Who Wants To Be A Creative Genius?
By Steven Gillman
Can You Learn Creativity?
Have you ever watched Robin Williams do a stand-up
routine? Could so much creativity and spontaneity result from a highly
organized approach? Definitely.
Wild and funny thoughts don't come from nowhere. Comedians
have habits of mind, and even the most spontaneous ones get better
with practice, because they're training their brains to find the humor
in situations.
You can do this too. Creativity in all areas can be
improved by cultivating the right habits in your mind. You can start
training your brain today, with some simple techniques.
Train Your Brain
If you want the mind of a creative inventor, start
redesigning everything you see. Imagine a better light bulb, a faster
way to serve food, or a better lamp. Do this for three weeks, and
it will become a habit. It's also a good way to pass time while driving
or waiting for an appointment.
How about systematic creativity in poetry? Write a
word on each of 40 cards; 10 verbs, 10 adjectives, 10 nouns and 10
with any words. Shuffle and deal out four cards.
Write a 4-line poem using one of the words in each
line. My wife has had poems published that were created with this
technique. Your mind will begin to find a poetic use for any word
if you use this method often.
Would you like to be the person who has something
unique to say about any topic? Train your mind to look at things from
other perpectives. What would Gandhi say about this? How would a martian
view our habits? If a dog (or a cat) could think, would he say about
humans?
The point isn't to ask other people silly questions,
but to ask yourself, just to see what new ideas they suggest. If you
consciously do this for a few weeks, you will do it out of habit thereafter,
and you'll always have something interesting to add to a conversation.
Be A Master Problem Solver
You probably have heard of problem solving techniques
such as "attributes listing," "assuming the absurd," and using "what
if" word lists. If you haven't, you can learn about them at http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com.
The point isn't to know them, however, but to use them until they
become a part of your habitual thinking process.
Imagine you need a new seating design for restaurants.
If you've trained your mind to challenge assumptions (another creative
problem solving technique), you automatically begin to ask things
like, "Are chair legs necessary?" If the seats were extended from
the wall, table, or ceiling, it would be easier to clean under them.
Are chairs necessary? Has anyone tried a stand-up cafe? Less space
is required.
You won't automaticaly have great ideas, but you'll
have enough creative ideas that it is more likely you'll find a useful
one. And this "spontaneous" creativity will be the result of your
brain training exercise. So why not start developing those creative
habits of mind today?
Steve Gillman has been studying brain improvement,
concentration, creative problem solving, and related topics for years.
Some of what he has discovered can be found on his website: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com,
as well as in his free Brain Power Newsletter : http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/Newsletter.html
