What is your definition of creativity? Psychologists traditionally have defined creativity as the purposeful generation and implementation of a novel idea. Creativity has typically been considered a gift of a select minority, however, psychologists have now revealed its seeds are in mental processes that we all possess – decision making, language and memory, and that we can all boost our creative potential
I recently read an article, “Your Fertile Brain at Work” by Evangelia G. Chrysikiou in Scientific American Mind on The Mad Science of Creativity special edition magazine that inspired this week’s column.
The first stage in creative thought is idea generation. Psychologists and neuroscientists have found that specific states of mind may benefit creative thought, an open mind along with minimal rules and constraints. A study from neuroscientist Sharon Thompson-Schill, University of Pennsylvania and her colleagues found that inspiration might benefit from a state of lower cognitive control, having fewer restrictions on thoughts and behaviors and rules. Rule guided thought associated with a burst of activity occurs in a region on the surface of the brain behind forehead, the prefrontal cortex, that regulates decisions, focused thoughts and actions, i.e. deciding what to pack for vacation or solving a math problem. On the contrary, it was found when in a relaxed wakefulness and diffuse attention state spontaneous creative thoughts increase. i.e. the ideas and inspirations that easily occur when in the shower. When rules are abandoned or thoughts quieted down a resulting state of “hypofrontality” may increase creative thoughts.
Here are a few exercises to encourage relaxed wakefulness and increased creativity. Think about unusual uses for use for everyday items, i.e. using tissue for blowing the nose vs. using tissue for a protective stuffing for packages. Try paying attention to the visual property of things – size, shape and material makeup. Describe the object in an unusual way. You will be more likely to notice obscure features, i.e. a candle can be described as a wick and wax, or a string and cylindrically shaped lipids. Try performing a common task in an unconventional order, ie fold your laundry differently, take a different route on a usual commute. And the secret of many small who dwell in small homes, finds alternative uses for common items, ie serving dish that can be used as a candle holder, or flower vase or to hold rolled hand towels for guests.
Second stage evaluating options, picking best idea and implementing a plan for realizing the vision. This is when the cognitive filter for prefrontal cortex is turned on instead of off and important to discover is a creative idea is a viable one. Creative individuals may be those who are better able to upregulate or downregulate their cognitive control system depending on the demands of a situation, termed cognitive flexibility. A study used to demonstrate was a list of the names of colors (i.e., yellow, blue, red) typed in a color that did not match the name of the color. Those who could read the correct colors quickly demonstrated how well they could filter out irrelevant information. This ability to have focus on what is important is a major feature of cognitive control.
Ideas on how to increase cognitive control include sleeping on an idea. Being in a dream sleep stage can help establish associates between remote ideas. Try letting your mind wander, deliberately distracting yourself, taking a break and do something else. Unfocus on the challenge at hand.
It has been found that imagining a situation one day v.s. one year in the future has different results. It’s easier to imagine when there is more perceived time available. Performing a common task in an unconventional order or alternative-uses help with the one hurdle to there is to pass, our fear of risk and “getting it wrong.” By giving the mind permission and a way to break down ways of viewing the world and using strategies that encourage subconscious thought processed new creative ideas can bubble up.
Raising creative game may mark the difference between survival and failure. In 1994, when the Internet was largely limited to government and academic circle, a computer engineer Jeff Bezos envisioned a dramatic expansion of this network, one that would bring it into the daily lives of ordinary people. He saw that there could be a boost in efficiency of mail order business, starting with books. Bezos and his wife Mackinezie left their lucrative jobs in New York’s financial sector and Amazon was born in Seattle. By observing, imagining possibilities, and taking the risk, Bezos forever changed how people purchase goods and made a lasting impression on the business world. As Bezos once said, “Innovation is disruption.”
Next week I’ll share ideas on of Creativity as a Practice from my interview with Maggie Oman Shannons’s, Author of Crafting Calm.

Kerry Lee, a 25 year Benicia resident, is a Certified Intentional Creativity® Teacher and Coach, leading group workshops, experiential retreats (“Reclaim You: An Experiential Intentional Creativity Weekend for the Senses is May 19-21 in Sonoma, CA), Mobile Social Painting Parties with a Purpose, Customized Corporate Team Building and Corporate Social Responsibility events and teaching essential oil lifestyle and wellness classes. Find her at KerryLeeArt.com / #TheAlchemicalArtist.

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