Which Muppet Do You Need?
Order and Chaos in Creative Thinking
Hello, Protagonists,
In this newsletter, I share a fun perspective on creative thinking and one of my favorite tools to use when I’m stuck or lost in a creative endeavor. I hope this brings a smile to your day and maybe an “ah-ha” to your own experience.
xo, Joanna
Which Muppet Do You Need?
Order and Chaos in Creative Thinking
Several years ago, my partner asked me, “Are you an order muppet or a chaos muppet?”
He didn’t need to explain the question any further. I knew my answer immediately: I am an Order Muppet. But for those of you who may not immediately understand the world in muppet terms, allow me to elaborate.
This all started with Dahlia Litwick’s Chaos Theory: A Unified Theory of Muppet Types. And the short of it is:
Chaos Muppets are frenetic and emotional characters like Gonzo, Cookie Monster, Grover, Ernie, and Animal. They make their way through life in a swirling maelstrom of food crumbs, small flaming objects, and, for whatever reason, tend to be blue and fuzzy.
Order Muppets, on the other hand, are neurotic, highly regimented, and averse to surprises. They may resent the responsibility before them, but also revel in the knowledge that they make everything happen. Think Big Bird, Bert, Sam the Eagle, Rowlf the Dog, and Kermit the Frog.
Now, maybe we tend toward one or the other muppet type, but instead of picking one, I propose that we have both muppets within us, and knowing which muppet we need during challenging creative moments can help us.
Convergent and Divergent Thinking
Instead of muppets, creativity research discusses convergent and divergent thinking. Understanding these two different cognitive processes has helped me see what I need when I hit a wall.
Convergent thinking narrows down the options to reach a single logical answer for the situation.
Divergent thinking generates multiple ideas from one starting point. This orientation expands possibilities and explores many ideas.
Everyone uses BOTH of these states in their creative endeavors.
Maybe Order Muppets tend to be outliners or plotters, and Chaos Muppets write a bit more by the seat of the pants, aka pansers. But even pansers get locked into convergent thinking, and plotters get lost in a swirl. So, whichever muppet you typically play out, it helps to know the tools of the trade for each.
Muppet Awareness
The first key to working with this concept is awareness of your thoughts. Once you observe your thought patterns, you can notice which muppet is gripping the wheel, and then see if a shift might be helpful.
When I’m Stuck
Here’s how my awareness goes. Since I have strong Order Muppet tendencies, I often get stuck in convergent thinking. When this happens, my body might feel tense and constricted, while my thoughts crawl over the same options like a spotlight searching a limited space for the answer. I try to logic my way through it, but I don’t have enough fresh material to see an inspired way forward. I am trying to converge with too little data, and I need divergent thinking to unlock me.
But, of course, the Order Muppet in me resists divergent thinking with the statement, “I just have to figure it out.” Or “I just have to focus more or think harder.” But to reach a satisfying solution, I need new ideas, fresh energy, and to expand my vision.
So, I invite Animal over to scatter the stale options in front of me, Gonzo to lead me to some weird places, Grover to brainstorm with me, and Cookie Monster to revel in all the delicious options we find.
Practically, this might look like taking a walk while brainstorming with a friend and their inner Chaos Muppet, letting myself daydream while gardening, or making a Pinterest board to activate a visual sensory experience. It’s changing from a head-down to a head-up orientation and exchanging the spotlight for a lantern to expand my scope for imagination.
When I’m Lost
Now, on the other end of the spectrum, I can also get lost, foggy, or overwhelmed by my creative options, especially at the start of a project. My body feels unrestrained and swirling, and my thoughts feel scattered. I am full of ALL the possibilities, and I ask, “What should I choose? Which way should I go?” At this point, I need convergent thinking and an Order Muppet to support me.
But, of course, my Chaos Muppet might resist convergent thinking with the fear, “I can’t limit my options! There might be something better out there…a better idea, a better partner, a better method.” But, to move forward, I need to pick something and learn from converging on a choice.
I need Bert to shake my shoulders, then Kermit to take my hand and direct my focus down to the options in front of me, and Sam the Eagle to hold me to a choice.
Concretely, this means using tools to help center my attention and evaluate options. With my goal in mind, I can delineate the pros and cons, outline the concrete steps forward, or make checklists to assess my needs. Asking friends with strong inner Order Muppets to sit down with me can really help here.
Tools for Each Muppet
And My Favorite Tool: A List of Ten
It may seem silly in its simplicity, but a List of Ten always helps me because it combines both convergent and divergent processes.
Whenever I get stuck or lost, I get out a sheet of paper, write the question I am struggling with at the top, and brainstorm ten solutions. Most likely, the first three or four ideas I scribble down have been the answers that I’ve been mulling over and over. I usually resist going further, but I must fill the list.
With all the clichés out of the way and a list left to complete, I activate my divergent thinking. I say hello to the crazy options. After hitting number seven on the list, the technique really pays off. For example, in considering career options for my 1950s farm girl protagonist, I clear out teacher, nurse, secretary, and finally get to zoo keeper, lingerie designer, and Russian spy.
“But those are just unrealistic answers,” you might be thinking. “Where is the real solution?” Well, now that I have fresh ideas, I bring them back to my novel. This is where convergent thinking enters the picture.
Yes, some of the solutions on my list fall into the cuckoo crazy camp. I don’t want my farm girl aspiring to be a Russian spy, leading me out of historical women’s fiction into spy thriller territory, but maybe, in converging on one solution with these wild options circling me, I get an additional idea that my protagonist has a best friend who is Russian and experiencing loads of discrimination in the Cold War era. So, this list can infuse energy into my book, beyond the original question I am trying to answer. The solution could be one of those initial options, but with the additional element of this new friend, my novel gains depth.
Most often, though, I find a fresh solution to a sticky problem because I couldn’t get out of the rut of the first three clichés or couldn’t focus my imagination. It often doesn’t drastically change the shape of my novel, but I can finally move forward with an inspired choice. And sometimes one of the options takes me on a wild ride of a country girl who finally decides to follow her dream of designing racy lingerie and taking on the raging patriarchy that is trying to reassert itself after a world war.
What Muppet do YOU need?
I hope you play around with your muppets. They might help you shrug off the debilitating state of stuck or the overwhelming sense of “I don’t know.” I even use these tools for real-life decisions, planning activities, buying birthday presents, or deciding on my dreams. After all, I am my own protagonist. Party on, Animals!
Share your muppet experience in the comments.
🪽 What’s your favorite way to get unstuck?
💫 How do you make challenging creative choices?
🐸 What Muppet do you need right now?
Love the reframing of convergent/divergent using Muppets! My favorite ways to get unstuck include taking a walk - no earbuds, no phone, just me lost in thought. Movement is a great way (as I'm sure you know) to foster divergent thinking. My second method is doing a mindmap. Great way to clear my head and see the jumble of thoughts in front of me.
J-this was a BRILLIANT essay. Start to finish.
I'm both a Chaos and an Order Muppet. Order in my home space must occur (to an alarming, cleanliness freak extent) for me to be willing to let my Chaos Muppet enter the room....
As for my version of your List of Ten (loved that)--when I'm stuck, I do what I call a Mindspace Purge. (Yes, the Order Muppet has a spreadsheet for that)--where I take myself through a series of questions--is this thing/threat "real?" or is the anxiety about something else? If the issue is "real,"--is the danger/threat/etc. imminent, or something I'll need to tackle in the future? How critical is this 'thing'? Based on those answers, I'll then create my version of the List of Ten which inevitably solves (or at least begins to tackle) my problem and moves me forward.
When it comes to creative problem solving....when I'm stuck, I do what Dennis Hodges talks about below--I take a walk--no distractions--sometimes I'm trying to work out big plot issues, sometimes it's a line of dialog, but 99.9% of the time, the movement and "quiet" (I'm often out before sunrise) unlocks the solution.
This essay belongs in your future nonfiction book on creativity....💜