Defining the problem is the same as creating the solution; as with the principle of yin and yang, all things exist as in- separable and contradictory opposites, such as male/female, old/young, and, in the context of creative problem-solving, problem/solution and solution discovery.
The solution is inherent in the problem statement. The awareness of this sense of interconnectivity and duality is the origin of the process of discovery in which one realizes that a comprehensive problem statement also contains the solution. This problem/solution linkage is momentously illustrated in Einstein’s search for revolutionary theories in physics and his feeling that in the process of problem-solving, he’d rather, when given an hour, spend fifty-five minutes thinking about the problem and only five minutes thinking about solutions. Einstein’s ability to break the barriers of creative thought illustrate how the solution is contained in a great foundational problem statement.
Have Faith—Every Problem Has a Solution
Possibly the reason you have started to read this book is because you have an incredibly difficult problem to solve or may be lost in the chaos of creativity without a solution you can use to reach your goal. It might seem almost impossible to figure out, but by reading and studying Conquering the Chaos of Creativity, you will hopefully obtain the knowledge, awareness, and empowerment needed to achieve your imaginative dreams.
My message to the distraught reader: please believe that everything will be okay and that you have a guide that will lead you from your problem to your ultimate solution. It will be fun and empowering; it will be a process of self-discovery to unlock and focus your imagination. Every problem has a solution inherent within it; you simply have to understand how to find it.
Problem Statement Foundation: The Basis of a Great Solution
Without a strong foundational problem statement, you will never be able to build your house of solutions. With an ill-defined and weak problem definition, whatever solution you will attempt to build will simply crumble and collapse every time you try to build it. An exceptional, well-envisioned foundation is the platform for problem-solving, capable of the greatest of solution structures that will pierce the sky of your imaginative dreams.
The Analytical Creativity chapter sections are the philosophical basis of the book, capable of focusing your imagination and guiding you to a solution. They set the tone for personifying creative processes of the problem solving methodologies you will learn in the ensuing chapters. This is akin to a master plan to build a one hundred-story building that is only habitable if all the essential foundational, structural, human, and environmental needs are considered.
The first step in understanding how to build a great problem statement foundation is becoming aware of all your possible needs, philosophies, influences, and requirements.
Problem & Solution Awareness: The Essence of Creativity
In forty years of problem-solving, I have learned that becoming consciously aware of what one’s goals actually are is essential. You must expand your awareness of the true nature of the problem. You first have to attain problem awareness to achieve solution awareness.
The link between problem and solution is the essence of yin and yang. It is important to realize that inherent in a comprehensive and well-articulated problem statement is the solution. Indeed, the great Chinese philosopher Confucius expressed the need for problem awareness quite clearly in asserting that those who are unable to articulate a problem clearly will never find a solution.
One must be completely aware of all aspects of the problem that is being solved.