Visual and creative thinking techniques can help adults reawaken dormant childhood abilities like imagination. While creativity is often stifled by myths that it requires innate talent or results in greatness, visual thinking uses images to solve problems and communicate in a way that utilizes 80% of our brain dedicated to visual processing. The document provides tips for starting visual thinking practices like creating an environment conducive to creativity, developing the habit of drawing, and taking creative breaks.

1. Visual and Creative Thinking
What we learned from Peter Pan and Willy Wonka
Kelsey Ruger, Pop Labs

2. There is no life I know to compare with pure
imagination. Living there, you'll be free if
you truly wish to be.
Willy Wonka

3. creativity: cre·a·tiv·i·ty n. the ability to use
imagination to transcend traditional ideas, rules,
patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create
meaningful new ideas, forms, methods.

4. visual thinking: vis·u·al thin·king adj. the practice of
using pictures to solve problems, think through issues,
and communicate clearly.

5. Life in the fast lane:
In an increasingly fast paced world
we don’t make time for creative activities.

6. Keeping up with the competition:
It’s getting harder to innovate, produce new
ideas and communicate at this pace.

7. What About Creativity?
This can be overwhelming for many professionals
because many of the “standard” we put in place
actually limit creative ability and competitiveness.

8. Wake-up latent childhood abilities
As children our world is dominated
by stories, pictures and imagination

9. Visual and creative thinking techniques can help
reawaken natural visual and creative skills in adults

10. nurturing creative and visual thinking in your organization
• Learning and removing the myths that prevent creativity
• Start using visual and creative thinking

11. First - You Don’t Have To Be An Artist
Visual thinking and creativity aren’t really about drawing.
Drawing isn’t what makes it a creative activity.

12. The Myths of Innovation
Scott Burken - 2007

13. The Myths of Creativity

14. MYTH 1:
creativity always comes from an epiphany

15. MYTH 2:
there is always a clear path to creativity

16. MYTH 3:
creativity is the result of the lone innovator

17. MYTH 4:
creativity always results in greatness
well great ideas anyway...

18. MYTH 5:
I’m not creative

19. MYTH 6:
being creative is a waste of time

20. MYTH 7:
creativity is not for adults or
people with serious careers.

21. A Beautiful Mind
Understanding Why These Myths Exist

22. Beliefs are powerful:
The beliefs we have about how the world works often
have very emotional origins. These emotions can
change how we make decisions, form habits and
develop skills.

23. our need for consistency is stronger than just about
any other intrinsic need we have. People will behave
in a manner that is consistent with their previously
existing self-concept, even when this behavior is
unrewarding to them otherwise.
Prescott Leaky

24. Do you have any sacred cows?
Sometimes an idea loses it’s meaning over time, but isn’t
abandoned because of the investment in it’s past. These
ideals are often so immune to criticism that those who
challenge them are ignored or marginalized.

25. How do you overcome the power of
the creative myths?
File Number: 4471239

26. Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

27. The chief enemy of creativity is "good" sense.”
Pablo Picaso

28. The di erence between Peter and the boys at this time
was that he knew it was make-believe, while to them
make-believe and true were exactly the same thing.

29. Overcoming the Myths of Creativity

30. Visual Thinking:
Using images to solve problems and communicate

31. • 80% of the brain is dedicated to visual processing
• Visual processing is not new, it’s part of our history
• Written language originated from drawing and sketching

32. Tips for starting visual thinking

33. Visual Thinking Tip 1:
Create an environment for creativity

34. Visual Thinking Tip 2:
Start the habit of drawing

35. Visual Thinking Tip 3:
Create a personal visual library
Text
Text
From “Mapping Inner Space”
by Nancy Margulies, Nusa Maal, and Margaret J. Wheatley

36. From “Mapping Inner Space”
by Nancy Margulies, Nusa Maal, and Margaret J. Wheatley
Visual Thinking Tip 4:
Create a personal metaphor library

37. Visual Thinking Tip 5:
Take creative and visual thinking breaks

38. Visual Thinking Tip 6:
Practice Creativity

39. Visual Thinking Tip 7:
Read more ction literature

40. Visual Thinking Tip 8:
Start a visual thinking school
• Schedule it - Set aside dedicated time
• Be holistic - It’s not just drawing, not just brainstorming
• Set objectives - What do you intend to learn

41. Getting Started:
A Basic Visual Thinking Toolkit
• Vertical Lines • Diamond (Decision)
• Horizontal Lines • Spiral (Change in Direction)
• Circles • Circle (harmony)
• Spirals • Direction (arrow)
• Wavy Lines • Straight
• Jagged Lines • Triangle (Relationship)
• Star (success)

43. Kelsey Ruger
kruger@poplabs.com
www.poplabs.com
www.themoleskin.com