I have thought hard about whether or not I desired to spend my time creating a blog to help teach the principles of innovation, inventing, and entrepreneurship. After some deep thought, I decided it was important for me to teach and give to those who desire to better themselves in these areas. Now that I have clarity on what I desire, it will get done. So, the first lesson revolves around the word, desire, and it is the single most important step if you choose to be an innovator, inventor, or entrepreneur.

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Well, that’s just one of the incredible things about inventing. A single, successful idea can launch into many others. Recently, that’s exactly what’s been going on with the project-based inventing curriculum that my team and I have polished over the last several years.

I’m committed to launching our real-world inventing coursework in schools across Pennsylvania and beyond and so, I am thrilled to be involved as regional educators and students flock to Inventionland, our expansive 61,000 square-foot design facility, to experience it for themselves.

You see, in today’s schools, it is becoming increasingly difficult to capture students’ attention, let alone keep them engaged, energized and prepared for tomorrow’s careers. But, my state-of-the-art, project-based curriculum has the potential to do just that. Recently, we gave area educators just a taste of those capabilities.

This week, I had the pleasure of leading curriculum directors from nearly 20 different Pittsburgh-area schools, as well as representatives from Intermediate Unit 1(IU1) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Along with one of my Inventionland Creationeers, Matt, I guided the group through the process of building a pencil holder from 31 pieces of laser-cut cardboard.

As we all found out together, developing a product is much like developing coursework. You start with pre-development work, identify the needs of the market, brainstorm your solution and work through concept models to find the best direction. And with great effort comes great reward, right?

My real-world inventing curriculum allows students to go through the sequence that brings successful products to store shelves. They go through the product development process and get an overall picture in their mind that functions as a “how to” map, building a belief system. In doing so, they see that the product development process isn’t magic, but a proven method they can apply to their own invention ideas to bring them to life.

Here is just a glimpse at student groups whose eyes have recently been opened to all the possibilities of the product development process at Inventionland:

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Hymen L. Lipman registered the first patent for a lead pencil, with an attached eraser for edits and revisions, on March 30, 1858. Before Lipman’s all-in-one innovation, clunky erasers only accompanied pencils (hardly convenient for the ravenous thinker driven by creative momentum). Lipman’s attached eraser could be sharpened, in addition to the lead.

As a boy, Lipman immigrated to the United States from Jamaica, with his English parents, and settled in Philadelphia, PA for the remainder of his life. In 1840, he took over as the lead stationer in the city, succeeding Samuel M. Stewart. He would go on to start the first envelope company in the U.S.

Lipman sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000 in 1862. Sometimes, innovation is about marrying two existing things to create a more efficient, better way. Next time you scribble a sketch on an envelope, think of Lipman, a man with great vision who gave us the essential tools for making.

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1. Keep an Idea Book

Don’t let a good idea escape you. Keep a small, unlined idea book on your person to collect doodles, scraps, scrawling and more. Maybe you think best in purple ink. Maybe you prefer a tidy page over a messy one. There are no rules! When you allow yourself a safe and open space to assemble and articulate your thoughts, you grant yourself permission for brilliance.

2. Expose Yourself to Art

You don’t necessarily have to shuffle around a museum to get in the way of art. Creativity is everywhere, and it’s important that you’re absorbing and processing it. We learn and adapt from the strides taken by other innovators. Expand your horizons beyond your own medium or discipline. Catch a ballet, consider a symphony, stop by a coffee-house reading. The company you keep and the environments you operate within will undoubtedly generate new ideas and enhance your approach to making.

3. Make a Think Space

If you don’t have access to a private office or a spare room, this can be as simple as setting up shop in a quiet corner. The key is to have a few square feet as a designated workspace. Keep a controlled environment, whether that means order or chaos. Identify how and where you work best, and put yourself there. Tape articles and blog posts to the wall, hang portraits of your idols, and stock your desk with a good pen, a puzzle, and a bright light. If you build a think space, ideas will come.

4. Learn a New Skill

Learning, whether by taking up a new hobby or simply reading an encyclopedia entry, promotes the growth of new neural pathways. Learning literally keeps you young! Make a list of things you’d like to try this year. Scuba diving? Bread baking? Swing dancing? Find a class, read a book, and persuade a friend to join you. Stay curious. You’ll surprise yourself.

Here’s to a year full of discovery and excellence!

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Nima by 6SensorLabs

A large percentage of the population suffers from celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, which can make eating at restaurants and parties risky business. Even traces of gluten protein can be dangerous. That’s why 6SensorLabs has developed a sensor to test food and drink samples for gluten. Users deposit a sample into the sensor’s well, where a proprietary antibody processes it for traces. If the sample is safe, a smile appears. If it contains gluten, a frown. This invention will make socializing a safe and anxiety-free experience for those with dietary needs.

Safety Truck by Samsung and Leo Burnett

The problem: staggering deaths in Argentina caused by trucks obstructing drivers’ views along windy roads. The solution: Samsung partnered with an ad agency to develop a system of four screens positioned on the back of a truck, which display footage taken from the front of the truck. So far, the technology has tested effective. With further refinement, road safety in Argentina will be vastly improved.

Casper Mattress

Mattress shopping is stressful. There are endless options, an array of features to choose from, prices to consider, and delivery to manage. But the Casper brand has an answer. The Casper mattress is a single style, made with a mix of comfortable foams, set at transparent prices, and sold exclusively online. It arrives in a vacuum-packed cardboard box. Not the best sleep of your life? Return it for a full refund within 100 days. No surprise why this one makes TIME’s best inventions of 2015.

Can you imagine what creations 2016 will bring us?

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1. Giordano Bruno

In 1584, this Italian astrologer insisted that Earth was not the center of the universe. This was a radical idea for 16th-century Europe, particularly Italy, which upheld Roman Catholic doctrine declaring that all celestial bodies orbited our planet. Bruno was tried for heresy by the Roman Inquisition and burned at the stake, but his published theories would inform the work of later scholars.

2. Wright Brothers

Would you have believed a machine could fly? In 1906, these famous brothers began pitching their successful flying machine to governments in order to negotiate a contract to sell their invention. They were met with ridicule and scorn from skeptics. They were once known as “bluffers” across Europe, but opposition would soon be quieted several years later, after their first public demonstration of flight.

3. Galileo Galilei

You’ve heard of this Italian astronomer often called the “father of modern physics.” He collected data on the phases of planets and tracked satellites and sunspots using a telescope. He is credited with several scientific inventions, including a military compass, but his biggest idea was that the Earth orbits around the sun, which is, in fact, the center of the universe. He, too, was declared a heretic by the Roman Inquisition. His work was banned and he remained under house arrest for the rest of his life.

If you have a big idea on your hands, take heart. Radical thinking changes the world, not just by inventions alone, but by perspective. In many parts of the world today, we welcome new ideas and challenge ourselves to accept different perspectives. Don’t fear criticism while you forge a path.

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He was born in England in 1955 to parents involved in the development of the first commercial computer, Ferranti Mark 1. He would go on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from The Queen’s College of Oxford and work as a software engineer for a telecommunications company.

While working as an independent contractor in 1989, Berners-Lee began developing an information management system based on now familiar concept of hypertext. The system would facilitate the sharing of information between researchers. He named his prototype ENQUIRE.

Several years later, after gaining valuable experience in computer networking, Berners-Lee applied his hypertext model to existing Internet infrastructures, like Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the domain name system to create the World Wide Web. He developed the first web browser to navigate this new documentation system, along with the first Web editor and server.

The first web page, hosted on the first web site and server, was http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html. The page provided information on the World Wide Web project and instructions for using a browser and setting up a web server.

Today, Berners-Lee is the director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is involved in the continual development of the Web. He contributes his expertise to a number of technology and education institutions. In 2004, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his work as a “pioneer” in technology.

Berners-Lee’s high level of abstract thinking and revolutionary approach to information management led to the development of the largest platform for innovation of our time. The WWW serves as proof: a big idea can be a vehicle for future generations of big ideas.

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Candy Canes

More than just a stocking stuffer, this confectionery innovation is believed to originate in 17th-century Germany by a choirmaster frustrated with noisy children during church service. Sweet striped sticks came to symbolize the shepherd’s staff and other Christian imagery. The treat spread throughout Europe and became synonymous with the Christmas holiday. The candy cane is an enduring favorite, thanks to a very clever and observant choirmaster.

Tinsel

17th-century Germany saw the rise of another Christmas invention. Tinsel, developed by an unknown inventor, was originally produced by machines that shredded genuine silver into thin strips. Before enhancing the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, tinsel was first used to adorn sculptures. Today, tinsel is made from non-tarnishing plastics and remains an enchanting staple in our holiday landscape.

Christmas Lights

We’ve been lighting up our spruces and pines since the reign of Queen Victoria. Up until the late 19th century, inefficient candles and lanterns were used to illuminate Christmas trees. An associate of Thomas Edison, and vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, Edward H. Johnson created the first known electrically-lit Christmas bulbs. His hand-wired tree featured 80 walnut-sized incandescent bulbs in red, blue, and white. Christmas Lights wouldn’t catch on widely until 1930, when they became financially accessible to average person.

It’s difficult to imagine a world without these holiday creations, a world with a lot less sweetness and sparkle. As you celebrate this year, remember: the stuff of our lives, the props of our traditions, each began as an idea, a solution, and an innovation that, when nurtured, grew to mean so much to our families and our lives.

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The average person spends nearly 2 hours per day browsing across 5 social media platforms. Users check notifications, curate and share content, and interact with one another. Many people rely on media-rich content platforms like Facebook and Twitter for global and local news, culture, and community. So, what’s the problem?

For some, the routine is a compulsion, inhibiting workflow and interrupting meaningful, real-world interactions. Additionally, creativity can suffer when stimuli are limited to feeds of unoriginal content. Boost your cognitive functioning by restricting your time on social media. Seek out original content from a variety of channels: an interest-topic magazine, a reputable newspaper, a string of bookmarked websites, a word-of-the-day subscription, or a book before bed. When you provide your brain with dynamic, high-quality input, you can expect a high-quality output of ideas. Similarly, when you consume an endless stream of 40-character interjections and over-shared cat memes, you might find yourself in a creative rut.

2. Keep a journal

Annie Dillard says, on writing down ideas, “Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you.” The idea that struck you during your morning commute may very well be novel, but if you fail to collect it, articulate it, and capture the impression of it, you are unlikely to return to it. Keep a catch-all journal with you for task lists, brain-break sketches, stream-of-consciousness free-writes, and brainstorms. You’re a maker, and every maker needs raw material. Have yours handy, and don’t let the good stuff get lost.

3. Articulate and Gesture

So, you have an idea. You’ve spent time with it and limited distractions. You’ve sketched it and fleshed it out and you’ve meditated on it for weeks. If it’s still a little foggy, try calling up a friend for coffee or drafting a quick email. Studies show that many of us develop complex thinking and learning through articulation. Writing and talking about your project with trusted friends and colleagues can stimulate your brain to forge new perspectives and precise language that will inform your process.

And while you’re on your rant, use both hands. It’s no secret that great leaders use hand gestures to aid in communication. So do great thinkers! Did you know that the use of both right- and left-hand gestures helps the brain develop both creative and analytical perspectives? Spatial learning techniques like gesturing can further oil the channel from mind to world. Communicate and articulate to better create.

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Muller-Munk immigrated to the United States in 1926, pre-Depression era, where he began his career as a silversmith at Tiffany & Co. But as the demand for luxury goods decreased, he adapted his work to suit mass production, designing a number of consumer goods for powerhouse companies like Westinghouse, Texaco, and U.S. Steel.

In 1935, Muller-Munk would design his most famous product, the art-deco inspired Normandie pitcher, a chromium-plated brass pitcher resembling the prow of its French ocean-liner namesake. Gaining traction, Muller-Munk was invited to head the industrial-design program at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh (now Carnegie Mellon University). He drew inspiration from the industrial hub, visiting factories and studying mass production methods.

In 1945, Muller-Munk established Peter Muller-Munk Associates, a nationally-recognized firm of over 30 designers servicing top clients with products like a chrome blender, home movie cameras, projectors, power tools, and even a frost-free refrigerator.

The CMA exhibit features Muller-Munk’s designs and project plans, chronicling the work of a man with a unique vision for the common props of everyday life. Stop by “Silver to Steel: The Modern Designs of Peter Muller-Munk” through April 11, 2016.

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