Creative Possibilities by Changing our Interpretation, Really??

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