Creative thinking to produce a happy result is a key component of our Creative Thinkers’ mindset at Happy. The culture of our company is geared to produce creative ideas that make us stand out and exceed client requirements as a company.
There is no magic formula to think creatively, however there have been many studies that give a few clues. One way is to think of your brain as a great music partnership. For me it’s Lennon and McCartney.
The right side of the brain, or ‘Lennon’, gets all the credit for thinking outside the box, being free and open to new ideas. McCartney, as the left hand side, provides a logical and practical balance to the right’s creative thinking. Both sides of the partnership are talented in their own right, but get them working together and this is where you’ll get a ‘day in your life’ moment rather than a ‘ Ballad of John and Yoko’ or a right sided McCartney ‘all you horse riders’. Get Lennon and McCartney working together, left and right talking to each other and this is where you will see the best results for creative thinking. So how do we get them talking? Well… try this little test.
Developed by J.P. Guilford in 1967, the Alternative Uses Test is a well used technique to exercise your creative skills. It gives you two minutes to think of as many possible uses for an everyday object like a paper clip, table or brick. Here’s an example brainstorm for a brick.
Build a house with. Smash a car window. Step on to make yourself taller. Use for exercise. Balance on head to practise walking with a straight back. Use with some wood to make a ramp. Stop a car car rolling down a hill when placed behind a wheel. A maze for mice (only if you could find some more bricks).
The test measures divergent thinking across four sub-categories:
Fluency – how many uses you can come up with
Originality – how uncommon those uses are
Flexibility – how many areas your answers
Elaboration – level of detail
In a recent study sixty two people took a similar test. After this exercise, researchers asked subjects follow with their eyes a target as it moved horizontally left to right for 30 seconds. This exercise is believed to get Lennon and McCartney working off the same song sheet.
The same subjects took the test again and their results changed in quite a significant way. Answers were more unique, more creative, more innovative than before.
So, when you are stuck on a problem that requires some left and right brain thinking, try some horizontal eye movement to get your brain working as a partnership and not a solo artist!
James Chantler is Creative Director and Creative Thinker at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire.
