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The reading time for InGenius varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

Who is the author of InGenius?

The author of InGenius is Tina Seelig.

Creativity

InGenius Book Summary - InGenius Book explained in key points

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InGenius summary

Name: InGenius
Rating: 4.6 (27 reviews)
Author: Tina Seelig

Tina Seelig

A Crash Course on Creativity

4.6 (27 ratings)

15 mins

Brief summary

InGenius by Tina Seelig is a book that explores the creative mindset and the skills needed to foster innovation.
It offers practical advice for unleashing creativity and developing an entrepreneurial spirit to solve problems and seize opportunities.

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Creative Flow

Table of Contents

InGenius
Summary of 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Learn how to unlock your hidden creativity

Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo Da Vinci, David Hockney: all three must have been born with innate creative brilliance, a rare gift that separates them from the rest of us. Right?

Not so. These blinks show you that creativity isn’t something that some of us have and others don’t. We can all be creative, we just have to know how! Read on and you’ll discover how some of the most innovative companies have unleashed their employees’ innovative drive, and how you can do the same to unlock your own creative juices.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

how one company benefited from making artificial limbs beautiful;
why your brainstorming sessions probably aren’t working; and
why one company gives its employees rubber brains.

Creativity is a habit you learn, not something you’re born with.

Creativity: Either you’ve got it or you don’t, right? Well, although we tend to see artists, innovators and entrepreneurs as a different breed, creativity is actually not something you’re born with. If you don’t consider yourself creative, perhaps your creative spirit simply hasn’t been fostered!

Luckily, it’s never too late. By putting some new thinking habits in place, you can nurture the creativity you never knew you had. So what are these habits?

The first is to combine seemingly unrelated ideas and create a surprising result. Say you combine an alarm clock and vocabulary flash cards. The result could be an alarm clock that switches off when you answer a set of questions. It may sound like a pretty useless invention, but this kind of product could be just the solution for people who want to learn a new language, but find it hard to motivate themselves to do it.

You can also kindle your creativity by reframing the problems you face. Because we often see things from a limited perspective, we tend to create solutions to problems based on what we already know, or usually think. By actively taking a step outside these constraints, you’ll be able to grasp truly innovative solutions.

One way to do this is by removing something from its usual context. For example, you might think of an artificial leg as a functional product, a tool to aid those with disabilities. But what if you took it out of a medical context, and into the context of fashion instead?

The highly successful company Bespoke did just this, by creating artificial limbs that weren’t just medical aids, but also fashion accessories. By reframing artificial limbs, they discovered the possibility of producing them in a way that was aesthetically pleasing and also made their wearers feel more comfortable!

We often face problems where the solution is simple, or when it comes to us easily. Does that mean we should simply stop there? Not quite - find out why in the next blink!

Don’t stick with first ideas – better ones are yet to come!

Sometimes we face problems where the solution seems obvious. But, just because it’s your first idea doesn’t mean it’s the best – in fact, it’s quite the opposite. The most innovative ideas often emerge at the end of a long creative process that involves numerous attempts and continuous questioning, even if things appear to be working well!

The reality is that easy solutions are major obstacles for creativity, and most of the time we don’t even realize when we’ve fallen into their trap. The author often gives her design students the challenge of lining up according to their birth date without talking to one another. Usually students use hand signals and body language to solve the task with moderate success. Yet rarely does anybody rethink the solution and simply pass around a piece of paper so each person can write down their birthday; written communication isn’t banned by the rules of the game, and it would be much faster.

Open yourself to inspiration by observing constantly.

Sometimes it’s good to be a novice, as your inexperienced perspective may help you break through the status quo. But generally, the more knowledgeable you are about your field, the more starting points you’ll have for creative problem solving.

Remember, every little bit of information counts, so never stop observing. Sometimes, even the most trivial aspects of your environment can inspire fantastic ideas.

Embrace failure as the next step towards your solution.

Sure, none of us enjoy failure. But don’t we learn the most from our biggest mistakes? They can even inspire us to create radical change in our lives. Failure is inevitable, so why waste time worrying about it? Instead, start looking forward to trying again. And again. And again!

Think of it like a science experiment. In order to test whether your hypothesis is true, you’ll need to test it. If the results prove you wrong, you’ll need to reformulate your theory, and try once more. Thomas Edison tried thousands of different materials for the glowing filament in his light bulb until he found the right one that soon lit up the world.

Believe you’ll find a solution, and you will.

Creativity can be a long, hard road with many setbacks along the way. If you want to keep at it, you’ll need the right attitude to fuel yourself. So what is the right attitude? Well, it’s as simple as this: If you believe that you’ll reach success, you absolutely will.

Take the case of neurosurgeon John Adler. In the mid 1980s, radiation therapy emerged that was used to treat tumors, but only those in the brain. Adler was convinced that the therapy could be useful in other regions of the body too, and set out to make it possible.

The space you work in fundamentally shapes the way you work and collaborate with others.

Wouldn’t it be great to have as many great ideas at your desk as you do in the shower? While you can’t bring the steaming hot water to your workspace, there are ways to ensure your environment is stimulating and inspiring.

Begin by appreciating that how we feel, think and act is profoundly shaped by the space we’re in. We feel and think differently whether we find ourselves in a concert hall, at a doctor’s office, in a lecture hall or at an airport.

Make creativity a game.

Admit it: we all love a good game! No matter what it is, if we’re challenged to reach a goal, often in a competitive setting while following a set of rules, we’ll be motivated for the reward that’s promised at the end. We can stimulate our creativity in this way too, with new incentives to get those ideas flowing.

For instance, the company Proteus Biomedical rewards employees who file for a patent with rubber brains that are displayed in jars on their desks. This makes social recognition a reward for creative activity, and is called gamification, since it resembles the immediate reward mechanisms that make video games so enjoyable.

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What is InGenius about?

InGenius (2012) unlocks the secrets to the creativity we all have, whether we know it or not! From new thinking habits to motivating attitudes to environments with incentives, these blinks will guide you toward kindling your own creative spark.

InGenius Review

InGenius (2012) by Tina Seelig is an insightful exploration of creativity and how to unlock it. Here's why this book is worth reading:

It provides practical exercises and tools to help enhance creativity, allowing readers to put theory into practice and see results.
Real-life stories and examples bring the concepts to life, making the book relatable and easy to understand.
The book challenges traditional notions of creativity, encouraging readers to think outside the box and embrace their unique ideas.

Best quote from InGenius

Whether you think you can or you cant, youre right. - Henry Ford

—Tina Seelig

Who should read InGenius?

Creatives from any field
Business leaders seeking to foster creativity in their teams
Anyone who wants to learn how to think outside the box!

About the Author

Tina Seelig is a Gordon Prize-winning author and academic with a PhD in Neuroscience from Stanford University. She teaches a course in Management Science and Engineering at the University and has written the book What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20.

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