A possible alphabet of creativity for these times...

1. ABC.
A POSSIBLE ALPHABET OF CREATIVITY

2. THE FLYING COW

3. Hi. That’s me. I’m the flying cow. If you think
that only ‘til yesterday I was just an ordinary
cow, like all the others. I was out pasturing
all day, being milked….usual life, that’s it.
Well, til yesterday. Until when I tried to fly
on my own. And – surprise! – it worked! Well,
it wasn’t that easy. Reaching up onto the
cliff, taking off…and I’m also dizzy! But…
wow! What a sight from here! I can see all. I
can see better. You don’t believe me, do
you? Try for yourself!

4. The Flying Cow presents

5. ABC.
A POSSIBLE ALPHABET OF
CREATIVITY

6. Creativity is human activities’ engine.
It’s like eggnog in your coffee, instead of
sugar.
Or ricotta cheese on your Pasta al Pomodoro,
instead of parmesan.
Ever tried?

7. Absolute truths do not exist.
The following pages are not absolute truths.
Well they are true for me.
Hope they are useful to you.

8. A ABSOLUTE
TRUTHS
Absolute truths are fundamental.
To put you out of your business.
Fast.
We’ll have to learn to live without.
And always more.

9. A A-NA-LY-SIS
It’s not obvious, even if it should.
Creativity is not sitting under a tree
waiting for the apple to fall in your hand,
it’s a serious, methodical work based on
analysis.

10. B BISOCIATION
Ok, the word sucks. But the concept is
extraordinary: put two apparently non
connected things together, and you get a
new product.
Examples?
Piece of paper + bad quality glue = post
it
Auction + Web = ebay
Bookstore + Web = amazon, and so on…

11. C CHANGE
The change, either sought or suffered,
generates an incredible development of
new creative ideas, concepts, products
and their possible utilization. The
changement is healthy, it’s the will to
explore unknown lands.

12. D DEFECTS
They are often the key to find out the
strong points of a project/new product.
3M transformed a failure in a worldwide
success (again, Post-It)

13. E EXCLUSION
One of the basic exercises to help
develop creativity.
Take a problem, describe it with three
sentences, then delete one of them.

14. F FEAR
Lots of: of not making it, of doing wrong, to
change, of the consequences of our chioces…
Fear is healthy when it makes you stop and think
about, not when it only makes you stop. It’s a
stage of the change, you must face it and then
overcome it.

15. G GAME
Game allows us to recreate situations that
are similar to real ones, where we can try
different techniques, tactics and strategies
without risks and consequences. Role
playing, Possible Scenarios, these are all
fantastic exercises that prepare us to manage
the unforecastable in life. This is valid for
everyone and everything. Work included.
Especially in these times…

16. H HABIT
The biggest brake to creativity, evolution and
change: call into question all your benchmark
at least once a month, you’ll see that it is
possible to always find a new and better habit.

17. I INVERSION
Inversion or reversal: take a problem,
look at it upside down, study its
opposite… Lack of business? And if
there was too much? What should I
choose? On what should I
concentrate? What should I cut? And
so on…

18. J JAMMIN’
No, not Marley’s. Jam as block, confuse,
blur, stop…You know, all these activities
that distract you. Creativity needs time,
space, rule and method.

19. K KOTLER
I could file it under “S”, as Saint. One of
modern marketing and new management
guru; to read again and again, once in a
while, in order to avoid being mistaken
for an oracle. Please quote moderately.
And avoid to pass off his words for
yours…

20. L LANGUAGE
The crossroad of languages, word plays,
multiple meanings, these are all keys
able to open doors we didn’t know could
communicate with one another.
In particular, the association between
word and image has today a superior
evocative power compared to 10, 5, 3
years ago.

21. M MAKE A MISTAKE
The salt of creativity.
From mistakes (especially from your own) you
can learn a lot.
Obviously not everybody.
And not always.

22. M MULTITASKING
Yes, yes another M, I know… doing more
things at the same time can be (and surely
is) dispersive or even impossible for
someone…
True, not the best from a productivity
point of view, but here come the bad
news: multitasking is the new normal.
Broaden the field of your competences,
diversify, augment the product/service
mix…

23. N NOVELTY
Not a synonym of creativity. Or of
intelligence. Examples? Reality shows.
It’s often better to look for something in
the old trunk…

24. O OPPORTUNITY
Or threat?
It depends on us, on our approach
to life, on how much we’re up to put
at stake every day.
In some languages, crisis and
opportunity are the same word, and
that’s not a coincidence.

25. P PASSION
I often think about what connects me to my
customers, who often have different stories,
culture, ideas and birthplace: an extra strong
passion for what we do, to transform “my” and
“your” in “our”, to find out that “plus” the other
don’t have.

26. Q QUIBBLE
QUIBBLE….
The moment before jumping.
When you think that, well, the way
you live it’s not that bad, better not
take risks, keep your fixed job/income
(fixed????lol) Come on, jump and do it
fast!

27. R REGRETS
It’s official: regrets kill.
Faith, passion and, yes, creativity too!
Create the “lost chances” folder and
every 2 – 3 months check it again…if the
ideas in it were good, maybe they still
are.
Otherwise, keep it shut for another
couple of months.

28. S SOCIAL MEDIA (AND FACEBOOK)
Everybody talks about it, why shouldn’t
I? We still do not know well what
they’re for and if they’re relly
useful/necessary and so on…Meanwhile
we’re using them. It’ s a little bit like
the story of the lion and the gazelle.
Maybe it’s better you start running too…

29. T TOUCH
Every now and then come out of your
Second, third and Fourth Life and go into
the nature

30. U UNIQUENESS
Probably your most successful product, though
you still need to learn how to produce and
market it…
Uniqueness does not mean to put your comma
or mark in everything you do: uniqueness is to
develop (properly) an idea/creative concept
with your brain drawing on ALL the sources
you know. And NOBODY ELSE can do it as you
can.

31. V VIRTUE
What an ancient word! It seems like
everybody forgot about it, today, but I’m old
fashioned too, you know?
Virtue, ethics, values, these are the roots of
the creativity tree where good ideas can be
grafted.
But without roots (without virtues), good
ideas DIE.

32. W WITH OR
WITHOUT?
And why not WITH AND WITHOUT?
Why choose only one thing?
Choose all when you can.

33. X INCOGNITO
All what we don’t know (at the moment)
and maybe we will never know.
Thank goodness….

34. Y WHY
Ask, Ask, Ask.
To boredom.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DON’T
UNDERSTAND.
We can learn from everybody.
Yes, you too.

35. Z ZZZZZ. SLEEP
Sleep a lot, sleep often, sleep well.
Sleep as much as you can.
Your brain works much more while sleeping.
And for sure it doesn’t use all the filters you
do!

36. I am The Flying Cow.
It is the paradox I chose to represent those who –
finally! – succeed in escape the safety (lol) of the
fixed job.
Hey.
There’s life beyond your desk.

37. Create. Change. Grow.

38. You can find me here
http://www.facebook.com/FILIPPOMAZZOLICONSULTING
FILIPPOMAZZOLI