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.
Yes to movement. Getting into my body and letting my mind wander without structure. Walking, gardening, biking, swimming! Sometimes the hard thing is recognizing that I need this shift and getting my butt out of the chair.
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....💜
Mindspace purge sounds so cathartic. Like spring cleaning for your mind. I interviewed Donna Jackson Nakazawa for the podcast this week about her book on rumination. I bet you will love it, but it sounds like you have so many of those techniques already in practice. 👩🍳💋
I call these emotional archetypes the little Monkeys in my mind, based on a YA graphic novel I drafted. I even bought little monkeys in different colors. Distractor Monkey (chaos) is yellow. Demander Monkey (order) is red. Clearly they need better names!
The awareness of these different personas in our mind is SO helpful to me. And I love giving them fun names (Demander Monkey!) because it's a further reminder that we are not any single persona (or monkey), and when the name is silly, it brings lightness into what can feel like a difficult place. I love your monkeys! 🐒 What's the title of your YA graphic novel?!
“Meet Your Monkeys: Make Friends with the Meanies and Imps that Rule your Mind,” combines neuroscience with mindfulness and Internal Family Systems (a therapy method that uncovers the multitudes within). It’s been on hold for 2 years as I completed my novel. It wants to come back.
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.
Yes to movement. Getting into my body and letting my mind wander without structure. Walking, gardening, biking, swimming! Sometimes the hard thing is recognizing that I need this shift and getting my butt out of the chair.
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....💜
Mindspace purge sounds so cathartic. Like spring cleaning for your mind. I interviewed Donna Jackson Nakazawa for the podcast this week about her book on rumination. I bet you will love it, but it sounds like you have so many of those techniques already in practice. 👩🍳💋
Always more to learn! Looking forward to hearing the interview.
We contain multitudes (of Muppets!) 🤪
I call these emotional archetypes the little Monkeys in my mind, based on a YA graphic novel I drafted. I even bought little monkeys in different colors. Distractor Monkey (chaos) is yellow. Demander Monkey (order) is red. Clearly they need better names!
The awareness of these different personas in our mind is SO helpful to me. And I love giving them fun names (Demander Monkey!) because it's a further reminder that we are not any single persona (or monkey), and when the name is silly, it brings lightness into what can feel like a difficult place. I love your monkeys! 🐒 What's the title of your YA graphic novel?!
“Meet Your Monkeys: Make Friends with the Meanies and Imps that Rule your Mind,” combines neuroscience with mindfulness and Internal Family Systems (a therapy method that uncovers the multitudes within). It’s been on hold for 2 years as I completed my novel. It wants to come back.
Yes, yes, yes! Bring back the Monkeys!
You are the Best, Joanna! Love your energy and facilitation skills, too.