds, select one example, describe it, and use the description to suggest analogies. 

My major principle to my problem is "exchange". The exchange comes from the exchange of monetary value for a piece of my culture. Meaning, I will share my culture by selling products made in Nicaragua.

• After writing a list of examples, one stood out. 
• "Exchange of Technology"

• Describing the Exchange of Technology was a little difficult, but I will share some examples below
• Sharing of information
• Working together for a main goal
• Reaching out to others for help
• Now to find my analogies between my problem and my other world examples
• Reaching out to others for help might seem completely off track for my own business venture, but as I did this technique, I started to realize that reaching out to other businesses in the U.S. who work closely in Nicaragua can allow me to import products differently. 
• For example, there are businesses who bring products from Nicaragua, and I can reach out for their help to work together in order to bring our costs down in the importing of goods. 

Working through the strategy really changed my perspective. Like many, I tend to not look for help. Usually I try to solve my problems on my own, and that can be costly, because one problem could have been solved with someone else. When I started my blueprint, I never considered working with another business who imports, or reaching out to others for help, but after this strategy, I have a newfound way of looking at my business blueprint, and how I can capitalize on others by working together.

The second creative strategy is a little outside the crazy box, but fun to go over... 

"Find What You're Not Looking For"

What does this strategy mean... well, it means that for every subject or idea, a host of creative byproducts are available. They can be seen as irrelevant in the beginning, but can have the biggest potential. 

For this I will do a technique called Imagineering... and I will list absurd or crazy ideas about my problem. 

In this technique, I will change my problem. The problem for this tool is "Reaching out to target market".  The techinique ahs steps that I will concise below. Enjoy:)

• List several absurd ideas about your problem:
• Video messaging customers by calling them on a random basis
• Sending food to customers
• Walk around my community and leave food around
• Take part of a dance off
• Select one absurd idea: Walk around my community and leave food around.
• Extract the principle: The principle for my absurd idea is to get to know my community, and reach out to them by showcasing the products I will be selling. 
• Imagineering: Practical Idea
• Create a catalog that I can showcase throughout the community!

With this creative strategy, I have realized that there is so much more to business thinking than what I had imagined. Community is important, and I have not yet considered reaching out to those who are closer to me in distance to advertise, and reach out to.

Before I imagined opening my business, and advertising through sites, but with this exercise, I have realized that I can advertise within my own community,and start off with a word of mouth that will give my business venture a start.  

As I complete more and more strategies and its techniques, I realized that my bluepring for my business is far from being complete and implemented, and it makes me excited to know that I have tools to expand my bluepring:):)!

Join me next time to go over my last two strategies!

Best Regards,

Ana Guevara

Making Your Thoughts Visible & Thinking Fluently

Hi everyone, and welcome back to my blog!!

This week we will go over two other Creative Thinking Strategies, and without further due, let's get to to it.

The first strategy that I will go over is called:

"Making your Thoughts Visible"

The strategy was revolutionized by science, by making thoughts visible with drawings and diagrams. In this strategy, language takes a secondary role. We use it to describe rather than make.

I'm actually a visual learner, which makes this strategy perfect for me.

The technique that I used for this strategy is called a Mind Map, and it helps us associates things we would have never thought of. In short, is the representation of thoughts through key words.

For this technique, I had to choose a word or phrase that describes the essence of my project, then write key words as quickly as possible, connect them, organize them, and revise them.

The technique itself was one of the first I created for my business venture, which is a website that will sell handmade Nicaraguan products, and will allow me to share my culture with everyone.

In it I chose the theme of "Nicaragua", and wrote the many things that reminded me of my country and that I would like to share with everyone. The cluster of themes are as follow:

• Tourism: Volcanoes, Lakes, Masaya Granada, beaches

• Art: handmade vases, clothing, jewelry, paintings, furniture, hammocks

• Culture: folklore, Hipicas (yearly festivities), Purisimas (celebrated in December to celebrate Virgin Mary), the people

The technique allowed me to narrow down the products, and goal I want for my business, and what I really want to share with everyone. Art in Nicaragua is depicted in our everyday life, from the furniture we purchase, to the clothing we wear, to the art itself. Paints made by Nicaraguan artists depict our culture, and our values, and I cherish that. 

As someone who moved to the United States as a child, I share two cultures, and I want my American culture to know why I am in loved and proud of my Nicaraguan culture, and I want to do this through a website where I can sell the many things I enjoyed as a child. 

The technique is not just what I cherish of Nicaragua, but is the representation of my business, and what I want it to be. Being creative is difficult sometimes, and having a visual allows me to visualize my goals. What you see in this technique is my goal for my business, and is something I plan on doing. 

My second strategy of the day is:

"Thinking Fluently"

Thinking Fluently means being open to a variety of thought processes and perceptual patterns. But thinking fluently has steps, and they are as follow; first, we need to defer judgment, second, generate as many ideas as possible, third is record your ideas, and lastly, to elaborate or improve upon those ideas.

Technique for Thinking Fluently is the SCAMPER:

Everything new is some addition or modification of something that already exists.

For this technique I will use the main portion of my business which is Importing Products

•  Can I Substitute something?
  
• Yes, I can substitute the products by purchasing handmade items made in the United States
• 
  
•  Can I Combine it with something?
  
• Yes, I can combine it by importing products from other countries in Central America
• 
  
•  Can I Adapt something to your subject?
• Yes,  include products that are made by low-income artists, and part of the profit will be given to them in order to help them better themselves financially. 
• 
  
•  Can I Magnify or add to it?
  
• Make the business a  non-profit, where the products that will be imported will benefit a child in Nicaragua, and each product will contain a letter of gratitude from the beneficiary. 

•  Can I Modify it or change it in some fashion?
• Instead of importing, hiring Nicaraguan born artists, that are currently residing in United States to make the products. 

•  Can I Put it to some other use?
  
• Import products sent by Nicaraguans to families residing in the U.S.
• 
  
•  Can I Eliminate something from it?
  
• The import of fragile products, such as vases. This will reduce the lost of merchandise through mishandling. 

•  What happens when I Reverse it? 
  
• Export products made in the United States to Nicaragua. They will be targeted for middle and upper middle class. 

The strategy and technique opened my eyes in the direction where I want to  take my business. As an individual who always enjoys helping others, and being part of non-profits, I am interested in adapting a portion of the SCAMPER technique. I would love to work with low-income artists, and create a partnership where I will be selling their products, and a portion of the profit would be given to them. 

Even though I have a profound love for Nicaragua, I am aware of the difficulties people face because of inequality, and the lack of jobs, and giving an artisan the opportunity to make an honest living will not only change my life, but their lives as well. 

Thank You For Reading Today!! Catch You Next Time!!

Best Regards, 

Ana Guevara

Connecting the Unconnected & Looking at the Other Side

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to my Business Creativity Blog!!

During my last blog, I spoke on "Knowing How to See" and being able to put the tunnel vision aside. It is important to understand how to tackle problems that arise in any business setting.

For me, my problem is importing products from Nicaragua. My biggest dream is opening an online business where I can sell products from Nicaragua in order to share my culture with others.

Getting back to my Creativity Strategies, today, I will be sharing with you all two strategies that I thought were very fun to go over, and really made me get out of my comfort zone.

First, I will talk about the strategy,

 "Connecting the Unconnected" 

This strategy speaks for itself, and it means connecting something that you thought would not make sense. Connections between dissimilar products, and items can lead to a creative sense that we were not aware of. This actually leads to the creation of ideas that no one else would have thought of.

In order to explain it properly, I will do a technique from the strategy called the Five Senses.

For the Technique, we will write down the 5 senses, and then select a solution for my problem, then we will make a connection between solution and the senses. 

• One of my solutions to my problem of Importing was partnering up with the Nicaraguan Department of Tourism, to utilize my business site to "promote tourism" in Nicaragua through the products I will be selling. This will give me an easier import of products to the United States. 

Now, we can use the 5 senses, and connect the unconnected!!

• Sight: Utilize a 360 video tour of Nicaragua's main tourist attraction for any person who visits the website, then they can choose which one is their favorite, and get a  coupon to a restaurant in that location.
  
• Smell: Through every purchase that a customer makes though the website, we will send them a brochure, and in the brochure, we will include the scent of traditional foods, and also flowers that represent Nicaragua!
  
• Hearing: Have music on the background of the website. Since we are promoting tourism, have soothing Folkloric music that will not only entice people to purchase, but be intrigued of the culture and music they are listening to. 

• Taste: Send food items made in Nicaragua to the customers that make purchases over a certain amount. Mostly candy, that represents the Nicaraguan culture. Some are made of coconut, caramel etc..
  

• Touch: To those customers who make a trip to Nicaragua, we can offer a tour to the "Lavada de Plata", which in translation is the "Washing of the Silver" in Chinandega, a city in Nicaragua. The Lavada de Plata, celebrates the religious culture in Nicaragua, and is done throughout the year. 

Connecting the Unconnected allowed me to see the business I am trying to open from a different perspective. One of the solutions was partnering up with the Nicaraguan Tourism Department in order to promote the country, but in reality, I never considered how a website could be interactive with the customers, and how I can share my culture in different ways other than just selling products. 

Now to the the Second Creative Strategy..

"Looking at the Other Side"

People are stuck in one set of thinking, which can be defined as boundaries. But the boundaries are created by us, and at any moment we can put them aside and think differently. This is where the strategy comes in. 

Let's reverse our thinking patterns, and provoke new ones. 

Next, we will use a Technique called Reverse Assumptions. In this case, let's use the the opening of my website that will sell handmade Nicaraguan products. 

In my business, the main assumptions is that we will have

• A website
• Products 
• Registration section

Let's reverse my assumption

• No website
• No products
• No registration

Now let's think of a way to make this assumptions a reality. 

• With not having a website, I can have a physical store where I can sell the products that will be imported from Nicaragua.
• Not having a product is a bit tricky...
• But instead of having products, my website can be dedicated to promote tourism, and book trips to Nicaragua. 
• Registration is always needed for a website, but instead of having a registration, the website can be a catalogue for people who wishes to visit the physical store to purchase products, or they can e-mail or call the company to make an appointment. 

Looking at the other side of the spectrum for my future venture was interesting. The technique was helpful in understanding the other options I have as a future entrepreneur. Promoting tourism can be an incredible opportunity share my culture, which is one of the main goals of my business. It also has added benefits, because it boosts the Nicaraguan economy, not a just the economy of a few.



Hope you enjoyed my blog, and catch you next time!!!:)


Best Regards,

Ana Guevara