Denoting the
classic oxymoron is the phrase ‘Change is Constant!’ And come to think of it we experience this quite
frequently. Consider an event or instance to be the constant element & yet
each of our interpretation of that event or instance is uniquely diverse. This
makes ‘interpretation’ a changing element.
Let’s open
our minds to some unconventional imagination – Can we bring about a change in
the changing element? It’s easier than
it sounds! Think of it as the ’picture in picture in picture…’ concept.
Deliberate
tweaking of the way we interpret an event instinctively sets our mind free of
lucid restrictions & enables us to shift focus on creative thinking!
Think about
a time when you changed your opinion of somebody. It may have so happened that you
saw them as ’very difficult or ‘unpleasant’ owing to the way they came across
to you; only to later discover a justified reason for the same & it
immediately made you feel sympathetic towards them.
Intriguingly,
science ascertains that most of our interpretations are dominantly influenced
by past experiences & the limited information we possess. This, more often
than not, tricks the mind & makes us jump to an interpretation which is as
good as a ‘conclusion’.
All it takes
is some quick re-framing! Ponder over it, essentially the constant element stays
as is, only your perception of them changes. When you exchange an old frame for
a new one, things seem very different, at times absolute contradictory!
Here are
some virtual frames you can wear to help spawn creative ideas. Next time you‘re
facing a creative challenge or are stuck on an event, run through these and ask
yourself a few rhetoric questions.
•Meaning —
what else could this mean?
•Context —
where else could this be useful?
•Learning —
what can I learn from this?
•Humor —
what‘s the funny side of this?
•Solution —
what would I be doing if I‘d solved the problem?
Can I start doing any of that right now?
•Silver
lining — what opportunities are lurking inside this problem?
•Points of
view — how do this look to the other people involved?
•Creative
heroes — how would one of my creative heroes approach this problem?
Only
practice makes a man perfect. Once you've done this a few times, you should get
into the habit of virtual re-framing & augment creativity.
There’s a
lot more to creativity than just ‘thinking’.
Creativity is intangible until put into action! It‘s a common phenomenon to sit around having
multiple creative thoughts, without actually making anything of them. Creative
doing beats creative thinking! It’s like
the jigsaw, place one piece & it clues you to the next. Put creativity into
action & it clues you to the next creative idea… the next …& so on
until the picture is complete. The conscious
process of creative thinking is rather deliberate!
Among various techniques of creativity, re-framing is easily doable & powerful.
We all have
times when we simply want to switch off the left (rational) side of the brain
& let the right (creative) side of the brain be as wacky as it could!
Well now is
the time - let go of your logical, analytical mind and open up to whatever
inspiration visits us from the unconscious mind.
Creativity
is contagious… let’s spread it!
- MRCC Corporate Communication Team
