| |
| |
|
Creativity Information |
|
|
|
Drawing On Creativity: How To Trick Your Brain
Can you draw? Your answer to that question reveals a surprising amount about your brain and the way you integrate your right and left hemispheres. (In this article, the left side will be referred to as the dominant one, which is by far the most likely scenario.) You see, the left side of the brain excels at verbal, analytical, rational and logical tasks. It's the dominant half. It takes over most of the time, using words to describe and define, figuring things out step by step, drawing conclusions based on facts and logic, and thinking in a linear way. The left side of the brain jumps right in with words and symbols, and is such a bully that it takes on even those tasks it isn't likely to perform well. Now, the right side of the brain is completely different. It relies on nonverbal cues to process perceptions. It's good at tasks requiring the ability to see similarities, to understand how parts fit together as a whole, to make leaps of insight (those a-ha moments), and to perceive overall patterns at once. It tends to hang back a little, letting the left side take over most duties. It's sort of like siblings. You've got a confident, verbal first child and a quiet, introspective, thoughtful second child. Who do you think wins the argument for that last dessert? Who chooses which television show to watch? Who dominates the conversation about where to go on a family vacation? The second child might have a valuable perspective, but the older one is so assertive that he tends to win most arguments and rule the roost. If your answer to the drawing question is "No, I'm pathetic," it's likely your left brain is being a bit of a thug. Whenever you pick up a pencil and start to sketch, it's taking over with its tendency to verbalize images and analyze shapes. Meanwhile, the right side--the perceptual, spatial part of your brain--is over in the corner, raising its hand, trying to get attention. "Oh, pick me!" it says. Too bad that the left side is already busy drawing lines and forming a strategy. What if you could outsmart the bully on the left? What if you could somehow give that right side of your brain its chance to shine? According to Dr. Betty Edwards, a respected art educator and author of the best-selling book, Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain, you can actually make a mental shift from what she refers to as the "L-mode"--the verbal, dominant form of thinking--to the "R-mode," which relies on visual cues. It's possible to get the right side to kick in and take over the task of drawing. How? Well, we need to get tricky. The left side takes over tasks UNLESS it finds a particular job undesirable. If a certain task takes too much time, is too detailed or slow or simply too difficult, then the left side gives up. So, the trick is presenting the task--in this case, drawing--in such a way that the right side is allowed to jump in. This happens a lot with words. When we try to describe something verbally and find it too difficult, what do we do? We rely on gestures. Just try to describe a spiral staircase without using your hands. Dr. Edwards teaches people to draw by presenting them with images that are upside down. This puts the left brain in a state of confusion so that it can't easily decipher shapes, assign a top and bottom, attach labels and categorize them to match stored memories. The key to integrating your right side lies in looking for opportunities to allow it to become dominant. When presented with a confusing image, your left side gives up. We should literally turn things upside down in an effort to thwart the left brain's control and let the R-mode take over. This same idea works in creative problem solving. Sometimes the best way to deal with a challenging issue is to sleep on it. When the left brain is exhausted, the intuitive, subjective, holistic right side has a chance to sneak in and come up with a solution that seems to have come "from nowhere". See? We don't even give our right brains credit for creative insights! It's exciting to think that there are ways to outsmart our brains. By intentionally putting ourselves in a state of mental conflict, we can enhance our creativity. Look for ways to plunge yourself into that discomfort zone. Whether we're tackling a picture or a problem, the key to jumpstarting our right brain lies in shifting our perspective. Grab a pencil, turn the picture upside down, and start drawing! Somewhere inside you, that frustrated artist will be grinning from ear to ear. About The Author Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 70 countries. She serves up a unique blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief in her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Creativity - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Top Ten Reasons To Start Creativity Coaching DEVELOP YOUR ARTISTIC CONFIDENCE I'd really like to write but I don't have enough time. Creativity coaching can give you back control over your calendar. Art, Artists and Vocation "If you really want to upset your parents?go into the arts!"-Kurt VonnegutHow many times have people been told that "You can't make it as an artist."How many times when you've told someone that you are studying theater, dance, the visual arts, do people look at you and cringe; feel sorry for you, and feel that you and your family have wasted a great deal of money, and that you have wasted years of your life. Creativity Management - Sustainability through Passion Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Unleash Your Creativity and Think Your Way Out of the Box The brain is a strange organ. It works in ways we don't yet understand and manages to create everything we see. Creativity And You 95 percent of what we know about the brain, we have learned in the last 20 years. So, your beliefs about creativity were probably shaped by faulty information. The Art of Keeping a Journal Journal keeping is basically without rules. It is an uncensored invitation to cut & paste, sketch & chart, and to visualize and unravel every great and small thought. Its Time to Get Out of the Box "It is never too late to be what you might have been. "(George Eliot)I have found that truly successful people surround themselves with the support that makes them excel. Be Creative: 10 Easy Steps To Increase Your Confidence, Creativity and Cash In The Attention Economy How can you be more creative? How can you turn creative ideas into cash. Want to be better at creative thinking?In Australia at the moment we are celebrating the Australian Innovation Festival. SoulCollage - Combining Collage Fun with Spiritual Practice SoulCollage? is a unique blend of spiritual practice and the fun of collage. Using our intuition and imagination, we create a deck of collaged cards where each card reflects a different aspect of who we are. The Healing Powers of Journaling For the past several years, I have found joy working as a motivational writer and speaker. One of my greatest passions has been the gift of sharing my deep love and respect for the written word. Creative Dreams - What Winter Driving Taught Me We had a winter storm the other day here in Toronto. And as I was driving, I started thinking about what my winter driving had in common with my creative dreams. Are You Inventive Enough to be an Inventor? Some Guidelines to Invention Success! Inventors make a ton of money when the invention is needed and when the process is done properly. There are different types of inventions. Creativity Management - Don't Write, Rewrite Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Creativity Management and Team Size Effective team structure is critical when managing creativity and creative output.It appears that many individuals are effective alone - Einstein, Marco Polo etc - however, what is usually overlooked is that these people often collaborated regularly. Should You Quit Your Job for Your Dream? The next time you're moodily sitting in your office, wishing you were living your dream instead, answer the following questions? or answer them now! They'll give you a sense of whether or not now's the time to make the break.My job is making me crazy; so crazy I'd do anything to quit. Improvisation in Life and the Arts: What I learned from Free Play by Stephen Nachmanovitch Can you be an artist while you're washing the dishes?In this article I share some of my learning and impressions from a chapter of the exceptional book, "Free Play", by Stephen Nachmanovitch.This subtitle of this book, "The Power of Improvisation in Life and the Arts", speaks of bringing the improvising we do as creative artists into our daily routines and interactions. Creativity: Getting Out of the Box Leadership, especially in times of change, depends increasingly on the ability of managers, professionals and even front line workers to think and do things differently. In other words, to get out of the box!So, how do we get out of the box especially when most people are comfortable staying with the tried and true rather than exploring and championing new ideas? Here are tips to jolt your mind and start thinking more creatively. How A Creation Box Can Work For You Bring to mind a time when you decided that you wanted something in your life; a vacation, a special book, or a household item. Did you notice that things relating to what you were wanting appeared out of nowhere--either you overheard someone talking about it, noticed an advertisement, a billboard or even junk mail? This, my friends, is the power of the Law of Attraction at work. How To Get In The Zone And Blast Your Marketing To A Higher Level This may come as a surprise.. Creativity Management - Breaking Through The Mental Barrier Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
