New Series: Questions and Answers

I'm regularly frustrated by bloggers who have nothing to say but somehow manage to be excessively prolific. When I began this blog, I wanted it to be used for proprietary thoughts and ideas, not reactionary ones. However, I've come to realize that sometimes I disappear for too long as I stew and consider to a point where I have something to share that you might not have read elsewhere. In an effort to allow a more steady stream of input so as to reward your loyalty, I'd like to introduce a new, ongoing series of bits and pieces I've picked up during my education and experiences that have helped shape my ideas and continue to make me evolve. I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts, but I think sometimes it might be helpful to share some of my source material as well.

Sometimes, this material may offer up a query that begs our brains to look for an answer. Sometimes, it will be an idea that we can learn to apply to our own struggles. And sometimes, it will merely be the proof we need to believe the solution. In turn, I hope you'll join me in putting the pieces together and use them as a catalyst for your own evolution of ideas.

So without further ado, please enjoy the first post for Questions and Answers.

Answer: You can't solve a new problem by choosing from a used set of solutions. 

Proof: Marty Neumeier points out in his new book "The Designful Company" a number of pieces of proof for this answer. In creative professions, we spend much of our time in the "vision-reality gap" where we have only our own creativity as building blocks for the solution to act as a bridge. We've spent much of our time analyzing what we've already done, what our competitors are doing, and what could be, but we remain steadfast in our focus on "what is," our current set of solutions. But as Edward de Bono points out, "You can't dig a new hole by digging the same one deeper." If we want to realize the reality we've dreamt of, we need to imagine a new solution. 

Precisely the kind of thinking that has been the guiding path for this site. More on Marty Neumeier's book "The Designful Company" in a few days, as well as more Q & A from other fantastic minds.