Unlock You Own Creativity - Analysis

In our day to day lives, we seldom have a need to think outside the box. We tend to do more of the same thing day in and day out. When situations arise where we need to think outside the box or draw on our creativity, many people cannot do so.  The first reason for why we won’t be creative is we don't need to be creative for most of what we do. The second reason - most of us have certain attitudes, which lock our thinking into the status quo and keep us thinking more of the same. This is what is called as the Mental Locks. Every child born is gifted with their won creative thinking and as the child develops, it has to develop further on its own. But it is subjected to certain rules which makes it very narrow minded thus resulting in a normal human being just like everybody else, who have also been through the same situations. 

"The hallmark of creative people is their mental flexibility. They are able to shift in and out of different types of thinking depending on the needs of the situation at hand. Sometimes, they're open and probing, at others, they're playful and off-the-wall. At still others, they're critical and fault-finding. And finally, they're doggedly persistent in striving to reach their goals." These four types of thinking translate into four roles, the explorer, the artist, the judge, and the warrior. Children enter school as question marks and leave as periods." We need to recapture the magic power of the question!

The seven mental locks are:  1. The Right Answer 2. That's Not Logical 3. Follow the Rules 4. Be Practical 5. That's Not My Area 6. Don't Be Foolish 7. I'm Not Creative

Throughout our traditional education system, we are rewarded for "the right answer."

 In mathematics and the sciences, the right answer is clear and there is usually only one. But in liberal arts subjects and most of the rest of life, there are many possible answers to questions depending on many factors. There is a Harry Chapin song called "Flowers are Red" which captures the danger of this mental lock in killing our creative spirit. It is the story of a little boy is painting flowers all colors of the rainbow in art class when his teacher scolds him, telling him that "...flowers are red young man and green leaves are green. There's no need to see flowers any other way than the way they always have been seen." After being punished, the little boy "learns" the right or acceptable way to paint flowers. He goes to another school where the art teacher does not suffer from "the right answer" mental lock-she sees all colors of the rainbow and encourages the boy to express his true spirit. But for the little boy it is too late. He can only paint flowers red. The key what story tells us is to not look at life as a series of problems that need to be solved but rather as opportunities. Ask "what if...” In this way second, third, tenth possible right answers may appear. Or change the question. "Different words bring in different assumptions and lead your thinking in different directions."

Logical is an important creative thinking tool. Its use is especially appropriate in the practical phase of the creative process when you are evaluating ideas and preparing them for action. When we are stuck in the "That's Not Logical" mental lock, the most unfortunate consequence because, it is that we may fail to be opens to the intuitive hunch. Here, two types of thinking are defined, soft thinking and hard thinking. Soft thinking is like a floodlight, searching for similarities and connections in things, whereas, hard thinking is like a spotlight, looking for differences in things. In the creative process, when gathering ideas, there are two phases that should operate at different times in the process: the imaginative phase which uses soft thinking and the practical phase which applies hard thinking. In the imaginative phase we "think something different" and in the practical phase our focus is on "getting something done".  The best soft tool to fight off logical thinking is using metaphors to describe problems or concepts.

Creative thinking involves not only generating new ideas, but escaping from obsolete ones as well. It is not only constructive, but also destructive. You often have to break out of one pattern to discover another. So be responsive to change and be flexible with rules. Rules are good to some extent but when it comes for our own personal development, we need to break a few! In fact, Rules are made to be broken. When a person is put through certain condition, he is not given the chance to think beyond what exactly is happening. This not only kills his ideas but also makes him obsolete. Though breaking the rules is generally not the good idea, but to some extent, it may help in bringing out the new innovations into creations which would lead to further development. Remember, breaking rules won't necessarily lead to creative ideas, but its one avenue.

Picasso said that, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist after growing up". We are told from the time we enter school and sometimes much earlier to be practical, stop daydreaming..., a dangerous habit is to shoot down others ideas, to find flaws immediately. In doing so, we kill the opportunity for newness, for the creative and innovative to emerge. We need to fight our "negative" framework and listen to ideas with an open mind searching and exploring all the positive ramifications first. There is a time for the practical, hard thinking mind of the judge to enter when we are ready to talk about the reality of "what is". Until such time, however we need to do as much "what-iffing" as we did as freely as children. The provocative answers to "what-iffing" can give us stepping stones to new ideas. A great suggestion is that at the same time we veto or shoot down someone else's idea, we must come up with an alternative idea that both people like. This puts a constructive, positive spin on the judge and requires us each to stretch our minds outside the box and remain open.

Creativity requires incubation. Framing a problem as a question is like planting a seed. Once the seed is planted, we need to step back and give the seed a chance to begin growing, spread out its root system. How can we best do this? Play, play, play. Do anything you want but don't focus on the problem. Answers will come in the strangest places, at the oddest times. If necessity is the mother of invention, play is its father. The next you have a problem - play with it. If you don't have a problem, take the time to play anyway. You may find some new ideas. Companies that live a mission that promotes creativity often give their employees freedom to play, knowing it is the results of playtime where great ideas often emerge. They are not stuck in the mental lock that "Play is Frivolous".

Tunnel vision or living in the world with the attitude, "That's Not My Area" is a recipe for stuck and zero creativity. Journeying off the beaten path, creating project teams with members from diverse disciplines, having lunch with someone in a world totally different from your own are all ways to attack this mental lock. Keeping a notebook close at all times to write down ideas which come whenever, where ever can help an individual to grow up gradually. Often inside our dreams are answers to problems. No matter what happens, a man must never hesitate to participate in a chance that is given to him. If you make an error, use it as a stepping stone to some new ideas you might not have discovered otherwise. 

Always remember the two benefits of failure - first, if you fail, you learn what doesn't work. And second, the failure gives you an opportunity to try a new approach.

Some people are closely married to their ideas that they put them up on a pedestal. It’s difficult, however, to be objective if you have a lot of ego tied upon your idea."There is a close relationship between the "ha-ha" of humor and the "aha" of discovery." So be foolish is what is recommended. Be stupid, reverse your perspective on things, and learn to laugh at yourself. Occasionally, let you "stupid monitor" down, play with the fool, and see what crazy ideas you can come up with. Although playing the fool may not solve problems, it gets us out of ruts and we often learn important things if we break out of the "Don't Be Foolish" mental lock.

"To err is wrong" is wrong when it comes to developing our creative ability. Making mistakes is a critical part of learning. Edison knew 1800 ways not to make a light bulb. Though sure of messing up everything and go wrong completely, there is a small chance of success. All we have to do is to take a little risk. Taking risks requires exercising our "risk muscle" so that we stay flexible and minimize our fear. As Suzanne Jeffers says, feel the fear and do it anyways. Stepping outside our comfort zone and risking being wrong is where the greatest of ideas emerge.

The self-fulfilling prophecy has much power. If we are mentally locked into thinking, "I'm Not Creative", chances are high, and we won't be. Unlocking the last mental lock requires believing in your ideas and then using the tools suggested in overcoming the other mental locks to being creative. When new information comes into existence and circumstances change, it is no longer possible to solve today's problem with yesterday's solution. We need a way to generate new ideas. Creative thinking is that means, and like its biological counterpart, it is also pleasurable. Only a creative person can want to know it all.

Be stupid, reverse your perspective on things, and learn to laugh at yourself. Occasionally, let you "stupid monitor" down, play with the fool, and see what crazy ideas you can come up with. Although playing the fool may not solve problems, it gets us out of ruts and we often learn important things if we break out of the "Don't Be Foolish" mental lock.

"To err is wrong" is wrong when it comes to developing our creative ability. Making mistakes is a critical part of learning. Edison knew 1800 ways not to make a light bulb. Though sure of messing up everything and go wrong completely, there is a small chance of success. All we have to do is to take a little risk. Taking risks requires exercising our "risk muscle" so that we stay flexible and minimize our fear. As Suzanne Jeffers says, feel the fear and do it anyways. Stepping outside our comfort zone and risking being wrong is where the greatest of ideas emerge.

The self-fulfilling prophecy has much power. If we are mentally locked into thinking, "I'm Not Creative", chances are high, and we won't be. Unlocking the last mental lock requires believing in your ideas and then using the tools suggested in overcoming the other mental locks to being creative. When new information comes into existence and circumstances change, it is no longer possible to solve today's problem with yesterday's solution. We need a way to generate new ideas. Creative thinking is that means, and like its biological counterpart, it is also pleasurable. Only a creative person can want to know it all.