This student made a model of a house for a Science Fair project and applied his knowledge of circuitry from Science to put in lighting.
Once he had lighting, he wished he had plumbing too but could not immediately see a way to do that. However, one day he had an “Aha!” moment about how to get running water in his house:
“One day I was drinking from a juice box and I squeezed too hard and the juice went everywhere. I thought I could use that idea for the water in my house.”
He filled a water bottle about one third full and attached a straw to the cap. He then attached a tube to the straw. When he squeezed the bottle it would force the water through the tube into the bathtub. There was a drainage hole in the tub to recycle the water back to the water bottle. His idea was new to him, and had value in the context of his project.
I can get new ideas in areas in which I have an interest and build my skills to make them work.
I generate new ideas as I pursue my interests. I deliberately learn a lot about something; e.g., by doing research, talking to others, or practicing, so that I am able to generate new ideas about it, or the ideas just pop into my head. I build the skills I need to make my ideas work, and usually succeed, even if it takes a few tries.