YOUR CREATIVE POWER How to Use Imagination BY ALEX OSBORJSf CHARLES SCRIMERS SOWS, MEW YORK CHARLES SCWBNERS SONS, Ltd., LONDON 1948 This book is dedicated to BRUCE BARTON in appreciation of our 30 years as partners and friends . . . A. F. O. ABOUT THE AUTHOR . . . by Samuel Hopkins Adams Hamilton College graduates have the habit of keeping an attentive eye upon their fellow alumni. Thus, although he graduated eighteen years after me, I knew of Alex Osborn long before he had any inkling of my interest. There was another Alex in that able class of 1909, Alex antler Woollcott, whom I had sponsored into a newspaper job upon his graduation. Only a few years thereafter he was a notable in the newspaper and theatre worlds. About the time of his early success, we met at the home of Laurette Taylor, where one met everybody. Aleck buttonholed me What do you know about my classmate Alex Osborn Nothing I answered. Weil, youd better. Why What am I supposed to do about this Osborn Nothing, Nobody has to do anything about him. Hell do it, himself AH right I said. Tm open to conviction. What is he doing Aleck was a bit vague about that. His friend and class mate had been teacher, reporter, had taken a shot at maga zine writing, had touched upon banking and a few other lines, and was something in factory management. It isnt what hes doing its what he fe Woollcott insisted. When the subject next came up between us, Alex Osborn was well on his way to becoming head of the great advertis ing firm of Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osbom, and I had come to know and admire him personally as one of the most versatile, vigorous, and provocative minds among my wide range of acquaintances, His classmate recalled tome our conversation of years before. What clo you think of Osbom now he demanded with rather the air of having patented, or, at least, invented him. You were right 1 admitted, I am always right, said Aleck Woollcott blandly ix ABOUT THE BOOK . . . hy Alex Osborn Ten years ago, the editor of a leading magazine invited me to lunch. I had been one of his contributors, but we had never met. lie broke the ice by asking, What is your hobby, Mr. Osbom Imagination, I replied. He paused, then wrote on the back of an envelope, u Mv HOBBY Is IMAGINATION. Mr. Osborn, he said, you must do a book on that. Its a job that has been waiting to be done all these years. There is no subject of greater importance. You must give it the time and energy and thoroughness it deserves. That remark started this book. Although I earned my masters degree in practical psy chology and have devotee most of my life to the psychology of advertising, I cannot claim to be a psychologist. Nor have I tried to write as a psychologist, I have felt free to take figurative liberties with academic concepts. For instance, I realize that imagination is an integral part of mans mind fxxly function and yet, for the sake of clarity and read ability, I refer to imagination as if it were an entity of itself. My frequent use of the term brainstorm may bother the reader at first. Although Chapter 33 will fully explain, an inkling of its meaning may be helpful here Brainstorm is used mainly to label the kind of conference where a few people sit clown together for an hour or so solely to use their creative imaginations solely to suggest ideas on a specific . subject right then and there. During the past ton years, in quest of material andinsight, -I have interviewed hundreds of people and have read hun dreds of books, speeches and articles, I am indebted to all who talked with me and to all whose writings I read. Many of their names will be found in the index, My .. special thanks go to those whose books were most helpful, and this list includes Julius Boraas Teaching to Think, Alexis Carrel Man the Unknown, James B, Conant xi xfi On C ndfer standing Science, Robert P...