“Inspiration can hit you in the head at any time in any context. It could happen in a conversation. Talking to someone at a party, you can get an idea. But you’ve got to remember those inspirations.”
The most creative people have a way of relaxing the inhibiting, self-critical parts of the brain when they’re in the flow of performance. Research shows that a moderate amount of alcohol can do much the same. Drinking decreases your working memory—impairing your ability to focus and hemming in your interest in the things happening around you—andincreases your creativity.
Got questions about creativity? About writing? About the TV business? One of this year’s Most Creative People is chatting with us live in less than 10 minutes! Get some advice from TV writer Ben Blacker.
The definition of what constitutes an innovative idea has gotten pretty loose lately. Challenge your team to come up with truly revolutionary ideas that create a distinct competitive advantage. Here’s how.
How color-coded notes make you a more efficient thinker:
Separating “branches” of your map by color stimulates the creative side of your brain, helps you visually separate and recall distinct themes of the stuff you’re working through, and encourages you to map through even boring topics that seem cut-and-dry.
“Add a dash of color … and all of a sudden the notes come alive. They are unique, they are unusual, they are memorable and they are more interesting.”
Innovative managers make their workplaces “habitats for creativity”—which entails a break from all the stuffy self-monitoring. That’s where humor comes in…
Charles Dickens was a proponent of strict routine—and walking. He worked from 9.a.m. to 2.p.m, without fail, and needed complete silence. At 2.p.m. he would go for a 3-hour walk and returned, the book notes, bursting with energy and ideas.
Maya Angelou likes writing in hotel rooms. She talks about checking into her sparse hotel room and working from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., accompanied by a dictionary, a Bible and a bottle of sherry.
It’s almost time to announce 2013’s Most Creative People! Until then, it’s fun to look back at last year’s list and consider where all of those people are now.
MIT neuroscientists recently watched the brains of 63 entrepreneurs and managers, and spotted a key difference: Entrepreneurs use their whole orbitofrontal cortexes, enabling them to be more flexible problem solvers.