Spark Your Creativity With Mind Maps

1. Introduction: Hey, there are creative minds. You often find yourself at a loss when starting a creative project, not really knowing where to start or struggling to find inspiration. Know that you are not alone, and I may have just a thing to help you spark your creativity when you need it most. In this super quick class, we are going to explore mind mapping and discover how to use this brainstorming technique to unlock creativity. Whether you are a writer, a graphic designer or simply someone who would like to boost their problem solving skills, this meaning class is for you. I will show you how I do it and why it can help you in your creative practice. Let's do it. Y. 2. Your Project: For the class project, we'll work on something seemingly simple yet with the potential for ingenious and inspired solutions. Using mind maps, we are going to come up with a name for a candy shop. You will need a sheet of online paper and a pen. If you prefer going digital, you could use a tablet and any note taking or drawing app, but I really suggest the background to be blank. Also, it is a visual method where you will physically see the links between words. So typing in a text editor does not do it for me. I think you should really experience the physical action of writing and linking physical concepts together on paper. And I do suggest the use of a pen and not a pencil because we don't want to erase ideas. We want to keep them. Okay, so obviously, you can totally go ahead and start from scratch, completely free of any restriction or guideline, but if you'd like the comfort of having a starting point set for you, here are a few parameters to start your brainstorm. The client is opening a candy shop that will be very sparkly, but not in a pink, fluffy kind of way, more in a starlight, moonlight manner. Of course, if the candy shop thing does not inspire you, you can work on something else. We are doing this for fun, after all, even though I hope you'll find something valuable for yourself in the class. Go. 3. Mind Maps: What, How and Why: So what is a mind map exactly you may ask? Mind Mapping is a brainstorming technique that helps visualize and connect ideas and concepts. With this technique, you can also make links between seemingly unrelated ideas and come up with original solutions to your creative problems. On a more personal note, I found out during my research for the class that the way I brainstorm with mindmaps is probably a mix of clustering, mind maps, and free word association. I still call it mind maps because it's what describes it best. But what I'd like to say, though, is that when it comes to creativity, you really have to do you. What it means is that you can take whatever you learn here and you can apply it as is to your own brainstorms, but you can also take parts of it, adapt it, and bend it to your preference. The way we call the method does not really matter, as long as you can use it in a way that serves you for the better. Now, let's get to the thick of it all. Brainstorming with mindmaps has a simple principle. You start by writing a central word or concept, and then you branch out with more ideas that come to mind when you think of that word or concept. The result is a web of ideas visually connected together. For example, here we are working on the candy shop. In the middle, I'll write candy shop because it's the foundation of everything else I'll be writing on here. Now what I'm going to do is on one section of my map, I'll write the parameters that I was given by the client. So sparkles, moonlight and starlight. Those are my starting points. In another part of the map, I also know that I will write everything that comes to mind that relates to candy shops in general. But coming back to sparkles, moonlight and starlight, any word, concept or idea that comes to mind when I'm thinking of these words, I will draw a little branch and write the related ideas down. As you can see, the result is that every new word that I write prompts new ideas and so on and so on. While I'm working on the mind map, I'm not afraid to jump from one section to the other because I wouldn't want to miss an idea that pops into my head only because that's not the section I'm working on right now. We want to let our brain run freely without constraint. When I'm all done with the brainstorm, I take a good look at it and choose what inspires me most and what fits the initial brief best. In my case, here, what sparks the most interest for me and all of the ideas I have written down is the stars. They actually came back a few times and also peppermint. It's a fun word to pronounce. And although it has nothing to do with stars, they kind of sound good together. They also evoke an idea of sparkle and freshness that I think would fit perfectly for a candy shop. So the name I choose is the peppermint star. This method has been working for me for a while now. Some days it doesn't, and that's okay, but most of the time, I come back to it because it's quite reliable. I actually learned how to do it when I was studying to become a graphic designer. We had a brainstorming workshop where we brainstormed in small groups using mindmaps. It has served me well over the years, and I do still use it in my graphic design work for sure, especially to create branding for clients. But I also use it a lot when it comes to illustration. It really helps me explore new concepts and new ideas in a visual way. It's suitable to all kinds of domains, too, especially for visual learners. One of the main advantages of this method for me is that it helps generate many ideas in a short amount of time. Another advantage is that it helps overcome creative blocks. Sure, I often start with brainstorming, but I also sometimes come back to my maps in the middle of projects when I feel stuck on something. But my favorite benefit of this method is there sometimes surprising connections that you can make between two seemingly unrelated concepts. This is the real gold mine, in my opinion. It makes for creative ideas. There is this theory of education that is called the constructivist theory. To make this short, it states that learners learn more effectively and make more sense of new knowledge if they are building said knowledge on top of something they already know. This is precisely what we are doing with mind maps. We write down what our mind knows, add new ideas, and then we connect everything together to make sense of it. 4. Conclusion: And that's pretty much it creative. Simple and effective way to generate ideas. To conclude this very short class, I have a few tips that can help you be successful with your mind maps. First, some people like to set themselves a time limit. I don't do it myself because when I brainstorm, I usually reach a point where I know I have what I need, but it can be helpful to use this trick. Next, avoid judging your ideas at all costs. If it comes to mind, just write it down. You can discard the thought later, but until proven otherwise, every thought has potential. You might not know it yet, but it may connect in a particular way with another thought, and maybe you'll go, never thought about this that way. Also, we often think of brainstorming at the start of a project, but here's a tip. You are allowed to brainstorm at any stage in a project. I often come back to brainstorming when I'm feeling stuck like I've used up all the good ideas. Mind maps are really great way to get yourself out of that rut. I really hope you find this short class useful and that you will find ways to apply it to various domains. Please post the candy shop names you come up with in the project gallery, and I would love to see your maps. And don't forget to review the class. It really helps me make each one of them better and better. Thanks for sticking around. I'll see you in another class. Will