Always Carry a Light Bulb

To be creative. It sounds like a simple concept, but the second a little bit of imagination is required, it proves to really freaking hard. Trying to come up with new and innovative ideas takes time and patience, but how and why do we finally get them? Imagine explains just how important your brain is during the creative process and how it differs from trying to solve problems analytically.
Formerly, inspiration was only associated with external forces. Our best ideas must come from somewhere else. Now, as we understand creativity more, there is a clear connection between the right hemisphere of the brain and insight.

The right hemisphere: the illogical, unimportant, and almost useless side of the brain. At least that’s what we used to think. Scientific studies have shown that those with damage on the right side of the brain (the “lucky” ones) have difficulty understanding jokes, metaphors, and sarcasm. All which require some sense of creative thinking. This is because this half of the brain is responsible for insight; that “Ah-ha” moment when you suddenly solve a problem after being frustrated by it for a long period of time. The reason it happens so suddenly is because it requires a different kind of thinking than we would usually use to solve a straight-forward and logical problem. We need to look for the solution from a different angle, and the second we do, it hits us like a ton of bricks.

An example given in the book is from the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. A salesman, Dick Drew, wanted to design a tape that mechanics could use to paint cars without ripping the paint straight off. After months of trying to think of a solution, one night it came to him. A weak adhesive strip rolled up like a spool of ribbon. This was the birth or masking tape. Drew doesn’t know exactly where this insight came from, but it was revolutionary. His company, now know as 3M, went on to invent a variety of products that have nothing in common with each other.

3M has a very unique work environment and technique. If you’re stuck on a problem for a while, take a walk. Can’t seem to harbor any new insights, play some ping pong. Breaks are greatly encouraged, but why does this method work? Although concentration is important while trying to get a task done, it doesn’t give you any time to just let your mind wander and the ideas come to you. Daydreaming is actually a pivotal part of insight. Having a little time with you and your own thoughts turns out to be incredibly important for a creative mind.

So far what I have read has been extremely fascinating and has provided me with an abundance of new knowledge about myself. For example, I hate riddles. I’m impatient and can never get the answer on my own. I consider myself capable of being creative/imaginative and coming up with good new ideas, but riddles frustrate me. In the book, it discussed how certain puzzles or riddles were given to research subjects that required insight. They were solved suddenly or not at all. Many subjects become frustrated almost immediately and complain of the difficulty. I am almost positive I would have the same reaction. This anger implies that a different problem-solving strategy is required. We must try something new. I usually just give up and ask to be told the answer almost immediately before I even give myself a chance for an “Ah-ha” moment to occur.

The frustration that the subjects and I experience is actually a key part to coming to that insight where we find the answer. It makes us think differently. I found this incredibly interesting because I related it to myself so easily. Creativity, while it is in our own individual minds, works almost the same way for everyone.