The 12 Things You Are Not Taught in School About Creative Thinking – Part 1 | Michael Michalko, Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

This article, by Michael Michalko, author of Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques, describes the six things. A follow-up article describes the rest. (I'll link to it when it's available.)

Here's a summary of Michalko's ideas:

1. YOU ARE CREATIVE. ... Creative people believe they are creative. People who believe they are not creative, are not. Once you have a particular identity and set of beliefs about yourself, you become interested in seeking out the skills needed to express your identity and beliefs. This is why people who believe they are creative become creative. ...
2. CREATIVE THINKING IS WORK. You must have passion and the determination to immerse yourself in the process of creating new and different ideas. Then you must have patience to persevere against all adversity. ...
3. YOU MUST GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS. ... The more times you try to get ideas, the more active your brain becomes and the more creative you become. ...
4. YOUR BRAIN IS NOT A COMPUTER. Your brain is a dynamic system that evolves its patterns of activity rather than computes them like a computer. It thrives on the creative energy of feedback from experiences real or fictional. ...
5. THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT ANSWER. ... When trying to get ideas, do not censor or evaluate them as they occur. Nothing kills creativity faster than self-censorship of ideas while generating them. Think of all your ideas as possibilities and generate as many as you can before you decide which ones to select. ...
6. NEVER STOP WITH YOUR FIRST GOOD IDEA. Always strive to find a better one and continue until you have one that is still better. ...

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Michalko's article is featured today, Feb. 20, in my daily online paper, Garbl's Good Cause Communications, available at the Nonprofit Communications tab above and by free email subscription.