# Generating New Ideas Created: 2023_07_09 13:59 Tags: [[Model]] ![[Graph Of Knowledge.excalidraw.svg]] If we were to take bodies of knowledge as large graphs of information, [[#Mastering|mastering]] would be like creating new nodes in the graph. Whereas, [[#Remixing|remixing]] ideas is drawing lines between existing nodes of knowledge in the graph. ## Mastering ![[Mastering Ideas.excalidraw.svg]] Mastering is the incremental refinement of an idea, the idea is already "there" but it is the search for ways of improving upon its base. In programming, it may be refactoring and optimizing existing work, in building product it may be polishing and smoothing out the edges. There is some lateral thinking involved in finding both what things to improve and how to improve them, but the process will not come up with something fundamentally different from its base idea. ## Remixing ![[Remixing Ideas.excalidraw.svg]] Remixing ideas is about drawing connections between pieces of knowledge from different domains. This where we actually generate _new_ ideas, except they are actually some sort of re-invention of an existing idea. A perfect example comes from the first iPhone unveiling: > An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator... these are NOT three separate devices! And we are calling it iPhone! > - Steve Jobs ## References - In [[Range - David Epstein|the book "Range" by David Epstein]] there is the dichotomy of the specialist & the generalist. - The specialist, with their mastery of their subject-matter, can _master_ ideas. - Whereas the generalist is familiar with multiple domains, allowing them to generate new ideas by _remixing_ those ideas. -