Have you heard of creative thinking? It is a topic that is very fashionable lately. For this reason, we will explain what it is and how you can develop it.
Creative thinking is the ability of certain people to break out of the conventional pattern of invention and ideas and to make proposals using the latest techniques.
These people process information in a different way, this allows them to find the most original solutions. They are considered explorers.
We have to take into account that we put this capacity into practice every time we are presented with a challenge that we have never faced before.
When a problem arises, there are several ways to look for a solution. In most cases, the protocol to be followed, which is the conventional reasoning, is used. Another option is to explore the alternatives that we normally do not consider. Perhaps we do not take them into account because we are used to the conventional method, out of laziness or because we think that new ideas will not work.
However, just because they are solutions that we often resort to does not mean that they are a guarantee of success. When they don’t work, it is common to think that the problem has no solution because we are not used to stimulating creativity.
Differentiate creative thinking from conventional thinking:
The former does not depend on the relationship we make between it and another element to determine an idea. This is because it is usually based on abstract ideas, perhaps meaningless at first.
It requires a greater exercise in visualization. Because when we imagine new solutions, we need to be more creative in creating new scenarios. With reasonable thinking this does not happen because we more or less already know what will happen.
With creative thinking you get mentally tired. Unlike with conventional reasoning, this thinking makes us try harder and the process wears us out more.
You learn constantly. Creative ideas are the result of everything we have learned, therefore, if we want to stimulate this trait, we must be in a constant state of learning.
Practical tips for achieving creative thinking:
- It must be stimulated at an early age: children must be offered several options to express their abilities, so they will not feel inhibited.
- The importance of education: Ideally, a balance should be found between school and some extra-curricular activity. However, we must give equal importance to each and every one of them.
- Encourages reading: apart from providing us with knowledge, reading also gives us ideas, makes our imagination fly and makes it easier for us to come up with creative ideas.
- Seeks new experiences: the best way to find ideas is by opening our minds and looking for new challenges that allow us to get out of our comfort zones.
- Write down all the ideas you have: you never know when an idea will come to mind, for this reason it is always good to write it down somewhere so we don’t forget it.
- Do what you are passionate about: when we do things that we are passionate about we are stimulating our creative side, doing what we are passionate about will help us find the best ideas.