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Transcript of Awakening the Creative Mind
Awakening the Creative
Mind©
Increasing productivity, effectiveness and
creative solutions.
Produce better results, faster.
By Jonathan Grigg
2 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Awakening the
Creative Mind©
Increasing productivity, effectiveness and creative solutions.
Produce better results, faster.
By Jonathan Grigg
3 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Awakening the Creative Mind©
Increasing productivity, effectiveness and creative solutions.
Produce better results, faster.
By Jonathan Grigg
Awakening the Creative Mind is copyright Jonathan Grigg
2014.
Except as provided by the Copyright Act 1968 no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank Dr Sonia Logan, for
her feedback and support without
which this document would never
have made it to any reader.
My parents, for teaching me to
question everything, encouraged my
unquenchable thirst for knowledge,
who taught me to look at the system,
not merely events and showed me
from a young age that the most
valuable thing that any one person
can do is to develop themselves, and
in so doing share this with others.
My life teachers, both stated and
unstated, for every lesson that you
have taught, and continue to teach,
whether intended, or otherwise.
And finally to my two boys Aidan and
Ryan, who continually act as a source
of inspiration. Who both challenge
and encourage me to better myself
and who give clear and concise
feedback regarding my level of
complexity and my ability to
understand.
4 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................5
The Workings of the Creative Mind ..............................................................................................................8
The Creative Process .....................................................................................................................................9
Where are you now? ................................................................................................................................... 12
Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences .......................................................................................... 15
Flow State ..................................................................................................................................................... 17
Neuroplasticity ............................................................................................................................................ 20
Environment and Self-Awareness ............................................................................................................ 22
Environment .............................................................................................................................................. 22
Self-Awareness ....................................................................................................................................... 23
Application of the process ............................................................................................................................ 24
Preparation .................................................................................................................................................... 24
Incubation ..................................................................................................................................................... 25
Illumination ................................................................................................................................................... 26
Evaluation ...................................................................................................................................................... 27
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................... 28
Biography ........................................................................................................................................................... 29
References ........................................................................................................................................................ 30
5 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Introduction
This book will provide you with a framework to
understand the creative power of your own mind. It
is also designed to help you see the creative
capability that is in constant action in those around
you - your work colleagues, family and friends.
Finally, it will provide you with a practical, time-
tested process that when applied and practiced, will
increase your productivity to amazing new heights.
In a short space of time (dependant only upon your
application of the methods provided), you will be
able to achieve more, of a higher quality, in less
time and with less stress than you currently imagine
is possible, all by tapping into the power of your
creative mind.
You will find that your understanding will expand
as you read and re-read this material. Rather than
being linear, the expansion will become
exponential with more practice. Your productivity
will increase, as will your ability to focus on those
items that are critical to achieving the result or
creating the solution, and you will be less distracted
by the “smoke and mirrors” that seem to be on the
increase in our fast paced world.
Aspects of what I share may be challenging. I can’t
say which ones will be specifically challenging to
you, as that will vary from one person to another.
However, the challenge will be present and the
reason for this is simple. Your current level of
thinking has achieved your current level of success
up to this point in time. Maintaining that level of
thinking will continue to provide you with the same
level of results. To achieve new results, you will
need to change your thinking. In order to change
your thinking, you will need to challenge what you
have thought and believed in the past.
You will find that the information provided is
straightforward. The practical application is simple.
What will achieve lasting results is your dedication
to the practice. You are reading this because you
want to make some sort of change. What you need
to be clear on from the outset is your why.
Your motivation, your why, is what will determine
your outcome in this, and in any aspect of your life.
What does it mean to you to put your creativity to
greater use? Why is it important to you at this
particular point in time? Why do you want to
achieve this new level of success? Why do you
want to be more efficient? Why do you want to be
more effective? Why do you want to have more
creative results in your life? Make sure you have a
clear answer to these questions. If you have a big
enough why, it becomes much easier to see the
“what” and the “how”.
While it may seem counterintuitive that to increase
productivity requires you to have fun, it has been
well documented (and my personal experience) that
having fun is an essential element of igniting the
creative mind. As you add the right balance of fun,
you will find that your creative mind will engage
more and more. Consider this - if something is
boring or uninspiring to you, what is your level of
engagement? If something is interesting and
inspiring to you, what is your level of engagement?
The same is true of the creative mind. In this way
you will become more productive and you will
enjoy doing so more and more.
This book is the culmination of thousands of hours
of study and practice over many years, and is
prepared in such a way as to make it one of the
most powerful tools that you will come across. The
synergy of the information provided here is
enormously powerful. However, words are just
words unless acted upon. For this work to be
effective for you, you need to take action. Take
some time to answer the “why” questions listed
below. We will be referring back to these answers
later, so now is the time to complete them.
It is important to note that I have not asked you to
describe what you wish to do. The questions posed
at this time are around your motivation. You may
have an idea of what it is you would like to
achieve; however, for the purpose of this exercise,
limit your responses to why it is important to you to
achieve them.
6 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Why do you want to have more creative results in your life?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
What does it mean to you to put your creativity to greater use?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Why is it important to you at this particular point in time?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Why do you want to achieve this new level of success?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Why do you want to be more efficient?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Why do you want to be more effective?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
8 Awakening the Creative Mind©
The Workings of the Creative Mind
Over the centuries, there have been numerous
descriptions of creativity. These beliefs have
shaped the collective group behaviours into certain
courses of action and non-action. More important
than the specifics of the beliefs held is what actions
those beliefs led to and what results were achieved.
Many ancient cultures did not have a concept called
creativity, and saw their behaviours as being that of
discovery and exploration. While the act of
exploration and discovery may excite some
individuals to undertake more of a particular
activity, others who may be less inclined to take
risks and who see exploration and discovery as
risky, may not participate.
These beliefs about what creativity is and what it
means to be creative hold the key to unlocking our
creative abilities. As such, a large part of the
process will be to look at your particular beliefs
about creativity. Further to that, you will receive
information which will stretch your understanding
of creativity and so take you to new levels of
creative success.
There has been much debate about whether
creativity is a product of our environment or
whether it is inherently part of us, i.e. the nature or
nurture argument. Pulling together the observations
of scientists and psychologists over the past 140
years, it seems apparent that creativity (the act of
creative thinking) is an inherent part of each and
every one of us; it is part of our very nature.
However, nurture plays a vital role in how we
express our creative capability, or more accurately,
how our creativity has been taught to express itself.
9 Awakening the Creative Mind©
The Creative Process
Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) worked in
the fields of physics, physiology and psychology.
His work covered a huge range of areas. Through
the course of his research he also documented the
creative process. It is through the deliberate and
consistent application of this process that the most
profound results can be achieved. Through
deliberate application of the process, the power of
the creative mind can be channelled to produce
results most efficiently and most effectively.
Consistent application of any process (assuming
that the process is effective) will produce consistent
results. Further to this, repetition
of the process will lead to
improvements in performance.
“Practice makes the master”, as
the old saying goes.
Once we have an understanding
of the creative process we can
make deliberate use of it, and by
making deliberate use of the
process, we can be certain of
producing results. We can
produce different results
(divergent and creative) and
improve the quality of these
results by repeating the process
and changing our focus.
The process which Helmholtz documented has
three steps. Since then, four and five-step processes
have been described (both linear and cyclical). I
believe that the Helmholtz three-step process is the
most effective because of its simplicity. It provides
structure while allowing the user flexible
expression. The conscious mind likes to seek out
complexity and detailed understanding of as much
as possible, whereas the subconscious mind likes
simplicity. As you will see, the creative process is
the means by which we can make direct use of the
subconscious mind to produce results. So by
keeping it simple and being diligent in the
application, we are able to produce exceptional
results.
The Helmholtz Creative Process:i
1. Preparation
The preparation phase is the stage where he
would gather all the information that he
believed was relevant. This included his own
observations and experimental data, the
research of his peers in the applicable field, and
the question that he sought to answer. A good
deal of time was spent in understanding and
defining the question(s).
The importance of time spent in
developing the right question(s)
cannot be overemphasised. The
quality of the answers that we
obtain is in direct proportion to
the quality of the question(s) that
we asked. Albert Einstein is
quoted as saying “If I had an hour
to solve a problem and my life
depended upon the answer, I'd
spend 55 minutes thinking about
the problem and 5 minutes
thinking about solutions.”
This in itself can be challenging
to most people, as our society has
been conditioned, through both
school and work, that it is
important to be able to answer questions
quickly. Tests are timed, meetings are short and
must be productive, and so answers must be
forthcoming immediately.
However, the speed of an answer does not
always equate to the best result. In fact,
decisions made in haste can be far from the
desired result.
Consider a time where you felt the need to
provide an answer quickly. You provided the
best answer you could; however, you found
more information later and discovered that you
didn’t provide the best answer initially. It was a
“If I had an hour to
solve a problem and my
life depended upon the
answer, I'd spend 55
minutes thinking about
the problem and 5
minutes thinking about
solutions.”
Albert Einstein
10 Awakening the Creative Mind©
learning opportunity to make sure that you
have more information next time. Proper
preparation leads to better use of time, better
use of resources, more targeted responses and
better results.
2. Incubation
During this period we literally drop the subject,
walk away and do something else. In this time,
the information and questions are taken into the
subconscious mind.
While it may seem that we are doing nothing,
our subconscious mind is, in fact, actively at
work. Betty Philips (PhD in Psychology) states
“The conscious mind actually has limited
processing capacity, according to one data
source averaging 40 bits of information per
second compared to the subconscious mind,
which has an accelerated processing speed of
40 million bits of information per second.”ii
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s work in 1956 found
that the conscious mind can process
approximately 126 bits of information per
second.iii While the exact numbers may vary
due to assessment method, it is well recognised
that the subconscious mind’s operation is in
magnitudes to that of the conscious mind.
Herein lies part of the reason that Helmholtz
would spend a good deal of time in preparation,
and why Einstein would spend a good deal of
time in understanding the problem and getting
clear on the elements of the problem. When the
subject material is passed from the conscious
mind to the subconscious mind, the processor
power is magnified enormously. To ensure that
the processor power is being put to good use,
there must be clarity around the objective.
The type of activity performed while away
from the task is entirely optional. What is of
critical importance is that the subject is
dropped completely. The conscious mind must
be totally distracted from the matter to allow
the subconscious mind to work most
effectively.
Further to this, there is evidence to suggest that
you can improve the incubation period by
performing enjoyable and relaxing tasks. This
is most likely a result of the psychology of
doing something fun. When you are doing
something that you enjoy, you will engage
more of your senses and conscious thoughts,
thus dropping the original task even more.
3. Illumination
The illumination stage is what James Webb
Young describes as “out of nowhere
inspiration”; another term used is the “light
bulb moment”.
James Webb Young (1886-1973) was an
advertising executive who became the first
chairman of “The Advertising Council”. In his
book “A technique for producing ideas”,
Young describes a five-step creative processiv.
Evident in his description, and all other
documentations of the creative process, is that
the illumination appears to come out of
nowhere.
There are many urban stories of “waking in the
middle of the night with the answer”. Our
language is filled with phrases such as “and
then it hit me”, “it will come to me later” and
so on.
This moment can be out of nowhere and
apparently random as the subconscious mind
produces the answer and then drops it into the
conscious mind as soon as it is prepared.
However, the mind can also be trained to
respond to triggers to provide the answer on
demand.
Whichever method is found useful, the ultimate
result is the same - a solution has been
provided. The solution must be tested and
critiqued by the real world, and if it is found
useful, it will be adopted.
The creative process as described here is very
simple and extremely effective. What is becoming
increasingly apparent is that it is taking place all the
time, and in all areas of life.
11 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Recall a time when you were working on a
particular matter, perhaps working intently on the
computer for an extended period.
At some point in time you became mentally
fatigued, drained or perhaps frustrated. And so your
response was to step away from the computer and
grab a cup of coffee, talk to a co-worker, take a
five-minute break, or perhaps you decided to sleep
on it.
When you returned to your work, it may have taken
a moment of “Where was I up to?”, but soon you
were back into it and feeling less fatigued, and
what had previously frustrated you now has a
solution that you could not see before.
With this new information, you can now reframe
some past experiences and even look at present
events with a different lens.
So if all people are capable of and are naturally
using the creative process, what then distinguishes
those who we typically classify as creative from the
rest of the population?
While the answer might be the results that they
achieve, the reason is twofold: a degree of self-
awareness, along with the consistent and refined
application of, and engagement with, the creative
process.
Understanding ourselves and an honest appraisal of
our capabilities will lead us to make better
decisions as to where to focus our efforts. Working
hardest on those aspects where we have some
natural capability will reap better results faster as
there is less creative re-work to be done by the
brain.
Repeated application of the process, as already
discussed, will lead to better results which are
achieved more efficiently. As we become more
accustomed to the new way of working, we
improve our performance.
12 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Where are you now?
A variety of studies have found that society as a
whole has experienced a decline in creativity in
recent years. If the creative process, as described
previously, is one which is present in our everyday
actions, how can that be the case?
The answer is not one of process but of product.
The results we achieve in our everyday lives are a
direct result of the creative process producing those
results. And the quality of those results is in direct
proportion to how effectively we apply the process
and our use of quality questions.
In psychological literature, the term often used to
describe creativity is divergent thinking. Divergent
thinking seeks to find multiple solutions for a
single problem. Convergent thinking is focused on
finding one solution to the problem at hand.
In part, we are a product of our past experiences
and the meaning that we attach to those
experiences. Our educational system is structured
to train us to answer questions in a particular way
and to provide a specific answer. The training we
received through the course of schooling and
university are designed to produce convergent
thinking results.
In 1968, George Land began a study testing the
creativity of a group of 1600 five-year olds.v The
test was the same one used by NASA to screen
Innovation Engineering applicants, adjusted for the
age of the participants. The results were published
in 1992 and showed that of the 1600 five-year old
children tested, 98% of them scored as highly
creative. By the age of 10, the tests showed that
30% tested as highly creative and by 15 years, the
numbers had dropped to twelve percent. A large
group of adults over the age of 25 (280,000 in total)
were tested and the results found that only 2%
scored as highly creative. The conclusion they
reached is that non-creative behaviour is learned.
In addition to our educational system guiding the
development of our thinking toward convergent
thinking, there is another factor which is at work
during this period of an individual’s development.
In his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human
Motivation"vi, Abraham Maslow developed a
framework which has come to be referred to as
“Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs” (shown to below in
a graphical representation)
Through his work, Maslow identified and created
this hierarchy to help us understand what factors
motivate an individual. Through this framework, it
is possible to see what need(s) an individual may be
seeking to fulfil by taking a certain course of
action.
Maslow described the four deficiency needs which
are found in the four lower levels of the pyramid
shown. These needs are ‘Esteem’, ‘Love and
Belonging’ (friendship and love), ‘Safety’
(security) and ‘Physiological’ (physical) needs.
He suggested that if these needs were not met, there
was little or no desire to seek out expression and
development of the other need, that of ‘Self-
actualisation’.
During our early childhood developmental years
we seek out friendship with our peers. Typically,
this is through our schooling and extracurricular
activities. As we grow, friendship and acceptance
are very important.
13 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Consider a hypothetical example. The example is
that of a child - prior to attending school, living
with his/her parents, and whose physical and
security needs are met.
Almost any activity that the child undertakes
receives praise from their parents, whether it be a
childish dance, singing, drawing or any other
creative activity. They receive recognition that
what they are doing is good, and as such their
esteem, friendship and love needs are also met.
Upon arriving at school, they are now surrounded
by an entirely new group of peers. They have learnt
that self-expression in whatever form provides for
their esteem, friendship and love needs. As such,
the child proceeds to get up in the middle of class
and perform a song and dance. The teacher will
have a reaction of some kind
which will bring about the end of
the song and dance so that the
class can continue. In addition,
the children in the classroom will
also have a reaction, perhaps
laughter or similar. The child’s
esteem, friendship and love needs
have not been met in the same
way as in the past. Over time, the
child will learn new strategies for
obtaining these needs, and will let
go of behaviours that do not assist
in their effort.
Another way of looking at this scenario is that our
creative mind has a problem to solve.
The problem may be stated in several ways:
I have these particular needs to be met.
I am in an environment where
remembering the right answer is rewarded,
and coming up with alternatives is not so
easily rewarded or considered wrong.
I am in an environment where my
complete, open self-expression is not
resulting in my needs being met.
What do I need to do, or stop doing, to
achieve my esteem, friendship and love
needs?
Through the use of the creative process, applied in
a perfectly natural way, we arrive at a solution. The
answer comes in the form of learning to fit in and
thus learning non-creative behaviour. In later years,
this solution will be stated in the form of a belief,
such as “I am not into art”, “I don’t like to dance”,
“English is boring”, “I can’t draw”, or “I’m no
good at it”.
A famous quote by legendary martial artist Bruce
Lee describes this well - “If you always put limits
on everything that you do, physical or anything
else, it will spread into your work and into your
life.”
If left unquestioned, these beliefs and limits held
from an early age result in what is now described as
the declining levels of creativity.
However, just as the creative
mind produced the solution which
has led to this current state, the
creative mind can and will lead to
a new solution. Businesses are
beginning to realise that creative
solutions are necessary for
survival in the future. For an
organisation to thrive in years to
come, creativity and creative
thinking will be rewarded. While
this may vary from organisation
to organisation and from industry
to industry, there is a growing understanding that
creative thinking is needed to overcome the
challenges faced in the future.
There is a new problem that is being presented to
the creative mind, which may be stated as:
I have these particular needs to be met.
I am in an environment where developing a
new way of working to produce a creative
solution, is rewarded, and just
remembering what we used to do may not
be rewarded or may even be considered
wrong.
I am in an environment where my
complete, open self-expression is now
rewarded by my needs being met more
“If you always put limits
on everything that you
do, physical or anything
else, it will spread into
your work and into
your life.”
Bruce Lee
14 Awakening the Creative Mind©
fully (NB. the level of environmental
acceptance will vary from organisation to
organisation).
What do I need to do, or stop doing, to
have my needs met?
In the last section of the book you will be provided
with a systematic approach to enhance and develop
your creativity to achieve improved performance in
your career and life. The approach provided is
structured in such a way as to accelerate creative
thinking results.
Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences
In his book “Frames of Mind: the theory of
multiple intelligences”, Howard Gardner proposed
a model which describes eight different forms of
intelligence: Musical-Rhythmic, Visual-Spatial,
Verbal-Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily-
Kinaesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and
Naturalistic.vii
While scholastic life focuses primarily on the
Verbal-Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical
intelligences, much less emphasis is placed on the
other six and the development of some of these
intelligences is treated almost as a by-product of
the course material.
When reading the list provided below, it is
important to remember that each individual will
have their own aptitude level in each area and their
own unique blend of each form of intelligence.
Gardner’s purpose was not to limit anyone to one
form of learning or to one field, but to provide a
framework to understand where an individual’s
strengths may lie.
Musical–Rhythmic
This intelligence is expressed as sensitivity to
sounds, rhythms, tones and music. Typically people
with high musical intelligence have exceptional
pitch, are good singers, play instruments and are
able to compose music.
Visual–Spatial
This area deals with spatial judgment and the
ability to visualize with the mind's eye.
Verbal–Linguistic
The Verbal-Linguistic intelligence is displayed in
the individual’s ability to use words, learn
languages, and an aptitude for reading, writing and
storytelling.
Logical–Mathematical
This intelligence represents logic, reasoning,
critical thinking and numbers. Logic also has to do
with having a high capacity to understand the
underlying or fundamental principles of a system.
Bodily–Kinaesthetic
This intelligence is described as the ability to
control one’s body, and the capacity to handle
objects skilfully. A common term used in sporting
is that of muscle memory. It includes those
individuals who dedicate time and energy to
developing muscle memory, practice timing and
have a clear sense of what their goal or purpose of
the activity is.
Interpersonal
This area relates to interaction with others and
includes individuals who are sensitive to the moods
of others, their feelings, motivations and
temperament. They typically work well in groups
or teams. The individual may not necessarily be an
extrovert, but enjoys and learns best through
discussion and debate.
Intrapersonal
This refers to those individuals with a high level of
self-awareness and a deep understanding of their
strengths, weaknesses and their unique capabilities.
Naturalistic
This intelligence applies to one’s nurturing ability,
and the ability to relate information to the natural
surroundings.
The provided list shows the variety of different
aptitudes or intelligences that have been researched
and documented. Consider which of these you may
have a tendency toward. When reviewing the list,
take into account not only your occupation, but also
your pastimes, hobbies and interests. For a more
detailed analysis of your occupation, consider
which elements of your current work you enjoy,
and which ones are less enjoyable.
List those work activities, hobbies and pastimes that you find most enjoyable and that you have a natural
affinity for:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Now mark next to each which intelligence is most closely aligned to that activity.
Even though you participated in an educational system and are living in a society that has placed a higher value
on logical and verbal intelligences, you have many other aspects that are of equal (or perhaps even greater)
significance to you.
Review your list above and ponder the following questions:
What aptitudes have you made less use of in order to grow your logical and verbal aptitudes?
In what ways has your mind adapted over time to have your needs met?
And given this, how adaptive and creative has your mind had to be in order to achieve the level of success that
you already have in your life?
What aptitude, that you still have but that you may not have been making full use of, is seeking a means of
expression?
What additional benefits could be possible through the further development of your other aptitudes?
17 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Flow State
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Hungarian psychology
professor and former head of the Psychology
Department of the University of Chicago, is best
known for his work on ’flow’.viii
’Flow’ is the
mental state of a person who is performing and is
completely immersed in an activity.
Terms often used in our everyday language to
describe this state include being ‘in the zone’,’ in
the moment’, ‘on a roll’, ‘on fire’, ‘in tune’ and ‘in
the flow of things’. Csikszentmihalyi’s use of the
term ’flow’ came from his interviews with a variety
of people who described this state as being carried
along by a current of water.
One is said to be in a flow state when:
1. Challenge and skill are balanced;
2. Complete focus is on the task at hand;
3. They receive clear and accurate feedback
of their progress;
4. They find the activity intrinsically
rewarding (it is enjoyed for its own sake);
5. Their perception of time is distorted;
6. They experience a loss of self-
consciousness;
7. They have a high sense of personal control;
8. There is a merging of their actions with
their awareness.
Flow is a pleasant state of mind which most, if not
all, people experience at times. The saying “time
flies when you are having fun” characterises that
distortion of the perception of time which is
described by flow state.
It is important to recognise that the flow state is
very different from being so busy that we lose track
of time. Hyperfocus, a very different state of the
mind, can result in a person starting many tasks, but
completing very few of them. People in a
hyperfocused state actually appear unfocused and
may also experience a distortion of time.
Flow theory states that there must be three
conditions present in order to achieve flow state:
1. There must be an activity being undertaken
with a clear set of goals.
2. The task must provide immediate and
accurate feedback; this allows the person
undertaking the task to make adjustments
in a timely manner.
3. There must be balance between what the
person perceives as the challenges and the
perception of their own ability to meet
those challenges.
The diagram provided, first published by
Csikszentmihalyi in 1997, shows the correlation
between challenge and skill level. Where there is a
mismatch of skill to challenge (as perceived by the
individual), Csikszentmihalyi identified a
predictable emotional response. There has been
debate about the specifics of the emotional
responses when there is a mismatch of skill to
challenge. That being said, it remains a suitable
tool and framework for understanding the
correlation between skill and challenge.
The concept was extended to include “Flow
Channel”.ix A person performing a specific task at a
specific time may achieve a flow state. However, if
the challenges are increased without allowing the
person to learn skills to match this increase, then
flow state is lost. Similarly, as skill in a given task
increases over time and with repetition, if further
challenges are not matched, flow state may again
be lost.
18 Awakening the Creative Mind©
While the following example may not necessarily
describe flow state, it is a useful analogy to gain a
better understanding of the forces at play. Consider
a manager taking on a new position. The manager
takes on the new position and as they become
accustomed to the activities of their new role, their
skills increase. As their skills increase, they may
take on new and further challenges to maintain
their interest.
It is important to clearly understand the concept of
flow channel as it relates to creativity. The balance
between skill and challenge must be maintained or
creative output will deteriorate.
More specifically, if the perceived challenges
exceed the current perceived skill level, the result
will be poor performance (due to a need for more
training). If the perceived challenges are below the
current perceived skill level, the results may
likewise be poor performance (due to boredom).
As we have already discussed, our educational
system has provided us with conditioning limiting
our creative potential. When assessing your results,
particularly after applying the creative process, it is
important to undertake an accurate and complete
appraisal of the results. Did the results achieve the
objective? Were your skills correctly matched to
the task at hand? Were the expectations or
challenges you faced in line with your perception at
the commencement? The actual results are
important. Why the results were achieved is more
relevant to future outcomes.
Apathy is the emotional response associated with
low skill level and low challenge. Should you find
yourself experiencing this emotional response,
consider how the skill and challenge elements have
contributed to this. If the activity is still in progress,
be aware of this with a view to getting a better
result than if left unchecked. If you become aware
of this after completing the activity, you will still
need to objectively review your results. Keep in
mind that the mismatch of skill to challenge has
been a contributing factor toward the results that
you have achieved. In this way you can work
towards ensuring appropriate alignment for future
activities and projects.
Boredom is the emotional response to a situation
where challenges are perceived as low, and skill
levels high, illustrated by the phrase “I could do
this in my sleep.” When you are aware of this
response to the activity, ensure that this is also
considered when reviewing your results.
Performance may vary from poor to excellent -
poor performance because no effort was applied; or
excellent performance because “it was all too
easy”. Either way, the mismatch of skill to
challenge has affected the result. To achieve
significantly better results through the use of the
creative process, the skill level and the challenge
must be increased in alignment.
Anxiety may result when the perceived challenges
are very high and the skill level to perform the task
is low. The emotional response may vary from
uneasiness through to great distress. When this
occurs, examine the skill to challenge mix.
Additionally, take time to consider whether the
goals and objectives stated are clear, and whether
the feedback has been accurate and timely.
As you begin to implement the creative process in a
deliberate manner, you can use the concepts of flow
state and flow channel as a framework for assessing
your results. It is not enough to say that the result
met or did not meet the stated objective. To
maximise results when applying the creative
process, you will need to have greater
understanding of why a certain result occurred.
19 Awakening the Creative Mind©
In order to improve performance, you may need to
learn new skills, or have a greater awareness of the
skill to challenge ratio. This is also an intrinsic part
of the creative process. Accurately assessing the
results, including the why behind the result, is part
of the preparation for the application of the creative
process.
20 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Neuroplasticity
Until fairly recently, it has been a long held opinion
in the medical and scientific communities that the
brain is a static organ. That is, after a certain point
of development, the brain remains unchanged and
deteriorates with time. This belief has also formed
in society on the collective level.
Research on the brain that began in the 1970’s has
now expanded into the field of neuroplasticity,
which refers to the ability of the brain to change
and rewire itself over time. The neural pathways
and synapses (i.e. connections) in our brains change
as a result of both environmental and behavioural
influences.
Numerous studies have made use of MRI (magnetic
resonance imaging) and similar scans of the brain
structure in order to detect these changes in the
brain and by 2005, it had been
accepted that the brain has the
ability to change over time. The
results of a study published in
The Journal of Neuroscience in
2006x provided evidence that the
grey matter of student’s brains
increased significantly in a matter of months. The
research was undertaken during the months leading
up to an examination where the student’s study was
performed more frequently, consistently and with
greater intensity.
Research in the area of brain plasticity has included
testing a variety of different activities, including
brain changes following amputation of a limb or
body part; behavioural changes; study and learning;
and the practice of music, meditation and juggling.
Ongoing research is documenting that the brain is a
highly active organ, constantly in a state of change.
The concept of synaptic pruning can be described
as the brain’s removal of individual connections
within the brain that are no longer used, or no
longer considered necessary. Conversely, the brain
also adds connections where the synapses fire in
unison. The saying “neurons that fire together, wire
together” has developed as a convenient way of
referring to synaptic activity in this regard.
Over the course of our lives, our brains have
created wiring to achieve a specific set of goals.
One of the primary goals has been meeting our
needs through repetitive behaviours that seem to
meet those needs most efficiently.
The emphasis placed on logical and verbal
intelligences during the course of education has
wired our brains more strongly in this way.
Furthermore, the emphasis placed on convergent
rather than divergent thinking has wired our brain
to seek singular and standardised solutions rather
than multiple and varied solutions.
Our level of efficiency is quite high if we consider
Land and Jarman’s study of
creativity cited earlier. Between
the ages of five and ten, 68% of
children’s brains rewired such
that the testing found a decline in
creativity. Over the following five
years, this proportion increased to
86%.
The importance of this research into neuroplasticity
as it relates to creativity is threefold.
Firstly, we have scientific evidence that the brain
can and does rewire itself to operate in a different
way, and it does this very efficiently.
Secondly, through repeated and consistent
behaviour, we can effect this change ourselves in a
very short period of time. While it is not dependent
upon any outside force, the rewiring is impacted by
our interpretation of the environment.
And finally, this means that we can select any
activity, aptitude or intelligence that we would like
to develop. Given our intrinsic motivation and
Csikszentmihalyi’s work in the field of flow state,
coupled with Gardner’s theory of multiple
intelligences, it seems reasonable that we can
achieve results more quickly by focusing on those
“non-creative
behaviour is learned.”
George Land
21 Awakening the Creative Mind©
areas that we find more enjoyable and by
capitalising on our strengths.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Which aspects of your intelligences do you
wish to develop?
How are you able to ensure that your needs
(as described by Maslow) continue to be
met during the course of the changes that
you seek to undertake?
How will the people in your immediate
environment react to the changes that you
are seeking to make? How will you
respond to their reaction(s)?
The next section provides details of the application
of the creative process. Before reading on, go back
and review your answers written in the
introduction. Re-examine your motivation and
refresh your mind on why it is important to you to
do this. Next, review your response to the section
on Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Take time to
consider your natural aptitudes, i.e. those ways in
which your brain seems to have a natural tendency
to want to wire itself.
Environment and Self-Awareness
To maximise productivity and performance through
the creative process, we must be deliberate in our
application of the process. Our intention is to train
ourselves to develop a new way of thinking and
processing information, or more accurately to
unlearn the way we have been conditioned to
process information. As we are training the brain to
operate in a new way there will be some initial
resistance. To make the transition with the least
resistance, it is helpful to consider several elements
that will influence the rate of adoption of the
creative process and creative thinking.
Whether you are planning on applying the creative
process directly to your own work, training your
team in the use of the creative process, or seeking
to develop a more creative workplace culture,
environment is one critical aspect.
Environment
Several elements are critical when considering our
physical environment. To develop our creativity, it
is important to ensure that our needs are supported
(as discussed in the section regarding Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs). Your deliberate application of
the creative process may draw the attention of those
around you, so ensuring that we support our
psychological needs adequately is imperative to
allowing one’s creative expression to develop. This
is particularly true if you are choosing to develop
an area of intelligence other than Logical or
Linguistic.
Two other essential factors related to the physical
environment are purpose and order.
Creating a space with a single purpose ensures that
one can eliminate unnecessary distractions. By
creating such a space you can then be selective
about what elements you will bring into it. This is
critical to the preparation phase of the creative
process. Elimination of the “noise” in the
environment allows the brain to focus fully on the
task at hand and assist in putting aside any other
matters. It is important to recognise here that
’space’ may or may not be limited to an actual
physical area. Having a physical space dedicated to
the activity is important; however, ’space’ may be
extended to include digital space both in terms of
storage, or in terms of a virtual world.
Order is essential to creative expression and to your
development of the creative process. This may
sound counterintuitive as the stereotypical “artist”
can have the appearance of chaos.
However, nothing interferes with this creative flow
like frustration. Nothing creates frustration like
being unable to find that specific object or
information when you need it. Frustration creates
an unhealthy tension and if allowed to fester, it may
result in all manner of responses which hinder
expression and have a negative effect on the overall
results. Order is subjective. The level of order
required will vary from person to person.
Consequently, consider what level of order is
necessary for your own creative expression.
When developing creativity within a team, it is
important that the members discuss their own
personal needs regarding order. This needs to be
respectfully facilitated with a solution that is
satisfactory to all parties. Discussing this up front
can save a great deal of unnecessary tension later.
One other important connection to be made
between order and purpose is that of control. For
flow state to occur, there needs to be a high sense
of personal control. When working with a team it
may be helpful to establish a policy statement to
maintain boundaries. This ensures autonomy and
increases the opportunity for flow state to be
achieved.
Without this sense of control, flow state is difficult
to achieve and creative expression will be
hampered.
23 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Self-Awareness
To develop your ability in making use of the
creative process effectively, a degree of self-
awareness is required. Being able to recognise the
mental triggers that signify moving from one stage
to the next improves your performance with the
creative process. That being said, the development
and practiced use of the creative process will also
increase this self-awareness.
In the early stages of practice, there are two very
common responses that occur within the mind. It
may be helpful to consider these two responses as
the “objections” of the mind toward learning a new
way of thinking.
When applying the incubation phase of the creative
process (i.e. “dropping the subject”), a common
response of the mind is to continue to think about
it. This may take the form of internal dialogue, such
as saying “just one last note”, “just one more….”.
The reason behind this is that we have trained our
mind to continue to work on a task until it is
completed. This conditioning has been with us
throughout school, life and in the workplace.
It is easy to see why the belief that continuing work
will achieve results faster. This logic is sound for
any manual task. Everything that we do gets done
because we apply effort and take action. There is a
direct correlation between time spent on the task
and how soon the task is completed. However, for
creative and intellectual tasks, there is an
opportunity to gain better results faster. Recall the
difference in brain processing power between the
conscious and subconscious mind. Consciously we
can process around 156 bits of information per
second, whereas subconsciously around 40 million!
To put this in perspective, a task that would take
the subconscious mind one second to perform
would take the conscious mind around two days
and 23 hours.
The next common “objection” raised by the
conscious mind in the incubation phase is that we
are being lazy, procrastinating or avoiding the task.
Recognising your own state of mind is critical. Is
this “objection” a statement of fact, or is it an
attempt to continue working as I have been
conditioned to do?
This resistance may occur as self-talk, or be stated
or implied by those around you. Regardless of the
source, it is important to have measures in place to
know where you are in the process and why you are
there.
In the following section, I have included some
structural suggestions for each stage of the creative
process. These will be helpful in the early stages of
learning the process and I encourage you to make
use of them as you develop your practice of the
creative process.
Application of the process
When applying the creative process in any area of
life, we will follow the core three steps with an
extra step added for the purpose of continuous
improvement:
1. Preparation
2. Incubation
3. Illumination
4. Evaluation
The structure required within and between each
step establishes the new mental conditioning to
achieve best results and maximum productivity.
The more diligently you apply the process, the
better the results will be and the quicker you will
achieve them. Rushing the process will be both
counterproductive to quality and the slow the rate
at which you achieve results.
Preparation The preparation phase is priming the mind. It is
giving direction to the creative process, and so it is
extremely important to prepare well. By way of
analogy, it is akin to setting the destination address
into your GPS before you start your trip. Without a
clear destination, any road will do; however, you
will most likely not arrive at your desired
destination. From the outset, take the time to
clearly define your objective. The creative mind
comes into its own when it has to unearth the real
question. When the question is just as elusive as the
answer, these are the challenges which will show
the maximum value of the creative mind.
I have found that working with pen and paper -
writing and rewriting the objective, and rewording
the question or statement in different ways - is
extremely effective. As you do this, it is helpful to
ask probing question such as:
“What is really at the heart of this matter?”
“How can I best describe what it is that I
am after?”
“Does this best describe what I am after?
Can I describe it better?”
Once you are happy with the objective statement it
is time to consider what data, information or
materials will be needed. While going through the
process of defining the objective as described
above, several ideas will most likely come to mind.
Pull these materials together.
A common impulse at this stage of the process is to
begin analysis, which is a consequence of the
conditioning that “the sooner we start, the sooner
we finish”.
In learning the new process, I recommend that you
resist the urge to begin analysis at this point.
Instead, ask questions such as:
“What other information do I need?”
“What other information might I need?”
“Looking at this from a completely
different perspective, what could be some
different information that would be
useful?”
Continue asking these types of questions until you
can no longer think of any other viable resources.
Once you are satisfied that you have all of the data,
information and materials needed, again resist the
urge to start analysing. Rather, return to the
objective that you settled on and question it:
“Is this objective really going to achieve
the results that I am after?”
“What is the result that I am after?”
“How can I rewrite this objective to be
more targeted?”
“What may I have overlooked before that I
am now aware of that may change my
direction?”
This process trains the mind to be more flexible and
helps to eliminate egocentric beliefs about our
25 Awakening the Creative Mind©
ability to understand something the first time we
encounter it. By further questioning at this early
stage, we reduce or remove any attachment to the
specific objective and subsequently free our mind
from becoming locked into a path that may not
serve the overall purpose.
Once you are satisfied that you have a sound
objective and the necessary materials, it is time to
set the parameters for the work. Establish a time
frame for how long you will work. Depending on
the size of the task, it is suggested that 50 minutes
is a period of time that most people can maintain
heightened focus without distraction. The more
engaging a task, the longer the period you may
choose to set. Regardless of the level of
engagement, it is important to set the upper limit of
time and stick to it.
Incubation Before moving to the incubation
period, there are two important
tasks that must be performed.
Firstly, you need to refocus on the
overall objective. Re-read, or
better yet, re-write your objective
statement. Based on your progress
with the task , you now need to
establish specific expectations for
what you want to achieve when you return to the
task.
These expectations will set the creative mind to
work on the specific direction decided upon. Up to
this point, you have provided your mind with a lot
of information and you are now telling it what you
want done with this information in the interim.
This may come in the form of:
“When I return, I will be able to see the
theme which will highlight the most critical
factor”
“When I return, I will be able to complete
the presentation with a clear and easily
understood message.”
“When I return, I will know what other
information I need to analyse to get the
result I am after.”
“When I return, I will have a completely
clear head and be better able to continue
work on this task for another two hours.”
Setting the expectation is an important step. The
expectation must be challenging enough, without
being overly demanding. As you are teaching your
mind to operate differently, give it achievable tasks
without it being too easy. As you practice the
process, you will begin to make larger requests of
your mind.
Once the expectations have been set, it is critical to
drop the subject completely. Many people focus on
the length of time the incubation period takes;
however, there is evidence to suggest that the
results of the incubation phase are more closely
linked to how well the mind is distracted rather
than the actual duration of the time. With practice I
have found that the length of time away from a task
can be reduced significantly. To
achieve this, one must focus on
distracting the mind as quickly
and as completely as possible. To
begin with, I suggest a minimum
period of 20 minutes. For most
people, during the first five to ten
minutes the mind wants to
continue to work on the subject
through internal dialogue. With practice, the mind
learns to disengage from the task quicker.
When selecting a diversion during the incubation
phase, there are two important factors to consider.
Select an activity that can be carried out in most
environments (such as getting a cup of tea). By
making the activity easily transportable and one
that you can perform anywhere, the brain comes to
learn that this specific task means “drop the
subject”. The benefit of repeating the activity with
the intention of “dropping the subject” is having
your brain more quickly learn to do so.
An important note regarding this is that if you have
spent years getting a cup of tea and returning to
your desk to continue working, then you have
already established neural connections between a
“Questions provide the
key to unlocking our
unlimited potential.”
Anthony Robbins
26 Awakening the Creative Mind©
cup of tea and continuing work. If this is the case,
choosing an alternate activity will be more helpful.
Secondly, performing an engaging task which
requires a significant amount of your conscious
attention will assist in dropping the subject more
quickly. For example, juggling requires substantial
mental attention to maintain smooth movement of
the balls through the air. If other thoughts come to
mind, this will result in dropping one or more of the
balls. However, it may not be socially acceptable to
start juggling in a professional work environment.
Some workplace examples that may be considered
include going for a short walk as a means of
distraction. While you have moved away from your
work area, your mind may continue to “work” on
the task and so “dropping the subject” has not been
achieved. Choosing a different form of exercise
with more intensity may assist in distracting the
mind. The challenge with this is
that it is not replicable several
times during the day and may not
be possible in certain
environments.
Talking to a work colleague is
another means of distraction. This
takes you away from your work
area and engages the mind on a
different topic. It is, however, dependent on a co-
worker being available for conversation and there is
also the matter of how this may be perceived in the
workplace.
There are several other techniques and activities
that can be used to increase the rate of distraction
and so reduce the overall length of time required.
These activities, when practiced diligently, have
numerous additional benefits. For the purpose of
their use with the creative process they are
exercises for the brain to respond in a certain way.
These include the mental exercises of Centring,
Attending, Concentration and Mindfullness.xi
Illumination Regardless of the method of distraction you have
chosen, complete the following three tasks once
you return to work:
1. Review your objective;
2. Review the expectation which you set prior
to the incubation phase; and
3. Resume work.
It is important to eliminate all distractions when
you return to your work after the incubation period.
This may be challenging if you have received an
urgent task to perform during the incubation phase.
For the purpose of retraining the brain it is
important to return to focussed work on the task as
quickly and with the least distraction possible.
The response you are training from your brain is
that when you follow this process (directly after
you return from the incubation activity), the brain
must produce a result. You are establishing a new
routine for it.
By allowing other activities to take priority over the
task at hand, the brain is learning
what I call “lazy response habits”.
We are seeking to sharpen and
hone our brain to produce the best
possible outcome on command. If
this is a priority, then you need to
follow up in a consistent manner
on the expectations that you set as
soon as you returned to work.
Since we are training the brain for a specific
response, I would not recommend using a meeting
as a “drop the subject” activity. While the meeting
may provide the necessary distraction and may
work well in terms of time management, meetings
have their drawbacks. In the early stages of
learning this process, if an urgent task is assigned
to you during the course of the meeting and you
attend to this directly afterwards, what your brain is
learning is that “it’s not important to respond to
these expectations.”
When you first begin to practice this new structured
approach to working, you may find that a “light
bulb moment” may not come immediately, or it
may be dim. Whatever form it takes, pay attention
to that light bulb moment when it occurs and notice
what it “feels” like. Each of us will have a unique
experience of the light bulb moment and so it is
“Consistent application
of any process will
produce consistent
results.”
27 Awakening the Creative Mind©
essential to focus on what it is for you. By paying
attention to this, you further train the brain that this
“event” is important.
If you find that the light bulb moment is not present
in the early stages, it is important not to judge
either yourself or the process too harshly. In
addition to practicing this new process, one which
you may not have used consciously before,
consider the following:
What was your level of engagement with
the actual task?
Did you find it intrinsically motivating?
When you were working, were you in the
’flow’?
Were you feeling some other emotional
response due to a mismatch of skills and
challenge?
Does the task that you selected link to one
of your natural aptitudes (as discussed in
the section of Gardner’s multiple
intelligences)?
Evaluation Once the activity has been completed, it is helpful
to reflect on your experience with the creative
process. This need not be a prolonged reflection
period. In fact, a brief, honest appraisal is often
more helpful than a lengthy, laboured one.
Some questions you may consider asking include:
What aspects of the process did I find the
most helpful?
What worked really well?
What didn’t work so well for me? What
affected my performance in that area?
Did I assess the overall objective well from
the outset?
Did I meet the objective that I set?
Was my mind resistant to the new process?
If so, at what point(s)? What can I do
differently next time to reduce this
resistance?
28 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Conclusion
What you have been provided with is a framework.
This framework will allow you to better understand
your creative mind, and see the creative process in
action in yourself and in those around you.
No doubt you can already see that you apply this
process in many areas of your life. To produce
better results more quickly and effectively requires
the deliberate application of the process. The
process must be applied in a structured way
consistently, and when this occurs, consistent
results will follow.
Structuring your work by making use of active
questioning and targeting those questions to the
three phases of Preparation, Incubation and
Illumination will train your brain to quickly achieve
the best possible results.
Once the mind has been trained in the new process,
you will be able to set greater expectations. You
will ask more challenging questions and receive
more insightful answers. You will increase your
focus and filter out the “noise” more effectively. By
filtering more effectively, you will also increase
your productivity and make better decisions around
the use of your time and other resources.
The process I have shared does not go into the
numerous techniques of brainstorming, or
divergent, parallel or lateral thinking methods. All
of these methods are effective in producing results.
These activities also help to develop more creative
thinking patterns and are extremely useful tools
that I use regularly.
In the business world, it is becoming imperative to
have focussed creative thinking sessions and to
actively make use of the creative process as
frequently as possible.
By combining the use of divergent thinking with
daily practice of the creative process, you will,
quite literally, transform your mind.
29 Awakening the Creative Mind©
Biography
For the past 14 years, Jonathan Grigg has worked in the fields of change
management, continuous improvement and cultural transformation.
He has completed postgraduate studies in Managerial Self-Development and
is the former NSW President of the Supply Chain and Logistics Association
of Australia, based in Sydney, NSW.
Jonathan works with individuals and teams, using his skills and expertise to
coach them to high levels of performance and productivity. He has worked
with numerous businesses on all levels - local, national, multinational;
small, medium and large; and public, private and not-for-profit
organisations.
Jonathan has a real and enduring passion for personal and professional
development which has led to his studies of creativity and creative
development. He is a lifelong student of many disciplines and he actively
practices the development of his own creativity in all areas of his
professional and personal life.
For more resources and self-development tools visit
www.gatewaypersonaldevelopment.com
Awakening the
Creative Mind©
Increasing productivity,
effectiveness and creative
solutions.
Produce better results, faster.
By Jonathan Grigg
30 Awakening the Creative Mind©
References
i Helmholtz, H. v. L. (1896). “Vortrage und reden” (5th Auffl.). Friederich Vieweg und Sohn. ii Betty Philips, “Why Settle for less than Happiness”, http://www.bettyphillipspsychology.com/id127.html
iii
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1988), "The flow experience and its significance for human psychology", in Csikszentmihalyi,
M., Optimal experience: psychological studies of flow in consciousness, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press,
pp. 15–35, ISBN 978-0-521-43809-4 iv Young, James Webb (reprint 2003), “A Technique for Producing Ideas”, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 978-0-070141094-6
v Land, George & Jarmin Beth (1992), “Breakpoint and Beyond: Mastering the Future Today, HarperCollins Publishers,
ISBN 978-0-96266052-8 vi Maslow, A.H. (1943).”A theory of human motivation”. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–96
vii Gardner, (1983) “Frames of the Mind. A Theory of Multiple Intelligences.” Basic Books
viii Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1988), "The flow experience and its significance for human psychology", in Csikszentmihalyi,
M., Optimal experience: psychological studies of flow in consciousness, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press,
pp. 15–35, ISBN 978-0-521-43809-4 ix
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row. ISBN 978-0-06-
016253-5 x Draganski et al. "Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Brain Structure Changes during Extensive Learning”, The Journal of
Neuroscience, 7 June 2006, 26(23):6314-6317 xi
Rapgay and Abdaia, (1999), “Tibetan Wisdom for Western Life”, Beyond Words Publishing Inc, ISBN 1-58270-013-3
List of Diagrams
Page 12, Diagram of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, J. Finkelstein
Page 17, Diagram of Challenge to Skill Matrix, Wikipedia.org
Page 18, Diagram of Flow Channel, M. Csikszentmihalyi