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- P e r s o n a l _ C r e a t i v i t y -

What fundamental, easy to remember principles would help people think more creatively?

What principles would guide organizations that want to invite and support innovation?

For years we've pondered these questions looking for the essence behind everything we could identify that enhanced creativity and innovation. We've filled stacks of journals with our observations. From this we drew the following principles which guide our work:

Creativity is developmental:

No matter where we place ourselves on a continuum of "not creative" to "perfectly creative" (both impossible states) we can get better at it. We can train for a creative moment the same way people train for athletic events. We can practice creative thinking skills and processes until they become a natural part of who we are and what we do. We can commit ourselves to developing our creative abilities--a life time project.

Creativity is a process:

Creativity flows through a multi- staged process that provides a roadmap for creativity and innovation. Creative process goes beyond fixing something to creating something new, novel and useful.

From the work of many who've researched creative process and described its different stages we've synthesized these simple to remember four: exploring what you have and what you want while staying open to different perspectives and possibilities; inventing ideas while roaming out beyond the obvious and ordinary; choosing the idea or combination of ideas that holds the most promise by assessing strengths and weaknesses; and implementing by planning next steps, trying the idea and evaluating results.

Creative people understand and trust their own creative process and develop a sense of what strategies work best during different stages. Observe what works for you and trust the process to carry you through confusing, frustrating situations.

There is power in the positive:

"Power of the positive" doesn't mean blind optimism or going through life passively sporting "rose colored glasses." It means purposefully using positive energy to create the results you want. Some of the most effective creative thinking strategies we know draw on the power of the positive. For example: shift to thinking about what you want rather than what you don't. State problems positively by beginning them with "How to..." or "How might we..." and finish them with what you want. Imagine ideal outcomes instead of draining energy imagining the worst. Resist the urge to judge novel ideas. Assume instead that "far out" thinking stimulates great ideas.

The many people we've known who have developed their creative abilities, implemented innovative solutions successfully and made a real impact on their organizations have this in common: a strong sense of optimism coupled with an infectious enthusiasm --another sign of the power of the positive in action.

There is power in vision and purpose:

We first began exploring creativity to learn how to invent more and better ideas. Then we began asking, "Creativity in service of what?" and discovered the synergistic connection between creativity and vision and purpose. People and organizations with passionate purpose and clear vision naturally stimulate and focus creativity. At the same time purpose and vision grow more compelling when born out of the imagination of people thinking creatively. Taking time to ask the larger questions that clarify purpose and vision moves creativity to new levels.

Understand the Brain/Mind Connection:

Emerging knowledge about the human brain has profound implications for creativity. Learning to use the long overlooked gifts of the right hemisphere, understanding differences in thinking style preferences, and recognizing the usefulness of different states of consciousness offer new creative thinking tools and strategies.

The visually oriented right hemisphere sees things all at once and connects parts to a larger whole. It makes intuitive leaps, understands things metaphorically and connects things in new configurations that spark new insight. Mindmap a problem or a project, represent concepts and ideas with symbols, follow an unexpected hunch and you've accessed your right hemisphere.

From the varied modes of thought associated with the left and right brain hemispheres people develop mental preferences which influence how they think, communicate and problem solve. When people with different thinking styles communicate effectively and honor other ways of thinking, differences that once caused conflicts become a valued resource. The result? Synergistic teams where each person contributes a unique perspective and the group creates outcomes beyond what anyone could have achieved alone.

Brain research also helps explain the mysterious phenomenon of incubation, breakthrough, insights and novel ideas occurring in an almost dream-like state. When we shift into quieter levels of conscious- ness, the left brain relaxes its grip and the right can be heard. Using strategies like meditation and imagery you can learn to use this state pur- posefully to create breakthrough ideas.

The Creative Mind is Curious, Flexible, and Imaginative:

Curiosity, flexibility and imagination are hallmarks of a creative mind which allow us to think approximately, challenge long held assumptions and see things from opposing points of view without slipping into either/or, good/bad, right/wrong mind sets. When we do that, our imagination sees new possibilities.

Curiosity prevents overly judgmental, critical thinking, boxed-in thinking. It's almost impossible to be curious and judgmental at the same time. Regaining our ability to think flexibly helps us tolerate the ambiguity that comes with the creative territory. Many thinking skill exercises and problem solving strategies help us stretch the artificial boundaries we impose and loosen rigid categories we've erected so that our imagination can soar. Imagine three impossible things before breakfast. Think up an outrageous invention. You'll wake up your imagination and increase the odds that the next time you need a really good idea, your curious, flexible, imaginative mind will come through for you.

All Things Are Connected:

A flexible mind understands that all things are connected which means nothing is totally irrelevant when we go in search of new insights and ideas. That's why metaphors and random images make great tools for clarifying problems and inviting creative ideas. Making connections between a challenge and a metaphorical expression of it deepens our understanding of the issue. Inventing a metaphorical expression of our ideal outcome suggests new ideas for bringing it about.

All things are connected is also a key principle to consider when we refine and implement new ideas. Every innovation brings change-both positive and negative. A sense of interconnectedness reminds us to consider the larger interactive system within which we all live when we implement new ideas. With a spirit of exploring we offer these principles of creativity. They remain a work in progress because one thing we've learned about creativity is that you never "get it" completely. It's surrounded by a mysterious quality that lures us on to discover more.

Alison Strickland and Ted Coulson, Applied Creativity, Inc., can be reached at 813-391-5080 or e-mail at acialison@aol.com.