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.
- Write an ad totally exaggerating
the benefits of a product. Write the same ad understating the benefits of
the product.
- In 3 minutes write a list
of new clubs people could join. The name of the club must have at least 3
words all starting with the same letter. For example: The Maryland Mosaic
Makers Club or The Association of Free-lance Forrest Fire fighters.
- Mary Salvatorina is a
Wedding Planner. She is overwhelmed with too much business. Therefore, she
is considering limiting her business to planning double-weddings only. Brainstorm
as many alternative areas that she could specialize in as a Wedding Planner.
- Pick names for male and
female triplet infants. Then try male and female infant puppies, and then
male and female triplet infant Martians!
- Get yourself a partner.
List as many things from your childhood before the age of 20 that you share
in common.
- After years of struggling
you have made it big, really big! You have always been insufferably boastful.
Compose a Christmas newsletter to the poor relatives back home that thought
that you would never be successful.
- What music most reminds you
of sushi?
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
|
