Rex Miller

Michael Vance is one of my favorite speakers. Former Dean of Disney University he is a master on creativity and creating processes for companies to achieve high levels of innovation.

In one of his sessions and in the book “Think Outside the Box” he describes 4 paths to creativity:

• Invention/Invention: the thing(s) before the thing is invented – i.e. silicon chips (with integrated circuits) before portable computers.
• Invention/Extension: plusing or enhancing the original concept – i.e. laptop computers.
• Invention/Devention: an invention that “uninvents” another – i.e. cloud computing may one day make accessing information in a dedicated hard drive obsolete
• Functional Substitution: an invention that replaces another with a better application – i.e. texting as a preferred means of communication over email for those under 30.

I like to listen to musicians because the good ones embody all 4 of these paths. The video below presents two artists, Rodrigo y Gabriela. Their new album Eleven Eleven is a tribute to 11 different heavy metal artists. If you are a fan of Hendrix, Santana, Pink Floyd or Shakti – this is a variation on a theme worth listening too. And if you’re not a fan – all the better – you’ll enjoy it.

Each paths brings a fresh new experience to a product, service or idea. Those new riffs create high returns; enjoyment, results, revenue!

This video is a great example of Invention/Extension – extending heavy metal creativity to new domains. It is also a great example of Functional Substitution – classical Spanish guitar fusion.

Tags: business, creativity, disney, heavy metal, hendrix, innovation, invention, michael vance, music, pink floyd, rodrigo y gabriela, santana, shakti