Fredrik Härén's Blog, page 23

Creativity lessons from how Boxbollen created a global success. (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 112)

Let me start with a statement: Boxbollen is a super fun product, a great gift, a huge success – but most of all an amazing idea!

 

Jacob and Victor Eriksson, two brothers from Sweden, came up with the idea of putting a foam ball on an elastic string and to connect it to an app that counts the hits. The result: a perfect family game that feels like a computer game but happens in real life.

 

They are on track to sell 200,000 (!) Boxbollen (www.boxbollen.com) this year – almost all of them as Christmas presents.

 

I had the privilege of meeting with Jacob and Victor and they told me that It it started off slow (they sold < 3000 copies the first year), and there were many people who told them all the reasons for why Boxbollen would never work. But the brothers did not listen to the nay-sayers, instead they looked for, what they call, “receipts”.

 

‘Receipts’ are instances when you receive positive and honest feedback about your idea being great. In the case of Boxbollen it was things like when they showed off an early prototype in a park and a family came up and refused to give the Boxbollen back. Or when they showed it off in a pool in Malaga and a couple on a date, drinking champagne and eating strawberries, could not take their eyes off the demonstration.

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Receipts.

 

When you doubt your idea, these receipts will give you energy.When you move forward these receipts will confirm that you are going in the right direction.

 

The word “receipt comes from the 14 century word “receit” meaning “the act of receiving”.

 

When you launching a new idea you are often in no-mans-land and there are few indicators that what you are creating will work. That’s where these receipts become so important. You are receiving proof that you are on to something.

 

A word of caution: Look out for fake receipts – dishonest praise from friends trying to be nice or from people with a hidden agenda.

 

But keep chasing the true receipts.

 

Jacob and Victor almost manically chase receipts.

 

The final advice from Jacob was: “Do not listen to the haters. Listen to the lovers. Collect receipts of positive and honest feedback.” And then he added: “And surround yourself with positive people with big and bold ideas.”
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Develop your creativity and keep exploring!
Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer.

 

ps. As always: I would love to hear your comments and thoughts at: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fredrikharen_boxbollen-creativity-success-activity-6853595107967533056-XWaG

The post Creativity lessons from how Boxbollen created a global success. (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 112) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.

“Take calculated dares.”(The Creativity Explorer. Episode 111)

“Take calculated dares.”

 

That was the message from the very talented photographer Jesper Anhede whom i recently sat down with for a conversation about creativity.
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Many talk about “taking calculated risk”, but “calculated dares” is different. It’s about daring to be creative.
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One example is how Jesper took this picture: hanging off a racing sailboat in the middle of the ocean, holding his very expensive underwater camera with one hand in the hope of capturing the moment a fisherman catches a fish – not knowing if he will be able to hold on to the camera.

 

 

And as you can see – it paid off.
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Jesper will do these things: like flying his drone close to a tree for the perfect shot, knowing full well that one time in 20 the drone will crash and he will have to pay to have it fixed. Calculated risk is defined as “Calculated risk-taking is operationally defined as the ability to deal with incomplete information and act on a risky option, that requires skill, to actualize challenging but realistic goals.”
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Calculated dare can be defined as “going for something fantastic knowing that it might not pay off – and you might even lose out – but if it does pay off it will be epic.”
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More about Jesper at: https://anhede.se​

 

Stay safe and creative,

Fredrik Haren- The Creativity Explorer

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The fourth – and best – way of tackling a crisis. (fight-flight-freeze-or-??…). (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 110)

The fight-flight-or-freeze response is a famous concept for how humans react in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat. I would like to add a fourth alternative – an alternative that I think is generally the best.

 

Let me explain.

 

Let’s take the epitome of a crisis: being attacked by a lion.

 

Most people think there you have three choices:
a) Fight – attack the lion and try to kill it before it kills you (Good luck…)

b) Flight – run away from the lion (the fastest human to ever live, Usain Bolt, can run 27.79 miles per hour. A lion can run 50 miles per hour…)

c) Freeze – that might feel extremely intimidating, but is apparently the “right thing to do”.

 

So what is the fourth choice: Be Creative!

 

For example: Give the lion a foot massage.

 

The last few weeks a post have been going around about Alex Larenty who lives on a game reserve in South Africa and who gives the lions on the reserve foot massages…

 

​”One day, he discovered that every time a lion was applied a cream to cure an infection on its paws, the lion would slacken and appear to smile. Since then, he has massaged all the lions in the park on a daily basis. Thanks to the pampering, he created a bond such that just by seeing him arrive, the lions lie down, begin to stretch their legs and smile.”

 

From the post: ​https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lion-foot-massage/​

 

Now offering a foot massage to an attacking lion will probably not work, but you have to admit that the idea of even offering lions foot massages were totally crazy to you before you found out that it actually works.

 

That is the power of creativity – it makes crazy things make sense.

 

For the last 18 months or so most of humanity have been living in a crisis. What has been your response?

 

Did you Fight?

Did you Flee?

Or did you Freeze?

Or did you use your creativity to come up with a beautiful solution to a terrible crisis?

 

When covid hit, my family decided that our children should look at the years of covid as the most happy times of their lives. We took them out of school and homeschooled them to get as much time as possible with them, and for six months now we are living on our private island in Sweden to be able to live in freedom and paradise – without a need for masks or any risk of getting sick – while we wait for the pandemic to die down.

 

The next time you are facing a crisis, evaluate your options when it comes to fighting back, fleeing and/or freezing – but do not also forget to examine your fourth alternative – to come up with a creative solution to get out of your predicament.

 

Creativity is the most amazing human superpower. If it can come up with the idea of foot massage for lions, imagine what it could come up with for you.

 

Stay creative and keep exploring.
Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer.
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ps. Any comments or ideas? Please drop in to my Linkedin profile and share: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrikharen/detail/recent-activity/posts/​
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pps. If you know of anyone in need of some help to develop the creativity and innovation in their company/organisation/team do reach out. I would love to help.
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The post The fourth – and best – way of tackling a crisis. (fight-flight-freeze-or-??…). (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 110) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.

Never be an incumbent: Lessons from the company and re-defining what “boat” means. (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 109)

How often do you get to visit a start-up rewrite the definition of a whole industry? Well, today I got to visit Candela – one of the coolest companies I have come across in 25 years of studying innovation.

 

Their boat is nothing less than a revolution. It’s a boat that flies (!) above the water. Absolutely silent, with superior seakeeping, fully connected, maintenance-free, 95% cheaper to drive and sporting the longest electric range of any boat in history.

 

While most people said “electric boats will never happen”, Candela rewrote the rules for what a boat should be. In just a few years, Candela is now one of the largest boat builders in Northern Europe and their journey has just started.

 

Traditional boatbuilders were so stuck in the idea of what a boat “should” look like, they did not realise that new technology had made old boatbuilding techniques, well, “old”.

 

The boat is built on Lidingö, just outside my island, and today, I had the privilege to take the boat for a test spin. (Will post video later).

 

​Stay safe and creative,

Fredrik Haren- The Creativity Explorer

 

p.s. Click on the link to see a photo of the boat in action.

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For creativity’s sake – take a break. (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 108)

A great idea can give you energy and propel you forward. It can get you to work hard and have you stay up all night.

But for the sake of your creativity – and your health and well being – make sure you also take time to recharge, relax and rethink who you are, what you do and why you do it.

I have spent the last 4 months on my island with my family just playing with my kids, drinking drinks with my wife, gardening and swimming and watching sunrises and sunsets. It has been magical and worked wonders for my creativity -and my well-being.

I now arrive back for “fall season” full of energy to create, to explore and to discover.

Make sure you take enough breaks, too.

Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer.

ps. The need to take breaks is also why I run #ideasisland (www.IdeasIsland.com) Last guests for the 2021 season is now on the island and I went there to personally welcome them. If you want to go 2022, do apply before January.

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Reach your full creative potential. (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 107)

In this episode of The Creativity Explorer, I do not want to record a long message about creativity or share something I learnt about creativity – instead, I just want to send a short greeting filmed with a drone to hopefully send some positive vibes about living a creative life. Recorded on my island in Stockholm where I have just spent 2 months, and plan to spend 3 more months before hitting the road again.

 

We do 5 months of “island life”, compared to our usual 2, since Covid “stole” our Island summer last year. I call it “Covid revenge”.

 

This is my paradise on Earth. The place where I reflect, reconnect and relax. Where some of my best ideas come. Where is yours?

 

Watch the video here.

 

Have a creative and relaxing summer! See you on stages (and virtual stages) soon again.

 

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Creativity should make you happy (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 106)

Someone just commented to me recently saying, “Creativity doesn’t necessarily have to make you happy” – that is a myth.

 

In this video, I would like to share that if idea of creativity doesn’t make you happy, you are doing it wrong. Creativity is about doing something in a different way to make the world better. And if the world becomes a little bit better, that will make you a little bit happier as well.

 

Watch the video here.

 

Stay inspired and creative,

***Fredrik***

 

p.s. Here’s the link again!

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Creativity Inspiration – Edward de Bono. (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 105)

In this post,  I want to celebrate the life (and honor the death) of Edward de Bono – the man who inspired millions of people, including me, to study creativity and lateral thinking. Thanks to one of his books that I read at university, I came to realize that creativity was something that you could study and make a living from. I am very happy I went on that journey of studying this very interesting topic.

 

Interesting story: I never met Edward, but I met his brother Peter de Bono in Beijing once and we had a disagreement about if “inspiration” was needed to be creative. He argued that it was not, and that what you needed was tools. He said: “If you want to open a locked door you need tools”. I argued back: “But if you are not inspired and motivated to want to open the door it does not matter how many tools you have…”

 

Watch the full video here.

 

I think inspiration is crucial for creativity.

 

Edward de Bono inspired me to be more creative. And for that I am very grateful.

 

Who inspires you to be more creative?

 

***Fredrik***

 

p.s. Here’s the link again!

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Perfect2: Taking two perfect ideas and combing them (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 103)

Perfect2 (perfecttwo) – a word I just invented. It’s when you take two perfect ideas and combine them.

 

In our case: sitting outside watching the sunset on my own island in perfect Swedish summer weather – and – watching the Champions League finals with my football-crazy ten year old son whose favorite team is Manchester City. And so, we did both! (Go Manchester City!)

 

How about you? What two perfect ideas could you combine for Perfect2?

 

 

See full video on Youtube or on LinkedIn.

Stay safe and creative!

***Fredrik***

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Even in gloomy situations, there’s an opportunity for creativity (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 102)

“Do you find yourself being in a terrible situation right now?” ​In this episode of The Creativity Explorer, I encourage you to remember that even in gloomy situations, there is an opportunity for creativity. Perhaps especially then.

Watch it on Youtube or on LinkedIn.

Stay safe and creative.

***Fredrik***

The post Even in gloomy situations, there’s an opportunity for creativity (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 102) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.