Finding Your Way Outside The Box

Pinnacle Performance Company  www.pinper.com   Volume 2 Issue 6

Finding Your Way Outside the Box  

Breaking Down the Barriers to Creativity

 

Inspiration can be one of the most elusive things. Even for those professionally involved in creative fields, the spark of creativity can often remain just out of reach. For many presenters, one of the most frequent challenges is finding new and innovative ways to approach dry material. Indeed, if you are not one who thinks of him/herself as a creative person, the task becomes doubly difficult. Red Carpet is here to help classify your creativity and break down the walls that inhibit your inspirational catalysts.

 

Creativity means much more than simply generating something from nothing. Creative people oftentimes view the world through a different lens and think about it in different ways than others.  

 

One of the most common theories to explain this phenomenon is brain lateralization. (People that describe themselves as "right or left-brained" are promoting this theory, whether they know it or not.) Brain lateralization states that humans use the halves of their brains for different functions and that, generally speaking, creative people use the right side of their brain more often.  

 

By reviewing the columns below, tally how many times you match the given associations. If you don't fit one, give yourself a point for the opposing side. Observe where you fall on the lateralization spectrum: left, right or in the middle?

 

 

LEFT SIDE                                   RIGHT SIDE

      Prefers verbal instructions             Prefers fiction to non-fiction

      Uses outlines and structure          Relies on intuition more than logic

      Enjoys reading                                 Cat lovers

      Good at math                                    More focused on concept than detail

      Enjoys classical music                   Likes working in a group

      Thinks best while sitting                 Gestures frequently

 

For a more complete and detailed analysis, take this test provided by the Art Institute of Vancouver.
 
On which side did you predominantly fall? Most people land somewhere in the middle, with tendencies toward the left side of the brain.

Creativity for most of us, to simplify things a great deal, means thinking about things in ways we are not accustomed. By nudging our brains outside their normal patterns of cognition, we engage powerful (but often neglected) resources.

Below are some ways to more actively engage the right side of your brain. Use these when seeking a new approach to dull material, to catalyze more personal creativity or to simply alleviate a bad case of writer’s block. Thinking outside the box becomes much easier when you’re never inside it in the first place.
 
Redefine Your Audience—We present and speak to the same people in the same environment so often it causes our approach to become static. How would things change if you presented to children? To your family? How does a new audience alter your perspective?

Record Yourself—Without editing yourself, speak into a recording device about your ideas, obstacles, anything that comes to mind. Activating speech and language centers encourages more of your brain to attack any problems. Listen to playback.

Change Your Physical Position—Look at something from a different angle, literally. Get up, move around, change locations, exercise. Right-brained people are typically very animated. Combining thought with physical activity will encourage both sides of your brain to work in conjunction.

Sources available upon request.

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