Purpose

…To practice creative problem solving you're going to…need three things, purpose, restriction, and motivation.…To illustrate this I'm going to take you…through a creativity test called Duncker's Candle Problem.…You have a candle, a box of tacks, and a book of matches.…Your goal is to fix the candle to the wall in such a…manner that when you light the candle, wax won't drip on the floor.…How would you solve this?…This is a test in functional fixedness, which is your…ability to see objects for purposes beyond their intended use.…

The proper solution to Duncker's candle problem is to…see the box of tacks as a box And tacks.…Dumping out the tacks, putting the candle in the box, and tacking it to the wall.…The creative problem solving involved in this exercise is to…see the box for a use beyond it's original purpose.…Purpose equals problem.…Without a problem to be solved, you cannot be creative.…This is the fundamental difference between creativity and artistry.…If a painter paints a beautiful painting she's creating art, but…