Upcycling, Dead Cats and Material Science

May 27, 2024

I was chatting to a TV producer this week about the kind of things I make in the Workshopshed. The discussion lead to alternate uses of household objects. Reflecting back on the conversation, I was reminded of a paper, I once read which used such an approach as a way of measure of creativity. So I’m not sure if I was being tested or they were genuinely interested in upcycling the particular item.

When I researched further, I discovered that the test is called Guilford’s Alternative Uses test. And it looks at different measures to assess creativity.

Fluency – The number of alternative uses
Originality – How unusual those uses are
Flexibility – The diversity of ideas
Elaboration – Level of detail and development of the idea

Whilst making my own 101 uses of … list I also realised it is testing other things such as your knowledge of material science and also your exposure to diversity of thought.

If you know about the physical properties of the item in question, if you’ve taken one apart before or understand how the parts relate to each other then you are going to come up with more ideas.

The paper, I mentioned above was also looking at diversity of thought and how demonstrating magic to kids can enhance their ability to score highly in the alternative uses test. Exposure to alternative options makes you more likely to find your own alternatives. In my case the books of Simon Bond as a kid probably helped. But also talking to other makers and creatives, and seeing what they do is definitely inspiring.

I am also reminded of Maslow’s Hammer:

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail.”

But here I am in disagreement with Maslow. I think it is not the tool but the person that is the limiting factor. In fact some of the most creative solutions I have seen have been due to constraints such as not having the most obvious tool available.