(by 18 people)
"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
- ASK WHY: Always be curious and questioning.
- 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?
- ASSOCIATE: Try to make connections with ideas, images, and the things around you. When solving problems look for random and unusual associations.
- 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.
- 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?
- 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.
- TAKE RISKS: Emotional, Mental, Creative or Physical. If you are afraid to step out of your comfort zone you'll never experience extraordinary things.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CHAK9ASCL._SL75_.jpg)
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)
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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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Blog of Joyce Wycoff -- Co-Founder of the InnovationNetwork. Wonderful ideas and thoughts about critical & creative thinking.
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PigPog is an excellent collaborative resource for creative thinking.
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