Make Connections

Written By Jeremy Utley

Steve Jobs once said, “Creativity is just connecting things.”

I don’t know how many people deliberately attempt making new connections, but it’s a good skill to develop. Multi-sport-athlete (world record holder!) and entrepreneur Laura D’Asaro pushes herself to make connections every single day. She is hands-down one of the most creative people I know, and one of the most inventive entrepreneurs I have met. In our fantastic conversation (available here) she described her process.

What’s your process for connecting things?

A couple of our favorites at the d.school are the Wonder Wander, Analogous Exploration, Divergent Diversions, and radical collaboration. Or you could tempt lightning with scrappy experiments.

The fundamental task of the innovator is to make connections.

As obvious as that sounds, I wonder how many folks go connection hunting.

Related: Seek Random Inputs
Related: Explore Analogies
Related: Divergent Diversions
Related: Recombine Existing Parts
Related: Tempt Lightning

Click here to subscribe to Paint & Pipette, the weekly digest of these daily posts.

Featured
Unleash Your Inner Kindergartener
Unleash Your Inner Kindergartener

Puzzled by underwhelming results despite your expertise? Discover the surprising insights from a groundbreaking study that can help you tackle challenges and achieve better outcomes.

Declare an AI Recess
Declare an AI Recess

One critical reason folks in organizations aren’t imagining radical new applications of GenAI is, their imaginations aren’t stimulated. My recommendation might fly in the face of convention, but it’s been demonstrated highly effective in both this AI-moment and in times past.

If AI Hasn't Made You Giggle, You're Not Pushing Hard Enough
If AI Hasn't Made You Giggle, You're Not Pushing Hard Enough

For all the existential angst spilled regarding AI on the news, there's one danger I haven't heard get much attention. It's not the threat of sentient machines or the loss of jobs—it's the risk of AI disappointing us, not because of its limitations, but because of our own.

Mind the (Generational) Gap: Bridge the AI Divide with Your Expertise
Mind the (Generational) Gap: Bridge the AI Divide with Your Expertise

Are you an experienced professional watching the AI revolution from the sidelines? It's time to get in the game! Discover why your hard-won expertise is the secret weapon to unlocking AI's full potential and turbocharging your career.

Curate to Create
Curate to Create

This insightful guest article conjures the spirit of legendary restauranteur Danny Meyer, who said, “ABCD so you can ABCD: Always be collecting dots to always be connecting dots.” The collection- and connection-instinct is at the heart of a curator. Read on…

Augment Your Intelligence: Embrace AI to Enhance Decision-Making
Augment Your Intelligence: Embrace AI to Enhance Decision-Making

Generative AI represents enormous potential for innovation. But even well-intentioned leaders can undermine their own efforts to explore. If they aren’t careful, they can end up reinforcing counter-productive biases amongst the very teams they’re trying to unleash.

Question the Question
Question the Question

All too often, the stated “problem” keeps a team from innovation: the problem is the problem. Being willing to question the premise, rather than accept it blindly, is a critical practice for creative health.

The Problem With Human x AI Collab: It’s Not the AI
The Problem With Human x AI Collab: It’s Not the AI

If you’re getting mediocre–or even bad–results from AI tools like ChatGPT, it’s not because the tech is bad. Research suggests that you’re probably settling for mediocrity.

Go Pro in Innovation
Go Pro in Innovation

To become a professional in any field takes an enormous amount of skill, and hard work. Routine practice is a hallmark of the “professional” in any context. Here’s how to take a professional mentality into the innovation arena.

Forget About “New Ideas”
Forget About “New Ideas”

Two words most commonly associated with ideas are “good,” and “new.” I’ve often encouraged folks to forget “good.” Here’s the case for forgetting, “new,” too.

Jeremy Utley
Previous

Be Brave
Next

Diagram Your Last Breakthrough