The idea that you’re a right-brain or a left-brain thinker is totally wrong. You’re a whole-brain thinker. Today, we’ll look at the differences between the left and right side of the brain and what it means for our creativity, before finishing with an easy to way apply these ideas in your own creative process. 

---

---

The left hemisphere of your brain specializes in analytical thinking. It’s good at breaking ideas apart and studying them closely. The right hemisphere specializes in holistic thinking. It’s better at the big picture. 

When I say “specialized,” I don’t mean that the right is unable to do what the left can do, or vice versa. With only a few exceptions, the left and right side of your brain can complete the same tasks without help. They’ll do it in slightly different ways, but either side is able to complete tasks by itself. 

Whenever you’re engaged in a difficult problem, your brain increases its processing capacity by outsourcing some of the work to the other side. It says “You’re slightly better at this then I am, so I’ll send you that while I continue working at this.” 

This is how your brain is designed to work. Brain scans studies haven’t been able to find anything that we might call “side-preference.” A 2013 study took 1000 brain scans from different people and analyzed activity in 7000 different regions of the brain. The researchers concluded that the idea of being a left-brain or right-brain thinker appears to be little more than a figure of speech. There’s simply no evidence that your brain cares about which side does what.

So what makes the difference then? Why are some people clearly better with numbers and others better at artwork and design? The biggest factor is likely your personal comfort level. The brain loves doing things its good at. The loves the positive feedback loop. 

People who think they’re good at math spend more time doing it, which makes them better at it. The better they get at math, the more comfortable they feel doing it, and the more time and preference they’ll have for it.  

This exact same process would play out for anything. Someone aspiring to write music would develop a positive feedback loop, but instead of training your brain to recognize mathematical relationships, they’d be training their brain to recognize musical ones. 

The brain doesn’t really care whether you choose math or music. Your brain doesn’t have a preference, but your ego does. 

So how do we apply this? As you’re creating today, think about what preferences you already have in your work. It’s very likely that whichever tool or thinking strategy you enjoy using is being overused. Carve out time to do some activities that are a bit uncomfortable for you. If you hate starting with an empty page or an empty canvas, then that’s exactly what you need to do. Let your ego freak out a bit. Let yourself be slightly uncomfortable. If you do this, your brain will do exactly what it’s good at: Converting practice into competence… and then into excellence. But that process can’t get started until you’re willing to practice something that makes you a bit uncomfortable. Don’t let your ego tell you what you’re allowed to do or become. If you’re willing to jump in anyway, then after a bit of practice you’ll unlock an entirely new creative tool for you to use. 

Facebook Question

What are some uncomfortable creative activities/tasks that you’ve been avoiding and why?

You can leave your answer and read other people’s answers on the Kaizen Creativity FB Group.

LINKS:

Facebook.com/KaizenCreativity (Community Center)

JaredVolle.com/Podcast (Useful Links)

JaredVolle.com/Support (Donate or sponsor a topic)