Exercises for Creativity
Three ways to introduce creative thinking into your everyday life
Turn your life upside-down
If you were raised in a standard school system, chances are your left-brain is highly developed. You are really good at naming things, such as: car, chair, pencil, computer, and you are really good at doing things in a linear order: get up, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, and go to work and so on.
Author of “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” Betty Edwards uses a variety of different techniques to help access the ‘creative’ or right brain, and these techniques usually involve presenting the left-brain with a task it can’t handle.
One of her drawing tools is to turn an image upside down and draw what you see. I find it works really well, especially if you don’t know what it’s a picture of to start with. But even if you’re not interested in learning how to draw, it’s still an interesting exercise to try.
When you’re reading a book, newspaper or even watching TV, try turning it upside down, or yourself in the case of the television. Don’t try to recognise what you’re looking at, try focussing on the colours, the shapes, the lights and darks instead. I use this exercise when I’m kerning typography. I find turning it upside down de-focuses the words and I can focus on the white space between letter forms instead.
If you want to apply this technique to creative problem solving, you need to metaphorically turn the problem upside down so that you can ‘see’ it from a different perspective.
Practice ambidexterity
In his book “How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci” author Michael Gelb tells us both Michelangelo and Leonardo would regularly switch hands when painting the Sistine Chapel and The Last Supper. Professor Raymond Bart proclaims that ‘in order to develop human potential you must “Balance the body, balance the brain. The future lies with the ambidextrous human!”’ Sounds exciting — let’s try it!
Some exercises Michael suggests we play with:
- Reverse crossing — cross your legs and arms the opposite way. (I find this very uncomfortable. I’ve been trying it in boring meetings) Wink with both eyes (easy), roll your tongue both sides (not easy).
- Try using your other hand to write (hard), bush your teeth (funny), eat (easy) or use a computer mouse (impossible!!).
- Write and draw with both hands at once. (I haven’t actually done this yet, but plan to try it on the white board whilst teaching)
- Try mirror writing — it’s quite easy once you get the hang of it.
Change your signature personality
Betty Edwards argues that handwriting is actually drawing and your signature captures an essence of your personality.
Just for fun, why not try varying the personality of your signature? Try signing your name as if you were:
- Famous
- Quiet and introverted
- Confident
- Scared
- Loud and extroverted
- Delicate.
How do you feel about these different versions of you? Try living up to the personality of three of your signatures today.
