Grant Heim Art 1302 MiHyun Kim Creative thinking is the process of training and conditioning your brain to think creatively in order to become a more effective designer. Creative thinking takes practice whether its brainstorming, reading an article in a design blog, or mind mapping ideas in a visual it is important to be doing something to spark some creativity, these exercises condition the mind to think creatively . Brainstorming takes place in the ideation process, allowing ideas to just flow out allows for a wider range of ideas for you to choose from as you narrow down what you will choose as a base for how you accomplish the final outcome of your composition. This process of design thinking has less emphasis on balance or overall success compositionally and more of an emphasis on getting ideas onto paper, Niha Khandelwal describes creative thinking process by stating “It [creative thinking] involves looking at the issue at hand from multiple perspectives and thinking about the future possibilities.” allowing yourself to do this will make it easier as you develop your ideas into a final product.. Designers are constantly coming up with new ideas or solutions and as much as you put out you also must have some flow of inspiration or influence back into you. A helpful tool in creative thinking is reading design based articles, blogs or magazines in order to see others approach to design, the way one person goes about creating a solution may give you ideas for how you can reiterate your own work or even inspire you to approach design thinking in a new way. As a beginner designer it can be frustrating to struggle with coming up with new and fresh ideas but it is ok to seek inspiration and a new perspective from others who are a lot more experienced in design. Designer christian beck expressed that “reading is an integral part of growth and online content is an important piece because it helps you stay connected with the community and current on trends.” staying informed with whats going on in the design world not only keeps us connected to fellow designers, but also can inspire new ideas. Another method in creative thinking is mind mapping, which is a good way of organizing your thoughts visually by creating a diagram of pictures, thoughts, ideas and anything you want to consider when deciding what elements to incorporate into a design. The structure of it is simple and according to Bronwyn Kienapple “a mind map always starts with a central point and builds outwards.” With a mind map you can incorporate visual ideas, goals, and brainstorming by starting off with a main theme or idea and building off of it. Furthermore, there are many ways to become a better creative thinker which all help to condition the mind to incorporate conditioned processes. These exercises include brainstorming, reading articles in design blogs or websites, as well as mind mapping your ideas out, which in turn are effective when ideas seem to have run thin, you can go through creative thinking processes to help inspire new original ideas and foster creative thinking.
Grant Heim












