James Webb Young, in his seminal work A Technique for Producing Ideas, used islands in the ‘South Seas’ as a metaphor for the idea-generating process.
He once believed that ideas were produced like the sudden appearance of a beautiful atoll, where previously only blue ocean had been shown on the naval chart.
But in reality, now we know that islands are the result of nature working tirelessly under the sea. So are ideas, according to Young. Ideas will be generated as a result of much effort, including gathering random thoughts, elaborating on them, and combining old and new concepts – what he calls “brooding.”
When I read his book exactly five years ago, I was encouraged because I had no idea what to do next, although I had made up my mind to start my own business. It may sound silly, but I was serious, trying to get myself out of unemployment at the time.
By following Young’s ‘formula of experience’, I started my ongoing journey. I wanted to do my own project providing entrepreneurial assistance for non-Japanese people here in Japan.
My name is Yumiko, and I'm the founder of Posse Nippon. I’m a Japanese resident of Tokyo drafting a blog in English to convey my message to those who live in or are interested in Japan but do not understand Japanese. (My apologies for any unorganised writing in advance. I am happy to clarify whenever needed!)
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