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The Creative Process: How Does Your Brain Work?

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I’m one of those quirky human beings who likes to brainstorm. Someone tell me: what ISN’T exciting about an old-fashioned flip chart and a variety pack of sharpies?

Okay, okay. I get it. Some people sigh in despair and roll their eyes out of their heads when given little post-it notes to throw ideas up onto a board. But the task–the drawing of mazes of circles and lines–is too connected to the looming possibility of greatness for me to hate it.

Who could hate the path to greatness? =)

Not to mention that, for me, brainstorming is not just about idea-generation, it’s about building joint ownership toward achieving a common goal.

I am such an idea junkie, in fact, that one of my previous bosses asked me to present to our staff on the topic. “I want you to try to explain the way you think when we sit here and brainstorm.” He instructed.

<Insert code: Maybe by some miracle an idea-nerd like you can make them like it too.>

In our weekly meetings, I’d just been pegged a “sage” and a “synthesizer of information” by, I think, the Five Faces of Genius … or one of the other million personality tests that go in and out of style more than bellbottoms and open-toed shoes.

But I gave it a whirl.
I indulged in thinking about thinking.

And here’s the kicker: stepping outside my thought processes, and learning to be conscious about the way I formed ideas, ended up being one of the most valuable brainstorming exercises of my life.

(Kudos to Ron.)

So what about you, creatives? How do you think? What principles do you employ that help you generate and sort through ideas? What kind of barriers or distractions typically slow you down? How do you mentally test ideas, in your head, thus saving yourself time chasing bad ones in real life? What rules do you use to eliminate ideas?

I challenge you to take a few minutes and think about the way you think.

That sounds about as fun as organizing the spatulas in our junk drawer, you say?

Ahhhh, but let me tell you the secret I discovered: figuring out how you arrive at ideas helps you see why you’re leaving some of the best ideas untapped. More  on this later…

[[For now, get thinking. And if you’re looking for more food for thought, here’s a great post by Michael Hyatt on showing up to meetings ready to go FULL IN.]]

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7 Comments

  • comment-avatar
    Amy May 4, 2011 (3:33 pm)

    Sometimes the creative process makes me want to put post-it notes all over my head like the guy in your picture. :)

    • comment-avatar
      Sarah Cunningham May 7, 2011 (9:11 am)

      @amy I’d love to see that pic!

  • comment-avatar
    katie May 6, 2011 (1:12 am)

    1. post its. flip charts. variety pack of sharpies. i knew we were destined to be friends :)

    2. “thinking about thinking” is perhaps the greatest lesson i learned from my “going to be a teacher” days. we had to do self-reflections on over half of the lessons we taught & big projects we did. we had to think about our thinking. i hated them then. but realize now what a valuable skill they helped me develop.

    3. and now i need to spend some time putting that skill to work when it comes to my creative thinking & ideas :)

    • comment-avatar
      Sarah Cunningham May 7, 2011 (9:13 am)

      @Katie,

      1. Definitely. It was meant to be.:)

      2. Really interesting.

      3. Can’t wait to see the results.:)

      Keep me posted on all your adventures!!

  • comment-avatar
    Arlene Pellicane May 16, 2011 (10:48 pm)

    When I’m brainstorming about something, the ideas hit at all different times. Before bed so I have to jot something down on my nightstand. In the middle of the sermon at church. While I’m in the bathroom. But reading your post makes me think: I need to sit down and map something out – dream and put some “how to’s in place.” I’m an author too with 3 kids under 7, so I do a whole lot as God enables in the regular pace of life. Your post made me think that I need to put my quirky brainstorming hat on with the next book I’m writing “31 Days to a Happy Husband” so thank you!!!

  • comment-avatar
    Sarah May 17, 2011 (2:07 pm)

    @Arlene, I love your take on this. :) I could map things out more myself…for all the reasons you described. I think a big part of it is understanding the way we think best, so we can set ourselves up to generate the best ideas.

    (Like I think best when toddlers are not screaming.) :)

  • comment-avatar
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