DAY 1: the first day, the first sign up.

Innovation seemed to be the most interesting course to take up at this point, where I have no drive to create even though I am at art school. It was not much of a challenge to understand what we had in store for the next few weeks. Innovation is a much clearer concept now. To me innovation is something that comes as an outcome of a situation of requirement that cannot be easily satisfied with given resources. Well, I think everyone has a different definition for this considering where the idea of innovation came from.

I was glad to finally find out that I’d be making something rather than just talking about it. I’ve noticed how I’m more productive this way. The concept of the innovation foundation was interesting. Seeing how ordinary people, just anyone could make something that innovative using ordinary, inexpensive, easily accessible things. I want to be able to do something like that, right now that seems like the only thing that’d make me happy. I also do understand that it is a difficult task that is also easy in a way. So here we are starting a class thinking that maybe at the end of these weeks we might end up making something that inspires a many more “ME’S” to innovate.

The day came along with assignments, simple, yet ‘assignments’. We had to pick a random object and make the worst design possible for it. Even that is totally based on what I think could be the worst design and what someone else thinks of the same design. This shows how different people have different views on what is a bad design for something and what is good. My object was a razor. It was quite the task to come up with a bad design, because I couldn’t seem to arrive at a concept that no one else would’ve thought of.  First I flipped the blades, in such a way that they’d point towards each other, leaving very little space. So it wouldn’t work with ease, even if it worked it would pinch your skin. Next I took off the handle and mocked the entire idea of the moustache and made the handle a moustache itself. It was silly. The last modification was of the top of the blade that generally has a soapy strip is replaced by sandpaper.

I found it quite easy to come up with the new razor, all I had to do was to see what makes the object comfortable and do just the opposite.

It was a productive day.

Our homework: earning a sum of Rs.100.