creative thinking: a coach's perspective
By re-discovering creative thought and combining intuition and divergent thinking in our daily decision-making, we can start the journey towards greater happiness and productivity, and, as proven by neurological research, greater emotional intelligence.
The following are included in the printed & Kindle versions
Illustration 1
Illustration 1
This 4,000 year old petroglyph at the Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada, maps where the hunting grounds are, where the source of water is (the vertical squiggly line) and gives an orientation by adding an image of the sun (concentric circles, top right)
Illustration 2
Illustration 1
This particularly well organized flash mob can be defined as 'a group' even though they may not know each other, since they share a defined purpose (and, possibly, passion!)
Illustration 3
In the rebellious years of the 1960s and 70s, people came together to support many commonly held ideals, including, of course a reaction to war.
Illustration 4
Rebellion crossed all boundaries and heralded the introduction of changes in many fields including architecture.
Illustration 5
The rigid boundaries of the Good ‘Ole British class system are illustrated humorously in this TV sketch with John Cleese, Ronny Barker, and Ronnie Corbett each defining a different class role.
Figure 1
Figure 1 illustrates how we are caught in this tension between individuality and group membership (Groupiness and Uniqueness).
A Kathakali dancer
In the traditional Indian Suvarna art form of Kathakali dance, (literally ‘Story-Play’) creative expression is allowed within the intricate decoration that occupies actors for many hours before the play commences. However, that creative expression is only acceptable within limits.
Career Development
Teen suicide has increased at an alarming rate since the beginning of the millennium. I am not suggesting that there is any quick fix, but it has to be taken seriously and may only be mitigated by several ‘small, slower fixes.’ Whatever the reasons behind this trend, these tragic events may be caused by stress, or at least, are accompanied by it.
Relationship Coaching
Relationship Coaching
Schemas contain a hidden trap and we can easily jump to an inaccurate conclusion. For instance, what do the words above say?
Are you sure?
Cost Rica Dream Board
Relationship Coaching
Creating a dream board can be a highly creative exercise and often includes both memories and aspirations (the creator of Figure 3 dreams of trading their house in suburbia for a more rustic life without electricity.) If the dream is shared with others, then having them participate in creating the board can be fun and bring the dream to life in an even greater way.
Mindmapping
Inspiring quote
This shows the kinds of things that might appear on a mind map, in this case focused on moving house. The center oval depicts the task under consideration, the four lines spurring from that join to ovals that contain factors considered most relevant to the decision. These ‘secondary’ ovals spur out both potentially positive and potentially negative variables that may influence the ultimate decision.
Inspiring quote
Inspiring quote
Remember: It is up to us to what extent we choose to follow group norms, versus express our individuality