Creativity has been the new buzz word that’s been floating around everywhere from schools to corporate companies to even in organisations that specialize in innovation and design. Innovative thinking as a school of thought is not as ambiguous as earlier and is no loger seen as a god given gift.
Creativity is easier to understand now and even replicate for consistency in practice. Creative thought is the art of thinking about the world in a shade different from the rest. It is being imaginative and having originality at its core.
So how does one turn new ideas and make it part of one’s reality?
Scientific studies tell us that creativity and innovative thinking is the art of looking at our world differently and finding new patterns and connection in our reality.
However, don’t misunderstand thinking out of the box as a random occurrence as it requires practice and commitment to be able actively spark the wheels of your mind. How can one bring to our awareness a new reality and a new freshness?
One will have to start with turning over the old and creating space for the new. This means getting rid of old patterns of thought that restrict imagination.
There are mental practices and tools that can activate the creative thinker in your mind. They improve focus and concentration as well as improve your ability to think rationally and purposefully.
Philosophers are not a different breed than the rest of us, philosophers have just found a way to think in a way that serves their interest and think out of the box all the time as if they belong to a realm of thought.
Socrates said “An unexamined life is not worth living” and this tells us that if one has to live a rich and vibrant life, introspection about thoughts, actions and the ways of the world are essential. He does not equate examination and introspection with happiness but rather with a moral standard that one must live by.
Francis Bacon had said “things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly”. Here Francis talks about the importance of having control over one’s thought process and being able to execute it with purpose.
This then brings to light that innovative thought and creativity can never be a random occurrence to take place in the confines of one’s mind. Creativity and multi-directional thinking takes practice and is guided by a sense of purpose. A better design is what leads to innovation. There is no innovation without creativity and vice versa. The analytical computer-like way of thinking is now being made to feel inferior to the right-brain that mostly is driven by empathy, new ways of thought and understanding. These are the traits that are most needed for successful business nowadays.
Creativity is mostly considered to be a right brain activity whereas rational thought and critical thinking as a left brain activity. This may seem contradictory but the merging of the two creates the magic of innovative thinking that is rooted in reality as well as the practical.
The left brain processes things differently from the right brain and harmony between the two gives you a competitive edge over others by adding value to thought.
A 2012 study on creative thought by Adobe showed us that 8 in 10 people feel that unlocking creativity is what leads to economic growth and almost two-thirds of the people felt that creativity is the single most valuable thing in society.
If one wishes to spark this essence that we speak of, then it is not impossible. Many courses and workshops focus on harnessing innovation and creativity at work, home and even during leisure time.
“All I know is that I do not know anything” is what Socrates believed to be true and this talks about the importance of letting go of our existing beliefs systems.
One can only start from a place where old notions and past conditioning are wiped clean.
You cannot fill fresh water in a container that is already full to a brim. Shedding the old means admitting that you don’t know much and being open to new information. The art of igniting the creative and positive thinker needs a fresh slate.
Generating new ideas is one sure way of getting the mind thinking. Do not review these ideas and critically evaluate them. The point is to brainstorm and get as much output as one can until one finds that one idea that just works.
Often bad ideas first lead to great ideas after some thought and experimentation. Even fusing different ideas together is also a way to come up with more and helps to spark the imagination that may help to yield brilliance. Being open to the new and being aware of oneself leads to creative thought.
“A bird is safe in its nest – but that is not what its wings are made for.”
This quote by a great philosopher sums up the prerequisite for creativity which is the importance of walking out of your comfort zone. Without doing this, you will always feel safe and wouldn’t want to take chances with life or even with thought. To think the new means that one needs to experience the new and for that, doing something that you normally wouldn’t dare do is essential for exhilaration and growth.
Growth by definition means to constantly be on the move. Growth is the opposite of stagnation and stagnation only happens when one is completely still. Asking more questions regardless to how stupid they may seem to start with is a great way to learn new things as it cultivates curiosity in people.
The thinking part of the mind that is productive and pro-active needs to be harnessed by practicing creative ways of thought daily for best results. There are countless number of techniques that help you with just that. For example, if you think ten different ways of solving a problem and keep at it, that will help you come up with a wide range of ways of solutions to any problem.
Looking at something with fresh eyes like a child does also makes you react in a way that a child would without the burden of existing beliefs. Brainstorming by writing as much down, creating a collage or drawing is a process that often leads to active thinking. Doing things differently often just needs a change in the environment.
Being an expert in your field also is a sure way you can learn to think better. Explaining concepts back to yourself also helps you with understanding more and the upside of gain is a lot more than the five minutes you spend doing it. Better communication helps with solidifying concepts.
Creative people like Einstien, Edison and much more were not scared to make mistakes and did not take criticism too personally. Having a thick skin also helps because if you don’t get bogged down by how others do things and how others look at the world and solve problems, you will be free to experiment and play and come up with innovative ideas.
Activating the thinker inside you has never been easier as many creative gurus and thought experts share their knowledge in terms of practices one can follow easily by creating new habits which help with looking at the world in a unique way.
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