In INVENTology: How We Dream Up Things That Change the World, Pagan Kennedy explains why Mother Nature can be “the ultimate mentor for both invention and innovation.” I agree with Kennedy that few people will create something entirely new but all people can — and many will — improve something. Those who do are inclined to ask questions that begin “What if…” and “Why not…” That’s what Art Fry did when he needed to keep track of selections in a hymnal when singing in his church choir. He cut and inserted slips of paper but they kept falling out. Fortunately, he knew about a glue developed by his company (3M) that “wasn’t sticky enough” but stuck well enough to remain attached to the hymnal’s pages. Problem solved by what soon became Post-it Notes.

Kennedy shares dozens of such stories in her lively as well as eloquent and informative book. She explains how some people rely on reverse invention: they come up with an end product and then back up from it to determine how to produce it. She explains how other people converted “nothing” into something very special (e.g. penicillin). She also offers several examples of still other situations in which someone asked (perhaps only to herself), “Why hasn’t anyone figured out a way to….” A tennis instructor asked that because his knees ached from constantly bending over to pick up a thousand practice balls. He devised a solution (a “ball hopper”) that someone else later modified (in the shape of a plastic tube) to pick up golf balls during practice sessions.

These are among several dozen insights that can help almost anyone think and live more creatively.

o The “Dark Matter of Invention”: “Surveys suggest that millions of Americans engage in some form of inventive activity — from designing rock-climbing gear to re-thinking surgical tools to customizing cars. Many breakthroughs emerge from ’non-inventors’ who are trying to solve a new problem.” (pages 14-15)

Note: Eric von Hippel coined the term “dark matter of invention” which is widespread but difficult to measure. Two examples of serendipity: Mark Kay Ash used leather softener to eliminate wrinkles on her hands and arms; she built a multi-billion dollar cosmetics organization based on a simple idea. While removing burrs from his dog’s hair after a walk in the woods, George de Mestral noticed the burrs’ hook-and-loop design and he later invented Velcro. You’ll never know what’s possible if you are not paying attention to the world in which you live.

o Feedback is Crucial: “Successful inventors are deeply interested in other people and their desires. Now, with the advent of crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, some designers are figuring out how to draw upon fine-tuned feedback at the earliest stages of the creative process.” (37)

o Start with the Answer: “The creative process often happens in a surprisingly backward fashion. Some inventors begin with a discovery that seems to be a ‘pre-existing solution’ and then search for a problem to fit it.” (61)

o The Seinfeld Paradox: “Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David famously created ‘a show about nothing.’ And just as the hit TV show {BEGIN] Seinfeld emerged from life’s in-between moments, many great developments arise from what most people call ’nothing’ — trash, filth, air, dirt, and so on. Penicillin, perhaps the most significant example of this phenomenon, emerged from a dish of moldy goop that could easily have been poured down the drain.” (Page 79)

o Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes: “Some of the most gifted inventors immerse themselves in problems, listen to constituents, and develop a kinship with sufferers. Those who can empathize with others are particularly inventive; they feel a secondhand pain that cracks open they mind to new ideas.” (208)

Pagan Kennedy thinks creatively about the creative process and has written a book that will prepare you to do that, also.