Mindmapping for creativity
- Jun 26, 2017
- 2 min read
This week we talked about some tools to encourage divergent thinking. In particular, we chatted about brainstorming and mind maps. For someone who is somewhat on the generic end of the creativity spectrum, my interest was immediately captured. Tools! Instructions! How to become more creative! I admit that I have slightly missed the point. That being said, I did find this week incredibly useful and somewhat reassuring. We watched this video which, using the example of films, identified that, most things are a remix of something else. How many new films now are part of a series, a re-make or based on a true story? The answer is the majority. I don't know why but this realisation made me feel slightly comforted. Even the most creative minds in Hollywood aren't sitting there with a blank piece of paper coming up with completely original ideas. Instead, they are following a thread of an idea. This is the idea around using tools to spark creativity.
First up is mind mapping or brainstorming. In this exercise you would start with a central topic and record as thoughts starts to spill out. And then thoughts from those thoughts. The important thing here is to be careful not to edit or dismiss things as they come out, however out there they may seem. By recording everything then often some pretty cool ideas can crop up. You can also start with some prompts like who, where, what, when, why and how if you get stuck. By completing this exercise on a topic in the tutorial I was amazed at how quickly the cogs in my brain started to turn. I think prompts to think creatively are perfect for someone like me who finds the whole process a little alien.
Another tool is the SCAMPER tool. Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Reverse or rearrange. In a similar vein to my thoughts on the film remixes, this encourage you to take one product/idea and reframe it in multiple ways to come up with creative solutions. This video using the example of smarties demonstrates this brilliantly.
What tools do you use to spark creativity?
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