This
Month's Mind Flexors
Mind Flexors are concise
exercises to practice the six characteristics listed below.
If you put on ice skates and skate a little bit each day for the next year,
you will definitely be better on ice at year's end. Research and common
sense tells us that regular flexing of your creativity capacity will make
it easier for you to be creative on demand.
Mind Flexors are designed
to be fun and to exercise your mind. You don't have to do all of them to
increase your creativity, but practice never hurts! Some people who have
attended TMI's Unbind Your Mind creativity class share ideas across e-mail
or do the exercises with colleagues or family.
There are no correct
answers to the Mind Flexors. Give yourself permission to think of as unusual
answers as possible.
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The high school drop out
rate in your state has risen to the highest in the nation. As a spokesperson
for the Department of Education come up with a way to explain these figures
to the media casting a positive spin on the situation.
-
You walk by a building with
a beautiful striped awning. The windows are covered by light blue silk
drapes. On a massive carved wood door rest a gold knocker. A wooden sign
over the door reads “Seize The Day." What kind of a business is this? Brainstorm
several ideas, and then pick your favorite idea. Write a short description
of the store.
-
The ratings have plummeted
for the Miss America Pageant. Think of several new ideas for another category
that the young women can compete in. Please censor yourself.
-
Hula swimming is the latest
exercise craze; one shakes their hips like a hula dancer while doing swim
strokes for the upper body. Make up at least one new exercise craze that
combines existing disciplines.
-
Write a funny singles ad.
If you feel adventuresome, share it with a friend and see if they laugh.
-
Cheerleaders are used for
sports. Generate as many ideas as possible in three minute where traditional
cheerleaders could be used. For example, at a birth!
-
Disposable cameras are now
commonplace. List as many other consumer or business items that you would
like to see become disposable.
Janelle Barlow, Author
Mind Flexors, I and
II
You are free to use these Mind Flexors for your personal
use. With any publication or duplication in a document, electronic or otherwise,
full credit must be given to Janelle Barlow, TMI, and permission must be
obtained.
Unbind
Your Mind - Six Characteristics
People who rank high in the following six characteristics tend to
be more creative:
 Fluency of ideas: The
more creative you are, the more ideas you can produce in a given time.
If your brain can rapidly produce 30 ideas, it does not matter if most
of them are of little value. You say that one good idea is better than
30 bad or mediocre ideas, but it can take 30 ideas to produce one good
idea. Most people do not produce their best ideas until their brain has
sorted through some average ideas. It is almost as if the brain needs to
get warmed up in the same way athletes put their bodies through warm-up
periods before competition or training.
Withholding of judgment:
If you delay your judgments, you will get more high quality ideas when
you are brainstorming. When you judge, you are looking for what does not
work or fit, rather than possibilities. It is within possibilities that
creativity sits.
Tolerance of ambiguity:
Tolerance of ambiguity is the ability to live in a universe where there
are no right or wrong answers, where ideas or thoughts are vague and yet
unformed. There are two sides to this ability: willingness to see both
sides of the same coin, and willingness to stay in the questioning phase
before rushing to an answer.
Flexibility and imagination:
Creativity demands flexible thinking, almost a childlike attitude of wonderment.
To be creative, you must operate as if the world can be as you create it.
Concentration: This is
the ability to stay focused on a subject, even while you feel frustrated
or bored. It is the ability to ignore distractions while trying to solve
problems or accomplish something. Concentration and determination are critical
aspects of creativity.
Preference for disorder:
Creative people tend to like disorder. This does not necessarily mean mess.
One of the stereotypes of creative people is that of the messy inventor
or writer with piles of paper everywhere. Mess has little to do with creativity.
Disorder is something else. Preference for disorder refers to asymmetry
in design, nonlinear thinking, or shaking up the normal order.
Previous "Mind Flexor" selections:
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| TMI, USA has a complete book of
365 Mind Flexors exercises available. It is authored by Janelle Barlow,
Ph.D. and is titled, Mind Flexors.
We will also publish here new (never before seen!) Mind Flexors--seven
at a time each month. We invite our readers to add their own creativity
to this list, and we'll credit you with your contribution. We'll also list
your creative answers on this page if you send them to us. |
Creativity
Training Program
Unbind
Your Mind & Mind Flexors Publications |
