Creative people can think up unique ideas and innovative solutions that others may not imagine. A creative mindset opens these individuals to new possibilities and opportunities and allows them to see the world in a more curious light. A creative mindset is a way to broaden the mind and find new perspectives that help shape a brighter or more appealing future.
At the same time, it’s necessary to take steps to foster this approach and understand the different types of creative thinking which underly the process.
What Does Creative Thinking Mean Exactly?
Creative thinking is all about gathering new thoughts, ideas, and insights from information which already exists. The “creative” approach uses different styles of thinking to examine this information from various perspectives and any willing person is able to foster this way of thinking through actual practice.
Let me quickly clarify why I use the word “willing” above.
According to experts, there are two primary types of mindsets: fixed mindset and growth mindset. A person with a fixed mindset believes that talent, skills, abilities etc are fixed and will therefore find it difficult to engage with creative thinking. People with a growth mindset believe that skills, abilities etc can be improved and creative thinking is not something with which a person is born.
In other words, if a person is not ready or willing to believe they can learn, grow, and do things differently they will not be able to engage with creative thinking.
Now, let’s explore the five types of creative thinking.
5 Types of Creative Thinking
1. Aesthetic Thinking
“Aesthetic” often refers to the principles which guide the work of an artist and aesthetic thinking is what underlies the process. For instance, a creative person might appreciate the beauty in nature and design and incorporate these elements into their thought process. This is what often happens with artists, musicians and actors who use what they know and see to think up new ideas of what they might create. It’s important to note these ideas do not come from schools or qualifications but rather from the individual’s way of thinking.
Aesthetic is very much a visual way of thinking and one that usually involves taking form, color, shape, patterns, and composition into account and representing these factors creatively in their new thoughts/ideas.
How to Apply - Try to connect with emotions and feelings to apply aesthetic thinking and not just the intellectual. You might also engage in this way of thinking by learning more about design, art, and visuals. For instance, aesthetic thinking is much easier for designers who understand the difference between retro, classic, modern, and minimalistic design.
2. Divergent Thinking
Divergent thinking involves coming up with multiple solutions for the same problem. The idea is not simply to come up with a quantity of solutions but rather to arrive at a selection of high-quality ideas with the intention of then narrowing this collection down to the one-best-idea.
Divergent thinkers need to be fluid in their approach and have the flexibility to examine different ways of doing things. However, divergent thinking is mostly concerned with ideas or solutions that already exist as opposed to generating new solutions for a particular cause or problem.
How to Apply - Use brainstorming to engage with divergent thinking. As an example, let’s imagine you want to come up with a new product. Try brainstorming all the things you want people to feel and think when they hear about the product and then translate these feelings and thoughts into visual cues that might resonate with your business and your future customers.
3. Inspirational Thinking
Inspirational thinking tries to use inspiring thoughts, people, ideas, or stories to encourage to people to think different and discover new meaningful ideas. Inspirational thinking is also one that evokes emotion and many of the greatest ideas ever conceived were the result of a passionate moment of excitement. For instance, Steve Jobs was known for using inspirational talks to help ignite a sense of wonder and passion among employees that would compel them to think outside the box.
How to Apply - Inspirational thinking is only possible when the individual feels as though they have “permission” to explore. For example, it’s possible to incite this way of thinking among employees by encouraging them to take risks and think boldly with their ideas.
4. Lateral Thinking
Lateral thinking was coined in the 1960’s by a researcher named Edward de Bono to separate idea creativity from artistic creativity. This creative way of thinking leaves all old ideas behind and focuses entirely on coming up with new ones. The purpose of lateral thinking is often to avoid the obvious cliche ideas and to encourage the individual to think outside the box.
Unlike divergent thinking above, lateral thinking does not have a sequential process and no connection to previously held thoughts or ideas. You might even say that lateral thinking is an extreme approach to thinking and a great way to start anew if it feels as though all other avenues have been exhausted.
How to Apply - Try to remain aware of how the brain is processing information and don’t be afraid to allow for external stimuli to help guide the process. It’s often easier to conceive new ideas through the random nature of life Itself rather than to shut yourself away in a quiet room to think. So why not take a walk around the block at lunch time or accept that coffee invitation from your old work colleague - you never know where it will lead.
5. Convergent Thinking
Convergent thinking is pretty much the opposite of divergent thinking because if focuses on one well-thought-out idea to a problem. This makes it a logical way of thinking and one that requires less creativity than the other types n this list. Many people use this way of thinking without realizing because it’s quick, organised and leaves little room for ambiguity. There’s nothing wrong with convergent thinking but it’s not the most suitable approach to innovation.
How to Apply - Compare information with the unknown and follow a logical trail of thought to arrive at the best-known solution. You might then carry out several tests on this solution and make sure that everyone that works on the idea is unified to achieve the same end goal.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to get stuck in the same way of thinking and this is especially true in a workplace where things are most often done the same way over long periods. However, this is often harmful for business because it’s often necessary to pivot and change in such a fast-moving world and routine can seriously hamper innovation. Creative thinking is hugely beneficial for employers and employees because it fosters idea generation and encourages one and all to explore new perspectives that will shape a brighter future.
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