Think Creative

I wanted to sit here this morning and drink my coffee and discuss the idea of answers. There is a statement I tend to point out to people who seem unwilling to participate in the process of putting effort into anything. That statement being: For every problem there is a solution! This can obviously apply to any given situation and to any degree of complexity on both sides of the mark, regarding the problem and the solution. What I mean there is that there could be a very difficult problem with a simple solution or a seemingly simple problem that generates a complex and intricate solution. Either way, there is a path. Now that path is created by using the process. A process that can determine a very important factor in the end result. Whether or not you end up with the correct answer or the wrong answer. Now, you may ask yourself something here. How do you know that there is a correct answer? Especially when we are considering creative aspects of the thought process. Creativity is ...

This is a pretty strong image! It portrays images of very strong negative connotations. One of the things I teach my students is the way that certain aspects of living, life, understand of the two can cause what is known as blocks. In this case it is an 'associational block'. What is meant by this? If you look at the image as an image and not as a nuclear explosion then you will see quite a good image. The colours are vivid, the proportions are correct and it has a depth and strength to it. The whole point of this is the aim to express the need to detach from one piece of information that may trigger adverse reaction simply because you have this information in your head. This affect works on many levels. The book I am reading at the moment; "Blink" expresses these concerns as it tells an anecdote of an experiment carried out in a college with predominantly black students. The students were asked to do an evaluation test, but before were asked 'did they think tha...

It has been a long time since I wrote something for the Creative Thinking blog, and I was talking to one of my readers yesterday, and it inspired me to blog something. Some time back I wrote a post about "association blocks". As part of my teaching I actually list some seven different variations in mental blocks that can stop the free thinking process. I call it the 'free thinking' process as  ultimately the point is, is to have an open mind to allow better thinking. One of the primary blocks that we encounter in the practice of thinking is what is referred to as 'perpetual blocks'. These are all self driven block. Things about ourselves that can hinder the thinking process. Now, some of these are genetic inflictions, some are socially induced afflictions and some are just ways we convince ourselves that we are entitled to be lazy in our thinking. What I will do here is go through the possible reasonings of the blocks and try to get a point of understanding ...

Is a resident of the cave (a prisoner, as it were) likely to want to make the ascent to the outer world? Why or why not? What does the sun symbolize in the allegory? And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened:--Behold! human beings living in an underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. I see. And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood a...

Continuing the theme of blocks and how they affect the working and creative attitude of many people, today this blog covers that issue of 'environmental blocks'. This is something that is external out there, but affects our mental state of mind. It can range from a number of sources and be caused by a number of things, but ultimately it has control over the way our mind works. One aspect that we never really consider in the development of work is where and how we sit. Or more precisely the environment in which we sit. Firstly, our seated position is of utmost importance to our health and our state of mind. Sitting incorrectly for long periods of time without any degree of support or relaxation is not very productive. Making our back ache is resulting in doing harm to our main nervous channel. All the stems of our bodies extremities come from the many spinal cord. Hence, any aching and numbness caused by sitting incorrectly is a direct result to the prolonged angle at which yo...

Being an academic and a creative I tend to read and put into practice a lot that I look at. Recently I have been doing a good deal of research into 'inspiration'. Inspired as you could say, to motivate the students into getting their act together. It is a complex subject. Never is it easy as to say 'switch on' and get productive. So many variables fit into the complex motions of getting the brain to turn those gears. However, one of the great aids is the ability to see possible hurdles that could combat or challenge your creativity. There are too many to name here as possible blocks and remedies, but I will attempt to tell you some and hopefully this will aid in the process of getting your act together. The first and most easy to achieve is attitude. Again, that is easy to say, but having a late night, not getting your coffee in the morning, missing the bus, etc., can all contribute to making the daily attitude seep a little. However, one thing that you should and nee...

Another in the series of developing an understanding to the many types of blocks there are. Just as a quick reminder, we have already covered: Environmental Blocks, Cultural Blocks, Perpetual and Associative Blocks. This post will look at another aspect of the mental block structure; that of 'Intellectual Blocks'. What does this actual base its notions around? Well, there are many aspects to this form of mental blocking. Intelligence as described in the Oxford dictionary reads as such: intelligence |ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒ(ə)ns| noun 1 the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills Based on this, the measure of an intelligence is the amount of this such knowledge and to what amount it can be utilized in order to make head way in a given situation. Another way to look at the definition of intelligence is that of this basic concept. Intelligence is the ability to solve problems. The more intelligent, or more knowledgeable one is, then the more likely you are of completely the task ...