Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius

The first time I encountered 'Thinkertoys' it was actually the first edition released during the early 90's, when it was also about the time I began to explore the various options with regard to my mid-life transition. In fact, I had initially spotted an interesting review in the Entrepreneur magazine. I managed to trace the publisher & had immediately ordered the first 100 copies for my debut bookstore. It became the best seller in my store for many years. Then came 'Cracking Creativity' a few years later as well as the accompanying brainstorming card deck, Thinkpak, to 'Thinkertoys'. What impressed me most is not so much the creativity tools outlined in both books. In fact, the most productive learning experiences I got out of both books are a few very important things, which I would like to share with readers. Let's take a look at Thinkertoys. In the Introduction, the author started off with a visual puzzle: 'Can you identify the figure below?' Only by shifting your focus, you can then see the hidden word within the figure. In the author's own words, "...by changing your perspectives, you can expand your possibilities..." Let's move to 'Cracking Creativity'. In the Introduction, the author introduced a simple arithmetic equation: What is half of thirteen? The subsequent passages as outlined in Part I: Seeing What No One else in Seeing, & Strategy I: Knowing How to See, by the author revealed the secrets to getting many possible answers (or perspectives) to the above equation. No creativity tool outlined in the above two books (or elsewhere in the world, for that matter) can help you to become more creative until you fully understand - & appreciate - what the author is trying to drive home in his two books. In a nut shell, it basically boils down to one important thing: Use - & enhance - your power of vision! or power of observation! The author may not be the first person to postulate this crucial aspect of creativity. I would consider Leonardo da Vinci to be the first person to have understood & practised it religiously. He said, among a few other things, LEARN TO SEE THE WORLD. In fact, he put a lot of emphasis on using your senses, especially your sense of sight. Edward de Bono had also broached this valuable concept in his groundbreaking series of lateral thinking books, starting with 'Mechanism of Mind' in the 70's. I have always believed that you can't do things differently until you can see things differently. Learning to see the world anew & from different perspectives is imperative if one wants to be more creative. According to de Bono, creativity starts at the perceptual stage of thinking. He terms it, First Order Thinking. He added very beautifully: "This is where our perceptions & concepts are formed, & this is where they have to be changed. Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic." The creativity tools, whether they are from the au

A book for inventors, craftsmen, artisans, scientists, businesses, teachers, and most of all us students.Michael Michalko's book made many areas fall into place for me, not to mention assisting my individual creative landscape, exercising my field of study, and mobilizing my creative engine. Over the past year, I have been heavily engaged in memory improvement. Busy in such areas as loci mnemonics, peg systems, hypnosis, and many other regions. Cracking Creativity showed how rigid my thinking had become.For example, pg.42 there is an experiment where students were separated into two groups. The groups were asked to read a passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. One group was asked to simply learn the passage and the other group were asked to read from "multiple perspectives," example: an author's perspective, another person perspective, also including their own perspective. Which group learned more information? Of course, the group that used multiple perspectives outperformed the other group. Furthermore Michael elaborates on this process and places many ideas on the table. He called this subchapter "Da Vinci's Multiple Perspectives," further along the chapter he elaborates "Take on a Different Role," then "Imagine You Are the Problem" and many more areas further along that blend to create a vast pool of creative thinking. I found this particular area very useful. Michael does not simply show problems in creativity without a creative plan-of-action for facilitation. He brings creative solutions to mind and elaborates on them in detail. He gives many examples for looking at a problem or solution, in many different perspectives.Strategy Six: Looking At The Other Side, is an outstanding section in which paradoxes are shown and analyzed. A spectacular section of most importance, which I will not detail, one must read for themselves. To my pleasure Michael thoroughly discusses, displays, and employs Mind Maps (Tony Buzan). Before Mind Maps are discussed, Michael shows a similar technique of Mind Mapping called "fishbone." Fishbone's are similar to Mind Maps and are an excellent idea organizer very similar to Mind Maps. Having read a number of books on Mind Mapping, I now recommend Cracking Creativity as "high priority Mind Map reading material." I rank this book second, only to be in favor of Tony Buzan's book "The Mind Map Book." This book offers many creative ideas that are shown for Mind Mapping.There are many different techniques for creative insight located in this book, so many in fact, I only scratched the surface. Michael frequently comments on famous inventors, thinkers, and artists from science, mathematics, history, etc. in order to further his point of creative thought throughout this book. For consideration: anyone reading this book should have a proactive mind and a healthy dose of perspiration otherwise an individual may not use the techniques provided. Many of the techniques provided require a pencil, notebook, and very little mental capac

Michalko's premise is that by studying the thinking of geniuses we can learn secrets of creative thinking. His idea works well.The first part, "Seeing What No One Else is Seeing" is learning to look at problems and situations in a different way. He gives a lot of techniques for different perspectives, such as abstracting problems, diagramming and rephrasing. These can be very helpful if you stop and apply them to problems as you are reading.The second part "Thinking What No One Else is Thinking" talks about using techniques from the first part to break out of conventional ways of thought.I found the suggestions extremely useful. They really helped me develop new strategies to deal with problems, as well as thinking of better ways to do things which were not yet problems. The random word list alone is worth the price of the book.

If you type in the word CREATIVITY in any search engine, you are likely to get a REALLY LONG list of relevant titles and information. How can you tell which title is better? For me the best title would be the one that prompts you to THINK and come up with something ACTIONABLE. Packed with facinating stories, mind-stretching exercises, inspirating quotes, funny visuals, step-by-step guidelines and checklists, Michalko has successfully written two CLASSICS on the subject of Creativity. The two books give you ALL the powerful tools and techniques you need to generate creative ideas in split second. The tools are so useful that I have copies of the books, both at home and in my office. I consider Thinkertoys as the ENCYCLOPAEDIA of creative thinking (TOOLS) while Cracking Creativity will definitely give you the MAGIC RECIPE (IDEA GENERATING PROCESS), which gaurantees creative output every time.Get yourself a copy, I am sure you will find it ENTERTAINING and practical. I am looking forward to Michalko's third book on the subject. I am sure it will be another great hit!

According to Michalko, what are the best strategies for "cracking" the barriers to human creativity? 1. Knowing how to see 2. Making a thought visible 3. Thinking fluently 4. Making novel combinations 5. Connecting the unconnected 6. Looking at the other side 7. Looking in other worlds 8. Finding what you are not looking for 9. Awakening the collaborative spiritThe phrases "can activate" and "can enable" correctly suggest potentiality. However, if you are already convinced that you cannot think more creatively, you won't. Henry Ford once observed that those who think they can and those who think they can't are both right.Cracking Creativity will help you to develop the skills needed to release from within all manner of ideas, perspectives, and insights which (until now) have been suppressed. When we face an especially complicated problem or especially difficult question, he suggests that we ask "What are the alternatives and options? How should each be evaluated? Where are there possible connections? Perhaps synergies?" Of course, after we think outside the box and come up with really cool stuff, we have to figure out how to get it back into the box. Perhaps that is another book Michalko will one day write.On average, humans use only 15-17% of the cerebral cortex, that portion of the brain where the most important intellectual transactions occur. No guarantees, of course, but chances are that a careful reading of Cracking Creativity will increase the percentage you use. What are you waiting for?