AHA! ---- TEN WAYS TO FREE YOUR CREATIVE SPIRIT AND FIND YOUR
GREAT IDEAS by Jordan Ayan (of Create-It! Inc.). Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1997


    PREFACE (p8-10)

    PART 1--- Understanding your "CREATIVE C.O.R.E. =Curiosity, Openness, Risk, Energy (p11-56)

      1) Reclaiming your creative power (p12-22)

      2) You do have a creative personality (p23-39)

      3) Tapping into the creative process (p40-49)

      4) Mastering the techniques of "idea capture" (p50-56)

    PART 2 --- Ten strategies for "creative thinking" (p57-271)

      Strategy 1) Connect with people (p58-79)

      Strategy 2) Design an enriching environment (p80-105)

      Strategy 3) Get out of your "BOX" through travel (p106-124)

      Strategy 4) Be sparked by play and humor (p125-142)

      Strategy 5) Expand your mind through reading! (p143-160)

      Strategy 6) Take up the arts (p162-180)

      Strategy 7) Plug into technology (p181-200)

      Strategy 8) "Power think" your challenges (p201-230)

        [1] Brainstorming (p201-207)

          (1) Collective confidence (p204)

          (2) Divergent thinking (p204)

          (3) Collective "associative thinking" = "triggering ideas" (p204)

          (4) Delayed judgment (p204-205)

        [2] Transformative thinking (p207-211)

        [3] Forced connections (p212-214)

        [4] Think "As-If" (p214-216)

        [5] GNP thinking (p217-218)

        [6] Mindmapping --- "Mindmapping" is a visual writing and note-taking process that helps you break through creative dry spells. It was developed by the creativity expert Tony Buzan. It is related to the traditional outlining, but it is a much more powerful tool.

        Rather than jotting down your ideas in a neat, sequential fashion, as you do when making a classical outline --- Roman numerals I, II, III, and so on --- mindmapping encourages you to put your ideas and information into visual patterns reflecting the interrelationships among the topics.

        Mindmapping derives its creative power from two features:

          (1) It appeals to your "visual intelligence" (p219)

          (2) It energizes your CREATIVE right brain rather than your LOGICAL left brain (p219)

        You can make a "mind map" by taking a clean sheet of paper and holding it horizontally to give yourself more space. Begin by writing your goal or problem statement smack in the middle and circling it.

        It helps to print rather than write in script or scribble your notes quickly.

        Once you have your center point, let your mind flow, using your natural transformative and associative thinking processes. See the words on the page in front of you, and let new ideas pop into your head. Don't censor any of them!

        Write every idea you get down on your mind map, with each one radiating like a spoke from either the center point or another point to which it is related. Don't worry about linking all ideas or discovering a sequence among them. Let the visual effect of the mind map energize your creativity and fuel your associative thinking.

        The following tips can help you improve the quality of your mindmapping skills (from the book Mindmapping --- Your Personal Guide to Exploring Creativity and Problem Solving by Joyce Wycoff).

          (1) Lighten up --- Mindmapping is simply a "brain-dumping" process that helps you stimulate new ideas and connections. Start with an open, playful attitude. You can get serious later.

          (2) Think fast ---

          (3) Judge not ---

          (4) Break boundaries ---

          (5) Center first ---

          (6) Associate freely ---

          (7) Keep your hand moving ---

          (8) Allow organization only when you can ---

        You can use mindmapping as an "idea generator" for many types of work. You can organize information and ideas for reports and memos. You can plan your next novel, poem or screenplay. You can mastermind a marketing strategy for a business plan or reorganize departmental responsibilities for your organization or for mobilizing a community task force.

        Another value of mind maps is that they can be easily be shared with others if you are working as part of a team or if you are asking others to comment on your ideas. As you will find, others will enjoy looking at your mind map and will likely understand your ideas more readily than if you had asked them to read a traditional outline. (p218-222)

        How to Make Your Own Mind Maps (p222)

        [7] Power Journaling (p223-226)

        [8] Role playing (p226-229)

          Strategy 9) Release your "alter-conscious" (p231-256)

          Strategy 10) Connect with your "creative soul" (p257-271)

    EPILOGUE ---Ideas into action! (p273-284)

      [1] Making your ideas happen (p273-279)

        (1) Plan (p278)

        (2) Persistence (p278)

        (3) Patience (p278)

        (4) Passion (p279)

      [2] The steps to turning your ideas into creative opportunities (p279-284)

        (1) Step 1. Translating the "idea" into a "goal" (p279)

        (2) Step 2. Thinking "As-If" (p279-280)

        (3) Step 3. Selling your ideas (p280)

        (4) Step 4. Making your pitch (p281)

        (5) Step 5. Handling objections (p281)

        (6) Step 6. Getting commitment (p281-282)

        (7) Step 7. Overcoming discouragement and becoming an innovator (p282-283)

      [3] Take up the "STRATEGIES FOR ACTION!" (p284)

    INDEX (p285-287)


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Return to Skill-Set #5: Your Smart Self-Mapping Note-Taking Skills