Chase, chance and creativity – the lucky art of novelty James H.Austin, M.D
Notes :
Chapter 1
'happenings' look at Claude Bernard, the pioneering psychologist, congealed ideas when he walks the realms of science and the way is meandering (page 3).
Good quote on page 6, talking about where creation and ideas can take you. (Relates to the adjacent possible)
"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth… The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves to. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, rising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:
"whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it." – W.H.Murray
Quote on page 8 relates to liquid something from the other book come back to this
"I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way." – Franklin P.Adams (page 8)
Page 10 talks about the idea finally coming into site which agrees with the theory of the slow hunch (see notes from the history of innovation book)
Quote on page 10 relates to how people with hobbies/interests etc (arts cafes) and more innovative.
"A favourite condition for productivity in research is variety of experience, both one's own experience and that which may be derived through observation of others who are at work on different problems. Especially is this important during the early years of education and discipline. This insight into diverse methods is acquired, as well as acquaintance with ways in which they are applied. As an investigator continues in his career, accident will present him with unpredicted opportunities research, perhaps in quite new directions. The early knowledge of various way of solving problems provides him promptly with readiness and versatility to attack." – Walter Cannon (page 10)
"Every specialist, whatever his profession, skill or business may be, can improve his performance by broadening his base." – Wilder Penfield (page 10)
Page 10 explains how he would never have made his discovery if he hadn't previously studied urine which is an example of the adjacent possible, because if he had of being in the similar situation but not studied urine he would not of made his discovery.
Page 12 shows how error, and experiment fails, open up doors (adjacent possible) although experiments fail, the brain is able to make connections and new discoveries. Failure able's us to develop ideas and improve from the mistake.
Page 13 talks about doing the experiment in his spare time, but also during residency. Similarly two how the previous book says it is good to give people freedom to work on their own projects to reap the benefits of creativity.
page 14 talks about another chance meeting in the library that developed his slow hunch further. We never know what is going to influence of minds, that is why it is so important to further one's knowledge in all aspects of life not just the specialised area that you are interested in.
Page 18 talks about the other people involved in the experiment that that he needed for the experiment to be possible. This is referred to in the history of innovation book as platforms
Page 20 on page 20 there are many examples which could be related to the history of innovation books. There is mention of platforms, error, chance meetings, liquid networks.
Page 22 refers to the slow hunch he first thought of the idea 10 years ago, and then cured it. This is an example of where an idea his first thought of and then developed through time, through research and coincidental chance occurrences which caused connections in the brain.
Page 23 includes an interesting breakdown of the process of discovery.
Page 24 includes an interesting quote about the development messy experimental research occurs.
"Anybody who looks back over an experimental development which… Has continued for many years, can hardly fail to notice that it has pursued an exceedingly wobbly course. If the surveyor is himself an experimenter, he will know that the recorded wanderings fewer and less extensive than those which actually occurred." Frederick Bartlett
Page 25 through meandering she looked into things. This helps as it builds a knowledge and allows the range of form connections which is referred to as a fluid network.
Page 26 talks of an epiphany type moment. The excitement and the breakthrough moment, but it was actually a slow hunched developing through connections formed previously.
Page 27 talks about direct and how research develops in an unpredictable way
Page 30 has a good quote about the uncontrolled way research develops
"Scientific investigations and experimental ideas may be born as a result of fortuitous and almost in in voluntary chance observations which present themselves either spontaneously or in an experiment designed with quite a different purpose." – Claude Bernard
Page 31 talks about how important the unexpected discoveries are in research as they can be more important discoveries than what you set out to achieve.
Page 34 talks about more chance discoveries and how you need to push research even if you don't think it is possible for seeing how hard you must try
Page 35 has an example of the adjacent possible an experiment is taken as far as it can until technology stops it from developing further. This experiment will be put on the backburner until technology has caught up, this meaning it will be within the adjacent possible.
Page 36 has a quote about using the brain in thought provocative way not just having the skill to tying ideas together mentions about how having other nonscientific interests has helped him within his science (platforms)
"There can be no more important education today than education for personal effectiveness and a sense of connection with big events. However impressive a man's acquisition of worldly knowledge, however proficient his ability to marry theory to technique, if he cannot use his thinking ability and his school to work for a safer and better world, his education is incomplete and he is in trouble." – Norman cousins
Page 40 enclosing a restriction of the development thus far within James H.Austin's experiment. It illustrates how it has not been a simple process of a to B answer, his experiment has depended many components working together.
Page 40 to 41 includes an explanation on why year out from Page 63ork is so beneficial. This is due to the fact that he will be able to make new associations and develop the slow hunch.
Page 43 includes a good quote about platforms, having other knowledge helps you from connections ideas.
"Because new elements, variable and unforeseen can introduce themselves into the conditions of the phenomenon, it follows that logic alone will never suffice in the experimental science." – Claude Bernard
"Among chosen combinations the most fertile will often be those formed of elements drawn from domains which are far apart." – Henri poincaré
The refer to page 40 to 45 for more connections and more platform.
page 47 – 48 connection of life and work and how chance can help to form connections and liquid networks. Refer to illustration on this page.
Page 49 looks at the thinking of someone conducting research.
Page 50 is a good anecdote about importance of finding time to research it also includes the example of the adjacent possible.
Page 61 is a good quote about broadening horizons and expanding one's knowledge. It talks about how to be creative, you have to take risks and chances.
"What is life that is series of inspired follies? The difficulty is to find them to do. Never lose a chance: it doesn't come every day." – George Bernard Shaw
Page 62 quote on chance. The more chances you take the more puffs you uncover
"But if the adventure has a final and all embracing motive, it is surely this: we go out because it is in our nature to go out, climb the mountains and sailed the seas, to fly to the planets and plunge into the depths of the oceans. By doing these things, we make touch with something outside are behind, which strangely seems to approve our doing them. We extend our horizon, we expand our being, we reveal in a mastery of ourselves which gives an impression, mainly illusory, that we are masters of our world. In a word, we are men, and when man ceases to do these things, he is no longer man." – Wilfred Noyce
Page 63 talks about the journey of chance and how beneficial it is to be willing to react and change according to discoveries.
Page 67 mention serendipity, chance discoveries equal passage. There are separate things in the brain (ideas) waiting to be knitted together.
Page 69 it displays more about serendipity and examples of it.
Page 70 quotes about chance and discoveries through exploring. It mentions about how you must be proactive to make these discoveries.
"Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down." Charles Kettering
"Chance favours only the prepared mind." – Louis Pasteur
"We make our fortunes, and recalled fate' -Benjamin Disrael
Page 72 promote active you are the more collisions and links you will come across in life.
Chance three, chances appear all the time that it takes a certain individual mind notice. The bunchhh.
Page 72 – 75 talks about the different variations of chance. Chance one, two, three, and five.
Chance one
– is just random like
chance 2.
– Is more of a motion and action the more acute to the more likely you are to make and come across connections and solutions.
Chance 3.
– Is something that happens and appears in front of people all the time that it takes a certain individual to notice it.
Chance 5.
Is something that comes from personal life. Having wild hobbies etc.
(See page 76 were diagram. See page 75 summary.)
Page 78 and 79, talk about how the author was influenced in childhood and this stilted into his work and helped. Influences from his work also faulted into his art, red and blue dye experiment subconsciously inspired red and blue pain insert have to play a
iThengs.
Page 80 – 83 talks about the first chance discovery of cave paintings. The a little girl looked at in the way to do and discovered what her father missed, paintings of balls on the ceiling. No one believed it was real, the father and daughter were blamed and labelled as lies and hoax people. People couldn't believe creativity existed back then until someone else found paintings and backed it up. Creative mind existed 15,000 years ago. So much great if it existed at dawn of man, its potential is that people today?
PageThe 85. The man who discovered the paintings was passionate and self taught about archaeology his interest sparked creativity in him page 86 a good summary .
Page 91 "chance can be on our side, if we put staring With our energies, instead stay receptive to its every random opportunity, and continually provoke individuality individually in our hobbies, attitudes, and approach to life."
Page 104
the creative personality: pro.
Witty, conant, and stang believe creative people as children have the following traits (page 105)
– must have a flexibility in the mind. Free associate, daydream, finish ideas, rapid production of original ideas.
– The more ideas that are more unique they will get. That have the ability to quickly release what ideas work, and discard ones that don't and clinch the ones that could work (106)
wallach and kogan (page 106) say creatives tend to have a more playful attitude and few of their job treating it like a game.
Page 107 talks about creative scientists and questions have some scientists from the same time, same place, same education, might not have the same creative drive.
Page 108 talks through the varying scientists. The scientist who ends up being the most creative is the one driven by curiosity
biologists shared the same thinking styles as artists.
Research has many analogies to painting page 109.
Elements of creativity can be broken down into three components
– a preference for complexity.
– a skill at handling complexity.
– An ability to complete what is unfinished.
Researcher need similar skills.
– Ability to see deep into the problem.
– Find relationships between many seemingly unrelated items.
– Forged links that connect them.
Page 110 quote about Darwin arresting information.
Walter cannons abilities necessary for creative investigators.
Page 109 talks about visual imagery in the mind. Health provisions you see in your head pre-empt conscious awareness.
Page 111 talks about the importance of humility and IQ
page stringent 12 talks about talks about how the creative personality tends to be athletically sensitive. The barren Welsh at scale is a test for predicting creative potential.
The creative personality: pro and con
page 112 says about how you might imagine a creative as an innovative soupy Eagle Scout – problem solvers – but in actual fact creatives are unconventional and eccentric, disorderly, originality.
Bauman notes that an effectively original person is someone who can progress 'far out' for the moment, yet still able quickly to attend high level of rationality. (Page 113) full reigns of creative imagination.
"Maybe at once naive and knowledgeable, being at home equally to primitive symbolism anterior rigourous logic. He is both small primitive and more cultured, more destructive and more constructive, occasionally crazier and yet adamantly saner, than the average person." – Baron
Interesting how a noncreative person is referred to as average.
Page 114 the – the type of opposites, you can feel within creativity you can feel excitement to get sceptical. This page talks about the crest of creativity, curious, intellectual, restless, rebellion.
Creative then demonstrate high degree of "masculine – associated" traits such as assertive, confident, determined, ambition, drive for power. But also have highly feminine interests (sensitivity, intuition) .
Creativity equals sensitivity, intuition, purpose action, determination
Creative's have upset traits, creative lives with the pull of contrasting centrifugal forces, but results them in a creative endeavour see page 115.
I am free in my creativity and sorts yet I am disciplined in the way that I approach doing work. I am playful in the ways in which I work yet take my work seriously. These are examples of contrasting personality traits within a creative.
Page 116 talks about how creatives with contrary characteristics can be how to work and live with. Goes on to an example of this in researchers.
Page 116 – 117 drugs. Drugs have been used in control experiments to see if they improve creativity. Page 17 goes into more detail and it does heighten creativity all the motions of creativity but the execution of the creative act is hindred.
Page 118 has a good summary of the creative personality.
Motivations underlying creativity.
Opening quote about creative endeavour by Anthony store, talks about how just because a car has an engine, doesn't mean the car moves… It needs petrol, water etc. The same goes with creative city. It helps having a creative brain between need psychic.
Anthony store examines psychic roots underlying creativity, blending psychoanalytical insight and common sense. Still observes that children are unsatisfied by the world so delves into the brain and create a fantasy world. The more this occurs the more likely to be a creative adult.
Page 119 talks about motivation being dependent on a lot of activity blended in from many neuronal circuits: the amount of drive from the hypothalamus, the degree of general arousal coming from the reticular call of the brain, the push from internal signals that signify something, is lacking and the pull of external insensitive stimuli.
Page 119 – 120 talks about creativity defending against anxiety and introvert. It helps manic-depressive is by boosting self-esteem and at letting the submerged aggression. Creativity as it gives people something to focus on.
Page 121 – humans are territorial like animals the creatives are more complex, talks about identity and how refining oneself is hard.
Further Notes
This book was really useful to read as it puts creativity into perspective. It talks about creativity through the eyes of a scientific researcher, ands it really makes you realise that creativity can be applied and introduced into most professions with beneficial effects. It is a way of thinking that brings results. I read this book with the previous book by Stephen Johnson in mind and it was interesting to see that his theories do appear like 'platforms' which is when a person has knowledge from areas about his profession but also other areas in life and is able to apply them in different ways.
