subscribe1) Get Away From it All. Taking time off from your daily grind rejuvenates your body and mind. Even if you can’t travel this summer, “get away” by allowing yourself to dream. Spend some quiet time reflecting on your life and wishes.
Ask yourself: What would I do if I had no chance of failure?
2) Use Your Body. We spend so much of our lives THINKING, reasoning and over-engineering our decisions. It’s surprising that smoke doesn’t come out of our ears! Let the innate wisdom of your body stimulate your creative mind. Swim, hike, dance — or whatever does it for you — and feel new ideas flow.
Tune into any physical sensations you have with the ideas you get. What do those sensations tell you?
3) Make a Creative Vision Board. Use old magazines and found objects to create a collage that represents what you want in your life. Choose pictures, items and phrases that really resonate with you.
Keep your creative vision somewhere you can see it for daily inspiration.
4) Play With Children or Pets. Pets and kids have the most refreshing take on life. Play with your loved ones and let your uninhibited creativity roam. What possibilities are there for you if you don’t have to be productive or care what others think?
Rover won’t tell!
5) Mind Map. Draw a mind map as you are thinking through an issue to help stimulate your creative thinking. A mind map helps you see possibilities and connections between thoughts.
To do it: Write your idea in the center of a large piece of paper, then “brain dump” using branching lines, colors, key words and sketches to capture related ideas. The resulting picture shows clusters of ideas branching from your central issue.
For more information on mind mapping see: Think Juicy with a Mind Map
6) Explore Seek new experiences — new places, concepts, people. You’ll start to see connections between ideas you hadn’t previously noticed. Each week have a date with your creativity. Go to the bookstore to browse publications you wouldn’t otherwise read. Visit a hobby shop or garden center. Check out a new museum, or show. Fresh experiences bring fresh thinking.
What’s new for you? Challenge: Go explore something new in the next 24 hours!
7) Be Gentle With Yourself. Nothing squashes creativity faster than a harsh inner voice criticizing your ideas. Doesn’t your inner critic need a vacation too? When you hear that voice, visualize sending your inner critic away. Maybe it will miss its flight home!
Happy Creating!
A version of this article by Laura was published in Going Bonkers magazine, Summer 2007.
Jeri of Salisbury, MD, dreams of taking her 6 kids to Disney World. Let's help her fulfill this wish.
2 Comments
Hi Laura,
Do you do your mind maps by hand or do you use mind mapping software? Do you have any sample mind maps to share about how to unleash creativity?
The physical act of drawing out the connections between ideas is part of the creative process and helps unravel my unconscious thoughts. I’ve never tried mind mapping software so I can’t say that something similar doesn’t happen when using it. I’d love to hear what others have to say about mind mapping software!
I had an architecture professor once insist that it was important to start a design “hands on” drawing with pencil or other medium — as opposed to using a computerized CAD system — because our hands and arms are a direct conduit to the right brain. Controversial perhaps, but that claim makes sense to me. Through the body we have access to a lot of unconscious wisdom. Mind mapping by hand is like starting a design by drawing.
Mind mapping can be used for any project or problem you need to think through. I know of authors who map their books before they start writing. A mind map can help make sense of complex material. I once saw a mind map of a conference session that was fabulously helpful for synthesizing the concepts presented. Mind maps are also useful for exploring career choices or designing your job search strategy.
Unleashing creativity with the mind map is an individual experience. The technique can expand with you depending on how intricate you want to get. Some people use colors, line thickness and sketches – almost a cross between doodling and mapping. If your current approach to mind mapping is comfortable and effortless, I suggest you experiment and push yourself a little. Add colors and drawings or different media to see how it impacts your creative process.
A thorough discussion and some fabulous examples of what can be done with mind mapping are available at: http://www.12manage.com/methods_mind_mapping.html
Also hear more about the technique from the inventor of mind-mapping, Tony Buzan. His video shows all the details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ