Ideas at the Intersection

New ideas often occur at the intersection of very different concepts, or concepts that would normally seem to be unrelated. We can wait for the connections to happen by accident, or we can deliberately make an effort to form new connections. A hindrance in this effort is the pattern-based thinking that tries to automatically shut down the search since the concepts are clearly not related (Don't be silly! Those concepts aren't related!). The key to actively searching for ideas at the intersection is to be willing to suspend this pattern-based thinking and entertain the possibility that there might be some new insights to be gained by exploring a bit, even if it seems a little silly at first. When we hold a concept in our mind, our brain automatically spreads activation to related concepts. This spreading is unconscious and effortless. When we hold two seemingly unrelated concepts in our minds, each concept sends out ripples of activation, and it is at the intersection that new ideas can form. Even if the first attempt does not yield a brilliant idea, it will help warm up idea-thinking as a temporary escape from pattern-thinking. Keep trying with additional concepts and you may be surprised at the fresh ideas you find!
Try this:
1. State your challenge. Example: I want to develop an innovative umbrella.
2. Find a random concept (use a dictionary for example, or choose a word or photograph from a magazine). Example: my random word is "turtle".
3. Hold the challenge and random concept in your mind and allow your thoughts to wander. Our brains love to find connections! You can also jot down thoughts about each concept if that helps. Example: umbrella (rain, open and close, colorful, kids, lightweight, golf, etc.) turtle (slow, determined, pretty shell patterns, ridges, distinct shape, open and close, close when threatened, land turtles and water turtles, etc.)
4. Write down some ideas that occur at the "intersection" of your thoughts without judging them. In idea-thinking, all thoughts are possible stepping stones to a new idea and should be viewed as having potential value. Each idea is a possible ripple that can connect with another ripple to form a great idea. Killing an idea while in idea-thinking mode sends you straight back to the proverbial box. Example: 1) Umbrella shaped like a turtle shell, 2) Fabric pattern modeled after turtle colors and patterns, 3) Fanciful design with turtle head and legs that the user (kids?) can open and close for the fun of it, 4) Umbrella for land use and on water such as on boats.
5. While still in idea-thinking mode, try it again with your same challenge and another random concept.

In some ways, this can seem like looking for a needle in a haystack, but once you see the power of the technique it will change the way you think. Even if the first random concept doesn't immediately yield a great idea, the real benefit is being able to enter the idea-thinking mode that opens your thinking to new possibilities. Much like shooting stars that occur without notice during the brightness of the day, we often have the beginnings of new ideas that get overwhelmed by the rigid rules of pattern-thinking. By deliberately allowing our minds to consider seemingly unrelated concepts, we open the possibility of fresh thinking and new ideas.