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The Lobes of the Brain
The Seven States of Creativity
CONNECT
This brain state helps generate
ideas. It uses convergent and divergent thinking to connect
ideas in divergent ways.
It is a good idea to use the connect
brain set when you need to solve problems using creative
solutions. This state is good for brainstorming because it
helps create multiple solutions that are normally unrelated.
It is good for elaborating and finding unusual associations.
An example: You are told to teach a
course but you want to make it fun and creative. By using
the "connect" brain set you can come up with many creative
ideas to enhance you class.
So, you like the sound of what this
brain set can do for you but you do know how to access it?
It is simple, open your mind and delay judgment. Do not give
up on ideas easily and do not think anything is impossible.
Think of the possibilities and don't put up walls to new
ideas. Practice manipulating ideas and don't stop building
on boring ideas until you are happy with them.
The connect brain set is all about creative thinking, so the
left side of the frontal lobe is completely shut off. The
right side is on and working on coming up with creative
ideas, as is the reward center.
ABSORB
You are open to new ideas. You are
relaxed and you let things from your internal and external
environments give you ideas. You are in absorbing brain set.
This brain set will help you notice
new things and make connections between ideas. You will
notice new things from the environment around you. You can
use your unconscious ideas to create ideas. It is useful
when getting ready to be innovative. You are waiting for an
"AHA" moment, in which you suddenly come up with an idea.
An example: You are told to write an
essay about a problem in Canada, but you cannot come up with
an idea. You decide to go for a walk. You don't realize but
by putting the idea in the back of your head you are using
the absorb brain set. While you are walking you see a dog
locked in a hot car. "AHA", you will write your speech on
animal abuse.
In the absorb brain set the frontal lobe is completely shut
off because you need to be able to open your mind. You use
mainly the right side of your brain because it helps to be
creative.
ENVISION
If you have a wild imagination then
this is the brain set for you. In the envisioning brain set
you use mental imagery to consciously form creative and
unique ideas.
The envision brain set helps you play
out your plans in your head before they happen, which can be
helpful if you ask yourself “what if…?”.
The envision brain set also helps you connect your
deliberate and spontaneous thoughts to help with the
creative task at hand. The envision brain set is also
helpful in the creative process because it helps you form a
world schema and a personal identity. Finally the envision
brain set is good for your well being because mental imagery
increases your overall health and physical performance. The
envision brain set is helpful when you need to plan an event
ahead of time Asking yourself “what if this happens?” or
“what if this goes wrong?” will help you be ready for
anything that comes your way.
The envision brain set is easy to
access if you have a good imagination, if you are not here
are some tips to make it easier for you:
- Practice picturing events both
pictorially and diagrammatically in your mind.
-Use hypothetical thinking (keep in
mind that anything could happen).
-Practice manipulating images in your
mind.
In easier terms, if you want to
access the envision brain set; work on using your
imagination to picture things that could possibly happen.
There are two different ways to use the envision brain set;
spontaneous and deliberate. If you are being spontaneous the
frontal lobe is completely shut off. If you are being
deliberate the frontal lobe is actively working at helping
you envision future events.
REASON:
The reason brain set is considered
the shaping state of the brain. You need to use convergent
and intentional thinking to establish ideas in a
step-by-step, consecutive way.
The reason brain set is key in the
creative process. It is the state that moves your ideas into
actions. This is also the state where you can solve any
logical and consecutive problems. After the first three
creative and spontaneous states it is important to elaborate
on your spontaneous ideas into logical and possible ideas,
this brain set helps you do that. This brain set comes in
handy when you have a lot of ideas, some possible and some
not, and you need to narrow it down.
To get to the reason brain set it is
important to set clear goals for yourself and obtain mental
arousal, this will help you move towards one solution.
The left side of your brain is mainly used in the reason
brain set, unless of course creativity is involved, in which
case the right side will play a part as well.
EVALUATE:
If you are a judgmental person this
may be your favorite state. This is the state in which your
brain determines what ideas are good and which are bad.
This
state helps you decide what idea to use in the end by
judging how good or bad they are. The evaluate brain set
also helps you choose how much of your energy you should put
into the different parts of the project. The evaluate brain
set is necessary when you need to narrow your ideas down
even further to one single idea.
It is extremely important to stay
detached from your personal ideas. It also helps to organize
your ideas into different groups, depending on their
usefulness. To access the evaluate brain set you need to be
able to focus your attention on one thing, so you can make
all the necessary decisions.
The most important thing about the evaluate brain set is
that your me center and the right side of your frontal lobe
are turned off. The reward center and left side of the
frontal lobe is turned on.
TRANSFORM:
The transform state of the brain
(also known as the emotional state) uses emotions to power
the creativity inside you. This brain set uses self
conscious thoughts, negative moods and dissatisfaction to
provoke the creative process.
This state helps your control your
negative emotions and lets you use them to drive the
creative process forward. It helps you turn your negative
emotions into positive motivation for creativity. The
transform brain set is really useful during an emotional
crisis because you can use the extreme emotions you are
feeling to come up with creative ideas.
To transform your negative emotions
into creativity you need to be able to control and reflect
on your feelings. You also need to train yourself to use
your dissatisfaction to fuel your creativity, which can be
done by using creativity as a form of therapy.
Unlike the envision brain set the me center is key in the
transform brain set. The amygdala, reward center, and
frontal lobe also all play a part in turning emotions into
creativity.
STREAM:
This is the last state of the
creative process. It is when you buckle down, no
distractions, and focus 100% on the work at hand.
There are many benefits to using the
stream brain set. You can adapt your performance to your
environment busing creative and spontaneous thinking. It
also helps you respond skillfully to difficult tasks and
provides an exceptional internal motivation. This brain set
comes in handy when you are in my current position, trying
to finish off a large project in a short period of time.
This is one of the more difficult
brain sets to access, but once you have it is worth it. To
access the stream brain set you must set time limits and
deadlines for yourself and increase your acceptance and
standards for the task. It really helps if you make the task
seem smaller by breaking it into sections that are less
intimidating. Finally you need to improve and increase your
skill level and work on improvisation.
The stream brain set uses the right side of your frontal
lobe and your pre motor centers to help you work hard.
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