Creative Thinking
Express your creative side
Truth or Myth?
For some time, it is believed that the left side of the brain handles the analytical side and controls the right part of the body while the right side of the brain handles the creative side and controls the left part of the body, which gave rise to the conclusion that left-handed people are naturally more creative than right handed people.
This myth — that the right brain is alone responsible for creativity was addressed by some researchers from Dartmouth College
They were able to discover that imagination stems from a widespread network of brain areas that manipulate ideas, images and symbols collectively. Their findings were published on September 16, 2013 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. The study is titled “Network Structure and Dynamics of the Mental Workspace”
“Human imagination does not come only from the right hemisphere of the cerebrum. Creativity and imagination requires a widespread neural network in the brain. This mental workspace involves all four hemispheres of both the cerebrum and cerebellum.
Working with amazing symmetry, 11 different brain areas within the four hemispheres are able to consciously manipulate images, deconstruct symbols, come up with new ideas and theories and give humans the laser-like mental focus needed to solve complex problems.”
— Source: Network Structure and Dynamics of the Mental Workspace
So no need to fret whether or not you were “born creative” as it is a skill that can be learned through effort and determination.
Creative thinking as a skill is very important in today’s society and in every field. With new advancements, innovations, ideas coming up on an almost daily basis, it takes one with a flexible way of thinking to easily adapt and take advantage of whatever comes up so as to keep progressing.
How to think Creatively
There are various ways this can be achieved and I will give you just a few;
#1: Riddles
“I have ten fishes in a bowl, one dies, two drowned, two are sleeping, how many fishes do I have left in the bowl?”
“How many of each animals did Moses take into the ark?”
Riddles are a very good way to start thinking creatively as it forces you to break out of your normal patterns of thought and think in other directions hence the term “think outside the box”. After a game of riddles you will be surprised at the things you begin to take note of that you would normally ignore
#2: Reading
Thinking creatively means thinking differently from the way you normally do. By reading you become exposed to other people’s line/pattern of thought and it also serves to further increase your knowledge base as the more you read, the more you have a wide depth of knowledge to mine from and form new patterns of thought that can be used to tackle whatever you may be faced with.
#3: Follow a Creative person
“Great Minds think alike” ,“Birds of the same feather think alike”
You are who your closest friends are. You want to become a creative thinker; follow those who you have identified as been creative either at work or at home, spend some time with them to discover why they do what they do and you will discover that not long after you too will begin to solve problems in new ways
#4: Brainstorming
This is also a very good way to develop creative thinking but it can only be really effective when you have a wide range of ideas to brainstorm about. If your knowledge base is low, the amount of ideas that can be generated will also be reduced, hence the necessity of reading/studying. Brainstorming can be done either in groups or individually
#5: Daydreaming
Yes, daydreaming (my favourite thing to do). Daydreaming frees your mind to explore previously unexplored territories and you may be surprised at the kind of ideas that can just drop in your head (or on your head like Newton’s Apple) while carrying this out. It is advisable to have a notebook and pen at hand so ideas can be quickly jotted down
Okay guys, there are a lot (and i mean a lot) of other tips/tricks/hacks that can help out but these are the few i felt necessary and can be quickly put to use. Good luck on your journey to becoming Creative thinkers.
PS: The answer to the first riddle is : 10 — No fish was removed from the bowl ;) The answer to the second riddle is: None — It was Noah who took animals into the ark not Moses ;)
😊😊Till later guys!!!
