Stimulate Creativity With The SCAMPER Mnemonic

If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, weblog Psychology Today recommends using this simple mnemonic to help you get the creative juices flowing.

Photo by Ramunas Geciauskas.

SCAMPER is based on the notion that everything new is some addition or modification of something that already exists. You take a subject and change it into something else. (E.g., drilled petroleum becomes chemical feedstock becomes synthetic rubber becomes automobile tires. Natural gas becomes polyethylene becomes milk jugs. Mined ore becomes metal becomes wire becomes parts of a motor.) You can take anything that exists and change it into a new idea.

The mnemonic is as follows:

S = Substitute

C = Combine

A = Adapt

M = Magnify = Modify

P = Put to other uses

E = Eliminate

R = Rearrange = Reverse

With each section of the mnemonic, just think of how you could apply that action to the idea you want to work with. So, for example, ask yourself: Can I substitute certain aspects of this idea to create something new? Can I combine it with something else, or adapt it to fit a different situation? As we’ve said before, few things are truly original. Some of the best ideas come from adapting other ideas into something that hasn’t been done before, so a great way to avoid writer’s block (or similar ailments) is to work off something you know. Hit the link to read more.

9 Easy Ways to Create Ideas [Psychology Today]