When does a paintbrush become a ballerina? Or a banana a horse?
Who you smash two creative ideas together!
Or, the art of forming a new idea out of two things that already exist.
It generally works quite well - as you can see from such examples below;
Printing Press + Movable Type: Merging the printing press technology with the concept of movable type, which was previously used in East Asia, to create a more efficient and versatile printing method in Europe, enabling the mass production of books and contributing to the spread of knowledge during the Renaissance.
Sewing Machine + Interchangeable Parts: Integrating the sewing machine technology with the concept of interchangeable parts, popularised by the American inventor Eli Whitney, to create the first mass-produced sewing machines, revolutionising the textile industry and leading to the mechanisation of garment manufacturing.
Internal Combustion Engine + Automobile Frame; Combining the internal combustion engine technology with the concept of a lightweight automobile frame to create the first practical gas-powered automobiles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, revolutionising personal transportation and leading to the automotive industry.
As my workplace starts to prepare for assessments and final shows, the speed with which work can be produced is impressive. The speed with which ideas can be arrived at is even more impressive! It can take students a whole term to procrastinate over a simple piece of work or product. Give them a looming deadline, and suddenly all kinds of creative techniques are used to get the brain moving.
This exercise is one of my favourites - taking two seemingly disparate objects and making them work together.
Christoph Niemann has it down to a fine art, and shows the results from the opening questions in this article.
He says that on a Sunday he likes to just sketch for fun - and will stare at an object until he has an idea. Often, doing this allows the brain to relax and for the creativity to flow.
I put this in to practice a few weekends ago as part of a Guerrilla Ed workshop. I gave a group of young creatives an object - a phone charger in this case, and asked them to think about what it could be other than the purpose it was made for.
I love these results!
The whole idea of thinking with your hands - physically working with objects and working through a problem, is that you're activating parts of your brain that you just cannot access by thinking and speaking. You are generating new ideas, processes and neural connections that allow you to come up with new ideas and perspectives on something that might have appeared dull or unconnected.
You're also giving yourself a way to externalise your thoughts. You're building a model, product or piece of work that you can now show, rather than trying to explain ideas out of your head. This is always helpful when trying to get across a point. It really helps those who struggle with dyslexia as well - giving them another vehicle to help articulate. It can also just be fun! - for paying subscribers here’s the full ‘transform’ workshop:
I’ve been using some of the recent Guerrilla Ed examples with my students to show them how fast much younger creatives can generate ideas and act on them. It certainly has them thinking - getting work out there and feeling productive is much better than staring at a screen and hoping for an epiphany, or even worse, going round and round in circles talking about ideas but never making them.
University can often push the ‘discussion’ element. Self reflection and overthinking. It can freeze our best students - they get themesleves tied up trying to understand in theory, rather than in practice. It can be a hazard of the art community and academia.
I was in an interview the other day, where I realised, all they wanted was progressive buzzwords and an understanding that things would remain the same in their organisation. They didn’t want to ‘smash some ideas together’ - it scared them that new and exciting possibilities would seem clumsy, rough or disconnected initially. Art and design has become safe.
Time to shake up the establishment and form new ideas out of what will inevitably be the ashes of a risk-averse and conformist industry!
Thank you for reading - apologies that this article is published on Friday instead of Thursday - back to the usual next week though!
Have a great weekend 😊
“Beyond her exceptional teaching skills, HatchEd is delivered with warmth and empathy, combined with strong organisational abilities, creating a supportive and effective learning environment. The blend of professionalism and approachability sets her apart as both a teacher and an inspiration."
Terry Cook - Designer and Educator