Wonder…

In an effort to ensure our survival, our brains have become incredibly adept at conserving energy by doing as much as possible on autopilot. When we do or experience something for the first time, we create new neural pathways, and the more we repeat it, the deeper those pathways become. Over time, associations become automatic.

That’s great for things like brushing your teeth, driving a car, or learning a new skill. But it’s not so great for creativity.

Creativity relies on your ability to make new connections – that’s what often sparks those ‘eureka’ moments. But when you try to solve a problem or come up with something new, your brain will automatically jump to what it’s seen and done before – often without you even realising it. It starts sifting through its back catalogue, looking for the familiar hits.

And let’s face it, sometimes that’s all you need: a predictable solution. We’re not always looking for award-winning creative insights. Sometimes an easy, quick answer is absolutely fine.

But for those times when it’s not, and when you really do need to find more creative, out of the box solutions, you have to push past the predictable and dig deeper into your neural pathways to uncover new, novel connections.

The best way to prime your brain for this is to regularly seek out a diverse range of stimulus. The more your brain has in its back catalogue, the more connections it can draw on to generate unique ideas and solutions. So look for ways to shake things up: take a different route to work, swap your usual film for a documentary, read something outside your usual genre, try a new hobby, visit a place you wouldn’t normally go, or talk to people outside your usual circle.

It all feeds your imagination – and it’ll be there to spark creative insights when you need them most.

Ponder…

• When was the last time you deliberately consumed something outside your usual tastes – book, show, podcast, or article – and what surprised you about it?
  
• Which part of your daily rhythm – your route to work, your lunch spot, your evening wind-down – feels the most ‘on autopilot,’ and what might happen if you changed it?
  
• How could you intentionally engage with a different perspective this month?
  
• What’s one space (museum, neighbourhood, park, event, online community) you don’t regularly visit but could expose you to fresh ideas?
  
• When did you last try doing nothing for 10 minutes and just observe the world around you? What details did you notice that you usually miss?

Wander…

Additional resources if you want to explore the concept further:

• The Science Behind Creativity (American Psychological Association article)
  
• How Formula 1 helped to reduce children’s hospital errors by 66%
  
• Another example of priming for creative insight (blog post)
  
• The Science of Creativity: How to Train Your Brain for Innovative Thinking (Penn LPS article)
  
• Have a go!  Remote Associate Test for Creative Thinking