The Houdini Solution: Why Thinking Inside the Box is the Key to Creativity (Paperback)

by Ernie Schenck (Author)
Key Phrases: red hexagon, small ideas, Walt Disney, Madison Avenue, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Transform the shackles of conformity into the tools for generating amazing, unconventional results

Houdini performed his greatest tricks within the confines of a box. Now one of the advertising industry's brightest and most innovative stars shows you how to do likewise: to use the power of thinking inside the box to unleash the power of innate creativity.

Who hasn't been extremely creative when boxed into an exceedingly tight deadline or budget? The Houdini Solution introduces a radical theory of how to generate more focused and powerful ideas by accepting, and even thriving on, constraints instead of being controlled by them. Filled with inspiring anecdotes and intriguing exercises that will yield surprising results, this book will spur you on to unleash the full power of your creativity, work magic in the workplace, and succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

From the Back Cover

Don't struggle against limitations. Think like Houdini­­and work your magic!

You've heard it a million times: Think outside the box. But what about Harry Houdini? The legendary magician did his best work shackled, handcuffed, and chained inside the smallest of boxes­­--and yet he managed to find his way out every time. The same is true with creativity. It's the restraints themselves that spark the creative process, inspiring the most ingenious solutions.

That's the secret of The Houdini Solution. Written by Ernie Schenck, the award-winning creative mind behind some of today's hottest advertising campaigns, this eye-opening book smashes through the clichés you've heard about creative thinking and shows you how to use that proverbial "box" to full advantage. You'll learn how to:

• Slip through the loopholes of the professional straightjacket
• Use that last-minute deadline as your chance to dazzle
• Face a wall of resistance and see an opening for success

It's not magic. It's creativity at work. And, inspired by Houdini, it's your golden opportunity to beat the odds, amaze your audience, and come out on top.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007146204X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071462044
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,782 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No more excuses!, November 10, 2006

By	Tom Monahan (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a simple, elegant concept - thinking inside the box - the precept shattering perspective behind The Houdini Solution. Not only is it brilliant, it's damn true. The best ideas often do happen in the box, and, with all the realities beyond our control, if you can't succeed there, well, good luck.

As a creative thinking coach, weekly I work in different industries helping people find fresh ideas. I have yet to encounter an area in business - hell, any area of human endeavor - that doesn't have to deal with a box, be it the boss' preconceptions, the industry's regulations, the budget, the deadline, whatever. Ernie Schenck points out, in story after story, illustration after illustration, some very big ideas that emerged not only in spite of the box, but frequently because of it. I won't steal the thunder here. Read the book. The only major flaw most readers might find between these pages is that it takes away almost all your excuses for not having great ideas.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, now even clients know how to get great work., January 5, 2007

By	R. Shiffrar (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is simply a great, revealing read. I probably own every "here's how to do superior advertising work" book ever published, and have even read one or two. But Schenck has finally given up art directors' and copywriters' greatest secret: we WANT to be boxed in. Limitations lead to intense focus and creative, laser-like communications. Who knew? (well, some of us did, but now even clients do.)

Gee, thanks Ernie.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Escaping It, October 25, 2006

By	Mark Silveira (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's one thing to come up with a provocative insight. It's quite another to make a case for it so airtight Houdini himself would have a hard time wriggling out of it. But that's what Mr. Schenck does here. His core premise flies in the face of conventional wisdom: that rather than trying to "think outside the box", one is far more likely to arrive at genuinely creative, innovative solutions by making the most of what's "inside the box." In other words, all those things that are normally considered to be impediments to the process--short deadlines, minuscule budgets, recalcitrant clients and tight strategies--can actually be inspirational providing they are looked at in the right way, a point he drives home again and again with instructive examples and amusing anecdotes. All of which may come as a rude awakening to the many corporations and advertising agencies that subscribe to this "out of the box" notion. (And employ legions to consultants to steer them in the direction of this mythical destination.) But if it motivates a few of them to get out of this "box" trap, they'll have the inside track to more creative, innovative ideas.