Utilizing Creativity: The Brainstorming Process

By: Kiersten Griesback

Creativity. Perhaps one of the most important characteristics that distinguishes us from all other species on this planet. It’s what allows the artist to paint; it’s responsible for the continued advancement of technology; and it’s the reason why some young kids can entertain themselves for hours with the same few toys. We’re all taught from an early age that every person has creative capabilities. It’s an innate skill, a trait that is present within and among all groups of people. But just because it is universally apparent, doesn’t mean that we know how to utilize it. The power of creativity can be incredibly strong, but without the tools to properly implement it, we might as well get rid of it all together.

In his book Out of Our Minds, author Sir Ken Robinson discusses the importance of creativity in the advancement of an individual’s place in society. He describes creativity as an essential component of success. Those that can think creatively have a greater chance of not only getting better jobs, but staying in those jobs because they can problem-solve and adapt to change in ways that others can’t. But how did these individuals come to be that way?

It is important to step out of the box here, and realize that creativity does not just refer to art and music. Creativity is involved in a wide array of studies, including science and math. Regardless of profession, the importance of creativity remains the same. Unfortunately, the institutions where creativity is taught have become few and far between.

I don’t know about you, but I remember having standardized tests forced at me since I was in elementary school. This push to standardize and create a uniform for education, may actually be detrimental in the long run. I feel as if I started college severely lacking in the creativity department. Fortunately, I have learned some useful skills that have allowed me to break out of my frame, and I have had experiences in which I was forced to be creative or otherwise face failure. I have realized that I need to go beyond my limits, and throw away conventional ideas. If I’m brainstorming, what does it matter if the idea is plausible or not? The occurrence of one idea, even if illogical, can begin a cascade of so many more.

As someone that has never felt truly secure in my creative capabilities, brainstorming has always been a struggle for me. Recently in class, we started brainstorming ideas to focus on for an innovative project. When the word “brainstorm” was said, I groaned internally. I’m one of those people that pretends to think for ten minutes, while all along I already thought of an idea in the first few seconds and it seems acceptable, so I just stick with it. Though I’ve known all along that this is not how the brainstorming process is supposed to go. I realized that I should not be brainstorming for the sake of coming up with one single idea, but I should be allowing my mind to wander and follow any idea in any direction. I always thought that I was too narrow-minded to really be successful in generating ideas, but once I got going I had no trouble continuing my train of thought and spitting out ideas left and right. Although, what I think really helped me was that I was in the presence of others that were participating in the same exercise. If I reached a dead end, or a lull, something that they said would spark another wave of thought. I’m not saying that brainstorming individually will not generate amazing ideas, but different circumstances provide different results for every person.

While brainstorming is only one activity that implements creativity, I feel as though I can take what I learned in that scenario and apply it to other areas. For me, it is about changing my mindset, and switching off my default controls. Research has even shown that entering a “creative mindset” can change how we perceive new ideas and can make us more open to entertaining those ideas that would normally seem irrational. It may take us out of our comfort zone, but it can greatly increase the power of our creativity.

Sources:

Koutstaal, Wilma, Ph.D. “Unveiling an Underappreciated Key to Creativity.” Psychology Today. N.p., 2 Apr. 2016. Web. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our-innovating-minds/201604/unveiling-underappreciated-key-creativity>.

Ossola, Alexandra. “Scientists Are More Creative Than You Might Imagine.” The Atlantic, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. <https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/11/the-creative-scientist/382633/>.

Robinson, Ken. Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative. Oxford: Capstone, 2011.