Drawing On Creativity: How To Trick Your Brain
Can you draw?
Your answer to that question reveals a surprising amount about
your brain and the way you integrate your right and left
hemispheres. (In this article, the left side will be referred to
as the dominant one, which is by far the most likely scenario.)
You see, the left side of the brain excels at verbal,
analytical, rational and logical tasks. It's the dominant half.
It takes over most of the time, using words to describe and
define, figuring things out step by step, drawing conclusions
based on facts and logic, and thinking in a linear way. The left
side of the brain jumps right in with words and symbols, and is
such a bully that it takes on even those tasks it isn't likely
to perform well.
Now, the right side of the brain is completely different. It
relies on nonverbal cues to process perceptions. It's good at
tasks requiring the ability to see similarities, to understand
how parts fit together as a whole, to make leaps of
insight(those a-ha moments), and to perceive overall patterns at
once. It tends to hang back a little, letting the left side take
over most duties.
It's sort of like siblings. You've got a confident, verbal first
child and a quiet, introspective, thoughtful second child. Who
do you think wins the argument for that last dessert? Who
chooses which television show to watch? Who dominates the
conversation about where to go on a family vacation? The second
child might have a valuable perspective, but the older one is so
assertive that he tends to win most arguments and rule the
roost.
If your answer to the drawing question is "No, I'm pathetic,"
it's likely your left brain is being a bit of a thug. Whenever
you pick up a pencil and start to sketch, it's taking over with
its tendency to verbalize images and analyze shapes. Meanwhile,
the right side--the perceptual, spatial part of your brain--is
over in the corner, raising its hand, trying to get attention.
"Oh, pick me!" it says. Too bad that the left side is already
busy drawing lines and forming a strategy.
What if you could outsmart the bully on the left? What if you
could somehow give that right side of your brain its chance to
shine?
According to Dr. Betty Edwards, a respected art educator and
author of the best-selling book, Drawing On The Right Side Of
The Brain, you can actually make a mental shift from what she
refers to as the "L-mode"--the verbal, dominant form of
thinking--to the "R-mode," which relies on visual cues. It's
possible to get the right side to kick in and take over the task
of drawing.
How? Well, we need to get tricky.
The left side takes over tasks UNLESS it finds a particular job
undesirable. If a certain task takes too much time, is too
detailed or slow or simply too difficult, then the left side
gives up. So, the trick is presenting the task--in this case,
drawing--in such a way that the right side is allowed to jump
in.
This happens a lot with words. When we try to describe something
verbally and find it too difficult, what do we do? We rely on
gestures. Just try to describe a spiral staircase without using
your hands.
Dr. Edwards teaches people to draw by presenting them with
images that are upside down. This puts the left brain in a state
of confusion so that it can't easily decipher shapes, assign a
top and bottom, attach labels and categorize them to match
stored memories.
The key to integrating your right side lies in looking for
opportunities to allow it to become dominant. When presented
with a confusing image, your left side gives up. We should
literally turn things upside down in an effort to thwart the
left brain's control and let the R-mode take over.
This same idea works in creative problem solving. Sometimes the
best way to deal with a challenging issue is to sleep on it.
When the left brain is exhausted, the intuitive, subjective,
holistic right side has a chance to sneak in and come up with a
solution that seems to have come "from nowhere". See? We don't
even give our right brains credit for creative insights!
It's exciting to think that there are ways to outsmart our
brains. By intentionally putting ourselves in a state of mental
conflict, we can enhance our creativity.
Look for ways to plunge yourself into that discomfort zone.
Whether we're tackling a picture or a problem, the key to
jumpstarting our right brain lies in shifting our perspective.
Grab a pencil, turn the picture upside down, and start drawing!
Somewhere inside you, that frustrated artist will be grinning
from ear to ear.