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One Acorn ~ Critical & Creative Thinking

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 18 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #5035 in People, #68501 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

 

"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." ~ Emerson

"Good thinking" is a bit more difficult to come by than one might expect. Thinking critically and creatively isn't just for artists and writers, but also for business professionals in all industries. This lens explores the various ways that thinking critically and creatively can be a boon to helping individuals work more productively, to get noticed and to expand their horizons.

Nourish the Acorn That is You With 

Ten Keys To Thinking Creatively

  1. ASK WHY: Always be curious and questioning.
  2. BE PLAYFUL: Don't be afraid to have fun. Even better, think like a kid. What would a child think if they were looking at what you were?
  3. ASSOCIATE: Try to make connections with ideas, images, and the things around you. When solving problems look for random and unusual associations.
  4. BE NAPOLEON: Or Shakespeare, Picasso, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Theresa, Bill Gates. Put yourself in the shoes of another and think about how they would approach your idea or problem.
  5. LOOK FOR PATTERNS: Try to discern patterns in the world around you. Look for cycles, tendencies, behaviors and similiarities. Can they enhance your projects and ideas?
  6. LOOK FOR SYNCHRONICITY: When you are focused on something, patterns and opportunities appear. Learn how to recognize this synchronous moments and take advantage of them.
  7. TAKE RISKS: Emotional, Mental, Creative or Physical. If you are afraid to step out of your comfort zone you'll never experience extraordinary things.
  8. ASK WHAT IF? Ask this question when you are stuck, when you are looking for new avenues of thought and when you want to really exercise creative muscle. Let yourself explore the answer, regardless of how silly or illogical it might seem.
  9. DON'T STOP WITH ONE IDEA: The more ideas you have, the better your chances of finding a good one. Don't be afraid to keep asking questions. Look for alternatives. Never just settle for one answer.
  10. LOSE THE EXCUSES: Nike really hit the jackpot with their slogan "Just Do It." Productivity and creativity live in a vicious cycle. One always begets the other but you have to start somewhere. Start with productivity and creativity will follow.

Critical & Creative Thinking Resources 

Creator of Circumstance
"We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance." ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Crystal King's Blog About Creativity, Productivity, and Working Smart
Critical & Creative Thinking Graduate Program, UMass Boston
One of the few programs like it in the country. The CCT program at UMass Boston provides students the tools to become constructive, reflective agents of change in education, work, social movements, science, and creative arts.
Change This
Change This presents hundreds of manifestos in a medium designed to challenge the way ideas are created and spread.
Creativity Everywhere
PigPog is a site about sharing creativity. Excellent collaborative resource.
American Creativity Association
Great resource for learning and applying creativity, innovation, problem-solving, and ideation theory, tools, and techniques.
Idea Generation Methods
Excellent tools to help generate new ideas and original thought.
Project Renaissance
Wonderful site with a bevy of creative problem solving tools.
Mind Tools
Excellent resource for thinking critically and creatively. Hundreds of tools for brainstorming, decision-making and planning.
Creativity Portal
Creativity Portal is an imagination inducing sanctuary for artists, writers, crafters, and creativity enthusiasts.

Great Stuff on Amazon 

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition]

Get out of your creative rut! The Artist's Way will challenge you to unleash creativity you only dreamed of having.

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/26/2008)

The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm

Excellent case studies of creativity in business.

Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 07/26/2008)

Creative Whack Pack

The Whack Pack helps you break out of old habits and look at things in a brand new way.

Amazon Price: $16.00 (as of 07/26/2008)

101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques: The Handbook of New Ideas for Business

This is one of my favorite books--101 techniques to help you problem-solve: brainstorming, list-making, decision-making and more.

Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life

Very inspiring book written in a wonderfully conversational way.

Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 07/26/2008)

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day

da Vinci is someone that we can all aspire to be like and this book will help you do it.

Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 07/26/2008)

Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques: FIRST EDITION

More wonderful problem-solving techniques.

Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)

Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius

Fascinating read about understanding creativity and how to cultivate it in your own life.

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/26/2008)

Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention

How do you experience "flow?" What is that "groove" that we can get into? This is the book to explain.

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 07/26/2008)

Use Both Sides of Your Brain: New Mind-Mapping Techniques, Third Edition (Plume)

Buzan is the master of Mind Mapping and this book is a wonderful add-on.

Amazon Price: $11.20 (as of 07/26/2008)

Uncommon Genius

A really wonderful read about the unlikely places genius may be found.

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 07/26/2008)

Flickr tags for Creativity 

umbrella symphony by alicepopkorn

umbrella symphony

Clothes-line Image by Zadok the Priest

Clothes-line Image

Swiss Miss ~ 5 of 5 photos by urbanwoodswalker

Swiss Miss ~ 5 of 5...

Swiss Miss ~ 4 of 5 photos by urbanwoodswalker

Swiss Miss ~ 4 of 5...

Swiss Miss ~ 3 of 5 photos by urbanwoodswalker

Swiss Miss ~ 3 of 5...

Katrina ~ 2 of 3 photos by urbanwoodswalker

Katrina ~ 2 of 3 pho...

Katrina ~ 3 of 3 photos by urbanwoodswalker

Katrina ~ 3 of 3 pho...

Katrina ~ 1 of 3 photos by urbanwoodswalker

Katrina ~ 1 of 3 pho...

DSC03978 by B2332

DSC03978

Creative Generalist 

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Creative Generalist is an outpost for curious divergent thinkers who appreciate new ideas from a wide mix of sources. Completely random and updated regularly, inspiration drawn from - and relevant to - the larger creative world.

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Good Morning Thinker! 

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Blog of Joyce Wycoff -- Co-Founder of the InnovationNetwork. Wonderful ideas and thoughts about critical & creative thinking.

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Creativity Everywhere 

RSS Feeds from PigPog

PigPog is an excellent collaborative resource for creative thinking.

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crystallyn

About crystallyn

Crystal King has been working in high-tech marketing for over 15 years. Her expertise as a marketer and critical & creative thinker entwine with her love of technology and her genuine desire to meet and learn about new people.

Currently Crystal works at CA, Inc. as PR Director for the company's corporate governance group.

Previously Crystal held positions at Sybase, Nexaweb, Taxware, Bowne and a handful of Internet startups such as Event Zero and Open Sesame. She has also taught Critical Thinking and Business Communications at UMass Boston.

Crystal has numerous publishing credits in various marketing and business publications including previous mobile marketing columns in PDA Street and iMedia Connection.

Crystal holds an M.A. in Critical & Creative Thinking from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She received her B.A. in English writing and literature with minors in communications and French from Whitworth College in Spokane, WA.

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