How might I...

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Staying creatively limber.

Taking a few moments each day to stretch our imagination can help to keep us flexible and ready for creative challenges that face us. Below is a simple 10-minute creative exercise you can do by yourself or with others. Quickly read through, get set up, then press the button above to get started!

Setup for the 10-minute challenge

Get a friend or two to join you and grab a few materials lying around--you can stick with a pencil and paper, but might I suggest:

For Round 1

  • Timer (phone, microwave, etc.)
  • Sticky notes (a pad for each person)
  • Writing utensils

For Round 2

  • Scissors
  • Paper
  • Tape
  • Foil
  • Toothpicks
  • Cotton balls
  • Rubber bands

For Round 3

  • Camera

 

Let's do it!

Round 1: Rapid fire ideation (~2 minutes)

  1. Press the Generate Prompt" button.
  2. Note as many ideas as possible (one per sticky note!), sharing as you go.

Round 2: Develop a concept or two (~5 minutes)

  1. Combine like ideas into groups
  2. Group, rank, and combine ideas into concepts, creating physical representations or drawings.
  3. Create: How might you combine different groups to create a bigger idea? If you ranked idea groups, which one is the safest vs. most outlandish? How might the presence or absence of technology change things?

Round 3: Reflect (~3 minutes)

  1. Discuss: What surprised you? What was fun or frustrating? Did you get stuck--why? What would you need to make some of your concepts work?
  2. Take photos of your brainstorm and concepts for posterity...and share with the tag #creativewarmup!
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Have a "how might I" creative prompt to share? Submit it with your email or Twitter handle for a proper thank you!