As innovative ideas arise and why you should not start from scratch

We think that fresh ideas arise if we abandon all previous findings and try to completely rethink the world. When falls a project, we say, "Let's start with a clean slate." When we want to change their way of life, we think: "We need to start all over again." However, creative solutions rarely come unless we start from scratch.

Consider the following example from biology.

Some scientists believe that bird feathers evolved from reptile scales. During the evolution of scales gradually evolved into feathers, which initially was only necessary to maintain warmth. Gradually, these small feathers grew longer and eventually allowed the birds to fly. It was a smooth process of repetition and expansion of existing ideas.

Similarly evolved and flying human. Usually, we think the ancestors of controlled flight of the Wright brothers and rarely remember the pioneers of aviation, Otto Lilienthal, Samuel Langley and Octave Chanute. Creating the world's first airplane, the Wright brothers turned to the work of engineers.

The most innovative solutions - it is often a combination of old ideas. People with creative thinking does not invent new, they find connections that others do not see. Moreover, the most effective way to achieve results - 1% is already working to improve the mechanism, rather than trying to destroy the existing system and build from scratch.

Repeat rather than reinventing

We often do not notice, how difficult the surrounding world. Buying any device, such as a toaster, we do not think much going on before he gets to the store's counter. Do not realize that you first need to get iron ore for steel production and oil for plastics manufacture.

In 2010, the British designer Thomas Tveyts (Thomas Thwaites) decided on their own collect toaster. He dismantled the device ready and determined what materials he will need to create your own. Chief among them - plastic, nickel and steel.

He appealed to the local mine, and, surprisingly, he did not refuse for iron ore. Oil companies were not so generous, so Tveytsu had melted pieces of old plastic to make the case for your toaster. Then he melted down coins to get a nickel.

I realized that if you start from scratch, you can spend half my life on it to collect a toaster.

Thomas Tveyts, British designer

However, this experiment has taught him. Tveyts even wrote about it book.

Most often we do not think about how closely everything in life is connected. We focus on the result, and fail to notice the many processes that are responsible for this result.

If you are working on some kind of a challenge, think about those ideas that already exist and work successfully. After all, they have passed the test of time and survived.

So that repeated, rather than start from scratch.