“Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.” – James Russell Lowell
In the book, THINKERTOYS, Michael Michalko, presents sets of techniques for generating ideas.
In my previous posts, I covered Ideation Techniques (Part 1 of 3), Ideation Techniques (Part 2 of 3), and Ideation Techniques (Part 3 of 3) for ideas.
In this post, I’ll cover the Intuitive techniques for generating new ideas. The Intuitive techniques help you tap your unconscious to find ideas that you already have.
Technique #1: Chilling Out (Relaxation)
Relaxation techniques designed to clear your mind.
Technique #2: Blue Roses (Blue Roses)
Ways to use intuition, and how to develop it.
Technique #3: The Three B’s (Incubation)
Describes incubation and demonstrates how to use it.
Technique #4: Rattlesnakes and Roses (Analogies)
How to use personal, direct, symbolic, and fantasy analogies to originate ideas.
Technique #5: Stone Soup (Fantasy questions)
Coaches you to direct your imagination with fantasy questions and how to use your fantasies to generate ideas.
Technique #6: True and False (Fantasy questions)
How to think in terms of contradictions and paradoxes.
Technique #7: Dreamscape (Dreams)
How to capture the ideas in your dreams.
Technique #8: Da Vinci’s Technique (Drawing)
How to use freehand scribbling, doodling and drawing to inspire ideas.
Technique #9: Dali’s Technique (Hypnogogic imagery)
How to originate surrealistic imagery, and how to find the associative link between the images and your challenges.
Technique #10: Not Kansas (Imagery)
How to direct your imagination with guided imagery scenarios to find ideas in unlikely places.
Technique #11: The Shadow (Psycho synthesis)
How to create your own spiritual adviser to help you solve your challenges.
Technique #12: The Book of the Dead (Hieroglyphics)
How to find ideas in the hieroglyphics from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
Key Take Aways
Here are my key take aways:
- It seems to me that the keys to using intuition are being open to it and being in a relaxed state. Stress seems counter-productive to intuitive modes.
- My favorite techniques are Stone Soup and The Shadow. I like thinking through “what if” scenarios, and I like the metaphor of personal guides.
- I see parallels across techniques that use personal mentors. While the means may vary (spirit, mentor, power animal), the end remains the same – tap into your higher part of your unconscious.
Additional Resources
- CreativeThinking.Net (Michael Michalko’s site)
- Spirit Allies: Meet Your Team from the Other Side
– techniques to contact your own guides.
- Solve Tough Problems With a Brain Reboot
You Might Also Like
Ideation Techniques for Generating New Ideas (Part 1 of 3)
Ideation Techniques for Generating New Ideas (Part 2 of 3)
Ideation Techniques for Generating New Ideas (Part 3 of 3)