Until recently, it was thought that only those that were born in a certain place, where the heavens were perfectly aligned and a certain shooting star could be seen in order for someone to be born with the gift of creative thinking so that they could soar above the mediocrity of the word and provide us with new ideas, products to move our world into the future. OK, OK I exaggerate but you get gist.
In today’s information society, not only is it important to become more creative in order to survive in this ever changing world, it is necessary. We’ll discuss what is to be a creative thinker and dispel the myth that this is only reserved for a chosen few. We’ll also talk about a few things that you can do in order to develop this skill.
What is Creativity?
- According to Wikipedia, creativity is defined as: A phenomenon whereby something new and somehow valuable is formed.
- Merriam-Webster define creativity as: the ability to create.
What is Thinking?
- Merriam-Webster defines thinking as: the action of using one’s mind to produce thoughts
As the process of thinking involves using our brains, there are schools of thought that discuss the left and right brain function. The left and right hemispheres have different focuses and work together via the connecting nerve tissue called the corpus collosum.
Critical Thinking
Handled by the left side of the brain and is involved with faculties such as:
- language
- math
- writing
- science
- facts
- logic
- convergence
Creative Thinking
Handled by the right side of the brain and is involved with faculties such as:
- Intuition
- art
- music
- insight
- imagination
- 3D images
- divergence
Creative thinking
- The Business Dictionary says: A way of looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions
However, I believe that the above definition is missing a critical factor. My definition would be:
Use of the mental faculties for the generation of original, innovative ideas or concepts.
This can be imagining or inventing something new or even generating new ideas by combining, changing, or reapplying existing ideas. When discussing the topic of creative thinking, we understand that it includes and involves a number of ways of thinking that arrives one to become a creative thinker. These can involve (and are not limited to):
- Touch – involving the sensation of kinesthetics to arrive at or generate thoughts
- Emotion – using the feelings to arrive at or generate thoughts
- Vision – Use of inner or outer vision to arrive at or generate thought
- Memory – Use of past experience
So any number of the above as well as many others can play a factor in becoming a creative thinker. The important thing that to note is that we all have this innate capability and can easily learn this skill of becoming an ‘out of the box thinker’.
How can it help you?
By actively working and exercising your creative thinking, it can super charge the areas in your life in relation to:
- Problem Solving
- Learning
- Organization
- Business
- Art
- Finance
- relationships
Creative-Thinking techniques can be used for approaching problems in unconventional ways. Our Capstone Pattern Course will equip you with a ‘tool-box’, introducing you to a selection of behaviours and techniques that will boost your innate creativity.
Practice
There are many techniques exists to stimulate creative thinking and whilst the following list isn’t exhaustive, they are practices that you can start today with the use of internet technology.
- Mind maps – A visual tool that reports to help use of both hemispheres of the brain and aids in brain-storming, memory, learning and a host of other benefits.
- 5 whys – A very good technique to discovering the root cause of a problem in order to begin resolving.
- Create inspiring rituals – By implementing small, positive daily habits and maintaining it in a disciplined manner
- Choose an art – whether it be music or drawing, stimulating the left side of the brain aids in
- Sleep – Ensuring that you get the right amount of sleep so that your brain can work optimally
- Meditate – Focusing your mind on a particular object, thought or activity, to achieve mental clarity and emotional calm
Einstein was not only a world renowned Physicist, but he was also a Musician as well as Sailor. You can see by expanding your knowledgebase outside the norm, you can increase your ability to think creatively by using those experiences as input in order to generate new outputs!
Book a consultation session now with us risk free and discover your unlimited potential