Creative Thought Part Two- Brainstorming

The early stage of creative cognitive activity is familiar to most, and is often known as “brainstorming”. This “anything goes” phase of a creative session is characterized by the free-form generation of long lists of items. Since this material typically includes the final product, albeit in an embryonic state, it is critical to obtain as much raw material as possible. This phase of almost subconscious tapping of the mind should be sustained until a suitable amount of data has been generated, but the mechanics of this associative phase and the pre-disposition of the mind to reach conclusions introduce their own limitations. As the mind traverses long-term memory, it gradually narrows its options and resists returning to the associative state that results in novelty. This can be problematic if the creative process has not proven fruitful, and more incubation is necessary. In the words of Donald Norman, “People tend to focus on the active hypothesis and once focused find it difficult to change even in the face of contradictory evidence.”

Let's look at what must happen cognitively during this phase. First, by definition, creative thought is implicitly novel. That means that it cannot already exist in the mind. Rather, existing memories must be combined through association to form new insights. The associative nature of the mind encourages creative thought by allowing thought to wend through various regions, retrieving more data along the way. As previously mentioned, the mind will soon turn to pattern and routine, and the opportunity for creativity may be lost. The use of a visualization technique such as a “Mind Map” can play an important role in encouraging the preservation of this associative mode. Through writing or drawing a key concept of the task on a blank page, branching sub-topics can be added and then further extended. As elements of creative thought are added to the visualization, we can prolong this associative brainstorming phase and mine the rich store of potential contained in our long term memory through this external mirror.

Up next- Focusing.