#VonWongDaily

A thought a day keeps my ideas from fading away.

Posts Tagged ‘innovation’

230- Regular yet Random Innovation

When designing MIT’s brand new 400 Million dollar nanotechnology labs, lab director Vladimir Bulovic wanted to find a way to foster as much #innovation as possible.

He studied various departments within MIT that had the highest concentration of patents and found that two elements were critical:
– A central location that people enjoyed convening in with a high volume of foot traffic
– A space where various academic disciplines would intersect informally

This unique combination of allowing people with diverse domain expertise to spend regular yet random time together seemed to be the key to generating the highest quality ideas.

But how does one introduce those same benefits into their everyday lives?

For me, it’s been all about hunting for week-long skill trades and month-long artist residencies. What about you?

155- Discovery vs. Innovation

In the earliest days of any creative career, the hardest thing is to get noticed by the right people.

Since a few influential individuals hold the keys to the best-paid projects and the most prestigious opportunities, finding a way to be discovered is essential, even for the luckiest and most privileged.

But being discovered is only half the battle. Nobody wants to become a one-hit-wonder, where their best days are behind them.

The other half of sustaining a creative career is ensuring you maintain the respect and attention of the individuals you’ve already acquired.

To keep getting hired for your creativity, it’s essential to remain relevant. And relevancy requires innovation.

Balancing the need for #discovery and #innovation is challenging, but we cannot be successful unless we make time for both. If balancing both is too hard, simply focus on one at a time.

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ht: Conversation with Karen X