How do I combine my skills to create something entirely new?

Combining skills to create something new is a journey that requires a balance of experimentation, reflection, and courage. Here's a blueprint to guide you through this process, drawn from my own experiences:

1. Inventory Your Skills: Begin by making a comprehensive list of your skills. Don’t just focus on your professional abilities—include hobbies, soft skills, and unique insights you've gained from personal experiences. The magic often happens at the intersection of seemingly unrelated skills.

2. Identify Overlaps and Gaps: Look for areas where your skills naturally intersect. For example, when I left engineering, I realized my knack for technology could merge with my passion for storytelling. Identifying gaps is equally important, as these can reveal opportunities for learning or collaboration.

3. Capture Ideas: Adopt the Capture phase from my Capture, Develop, Expose framework. Keep an idea journal where you brainstorm and jot down concepts, no matter how outlandish they seem. Review it regularly to find patterns or recurring themes.

4. Prototype and Experiment: Choose a few promising ideas and develop them into small prototypes. This could be as simple as a blog post, a workshop, or a short course. Early and frequent experimentation helps you refine your ideas without getting too attached to outcomes.

5. Seek Feedback: Share these prototypes with a trusted circle of peers, mentors, or potential users. Constructive feedback is invaluable for revealing blind spots and enhancing your offering. My own projects have benefited immensely from diverse perspectives, sometimes leading me to unexpected but rewarding pivots.

6. Refine and Iterate: Use the feedback to refine your idea. This might involve tweaking your approach, adding new skills, or even discarding aspects that don't work. Iteration is key; embrace it as a natural and necessary part of the creative process.

7. Expose Your Idea: Once you have something you're proud of, apply the Expose phase. Share your creation with a wider audience—through social media, a blog, or public talks. This is where you gather more feedback and begin to build an audience around your unique blend of skills.

8. Redefine Success: As you expose and refine your creation, continually redefine what success looks like for you. It’s personal and ever-evolving. Resist the urge to measure yourself against traditional metrics or societal expectations.

Remember, combining skills is more about the journey than the destination. Allow yourself the freedom to pivot as you learn and grow. Embrace the messy middle—that's where innovation truly happens.