Creativity and Innovation: A Mind Dump

So for this week's blog I am exploring the topics of creativity and innovation. To do this, we were asked to complete a creativity exercise that had us consider two inanimate objects and then come up with possible innovative solutions that combined the two in some way, shape, or form. The results of my exercise are included below:

First Word: LAMP

Mind Dump: Fluorescent lights, bright lights, low lights, colorful lights, lamp shades, lamps with cords, lamps with batteries, reading lamps, floor lamps, desk lamps, different colored light bulbs.

In my room alone I have three lamps. I used to have touch lamp by my bedside, which was so convenient because it had three settings of brightness and only needed a soft touch to turn on and off. This made it so much easier to read a book and not have to reach all the way out to twist a knob.

I really like the lamps with unique shades. Whether they're made out of cloth and have patterns or are brightly colored plastics, I think lamps can be a really neat form of art. I've even seen some lamps that use mosaic tiles.

Uses for lamps are pretty obvious: to add light to the surroundings. But I think that if the lamp is decorative, it can also add aesthetic appeal to a room

Second Word: BASKETBALL

Mind Dump: NBA, UT Basketball, AJ Abrams, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, David Robinson, Spurs, Lakers, Final Four, March Madness, Orange and Black, tiny bumps on skin of ball, leather, bouncy, basketball court, rim, tall, jumping, blocking, point guard, center, forward, charge, pick and roll, 3 points, dunk, air ball, swish, Michael Jordan, Space Jam, Hoosiers

I don't typically follow professional sports, but I do like the San Antonio Spurs. I really like David Robinson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Tim Duncan.  I’ve only been to one of their games, and we lost by four points to the Lakers.

You can use a basketball to play games other than a traditional game like Pig, Horse, and Around the World. It takes practice to be good at basketball. Maybe this is why I am not good at it. You also need the write attire when playing basketball: basketball shoes, shorts, t-shirt, (sports bra if you’re a girl), socks, and sometimes even a sweatband.

Basketball is the name of the sport as well as the name as the ball used in the sport.  A basketball goes flat after awhile and needs to be pumped up again. It is pretty bouncy for a ball and is bigger than the human head.

Combination Ideas of the Two Objects:

1. A lamp made out of basketball leather

2. A basketball with a light inside of it

3. Basketball light bulbs for the lamp

4. Basketball print on the lampshade

5. The base of a lamp being a basketball

6. A basketball book lamp

7. The chain to turn on the lamp having a basketball at the bottom of it to pull on

8. Lamps with basketball wheels to roll around on

9. Lamps that project beams shaped like basketballs on the ceiling

10. Lamp that re-energizes when it bounces in the shell of a basketball (battery operated instead of needing electricity)

11. Using a really flat basketball as a holder for the base of a lamp

12. Having one basketball on either side of the light bulb (probably a fluorescent bulb and the shape would look like a dumbbell) That way it could roll around and if it were ever dropped it would just bounce

Many of these ideas seem like they could be viable products. In fact, some already exist. A lamp that has basketballs on the shade, has a basketball base, basketball leather used on the base, and a basketball lamp with a chain that has a basketball at the bottom of it all seem to be pretty viable, and are probably already in the marketplace. 

Others that may be viable would be a floor lamp with basketball wheels (if they were miniaturized), a lamp that projects basketballs onto the ceiling, and a basketball that has a light inside of it. The last of these seems the most interesting to me because it could be challenging to make, but successful if completed.

           

A basketball that has a light inside of it could be useful for players who enjoy playing at night. The ball could use the technology in many flashlights these days that only require you to shake it (or bounce it) to re-energize the light. The light inside the ball would make it easier to see in darker environments and would be aesthetically cool to look at as well.