By: Megan Prats

10/13/2014

Sometimes the student has no time to go through the creative process (steps highlighted in Critical Thinking Defined). Thus, the creative process must be completed in an instant. Creativity in the moment is probably best exemplified by a musician improvising on stage.  This skill is more innate in some, but like all elements of critical thinking as defined by the 2learn® Method, it can be taught and for those who are already innately talented at this skill, learning about being creative in the moment will heighten their abilities to do so.

Because the subconscious mind reacts faster than the conscious one, creativity in the moment works best if it utilizes subconscious thinking. Thus, to develop creativity in the moment, you need to start with the creative process at slower speeds and little-by-little, speed up the process until it reaches the instantaneous speed of the subconscious mind.

To start, you should give the student a good amount of time to complete a creative task. Thus, have the student compose a blues song, for instance. Then, give the student plenty of time to go through each stage of the creative process so that she has time to fully understand each part and can be clarified of any misunderstandings along the way. Once the student has a solid understanding of how the creative process works, it moves the creative process one step closer to subconscious thinking.

Once the student has completed the first creative project, it is now time to have the student do another, but this time, give the student less time to complete the project.  Throughout this time, you should be looking to see if the student can maintain quality with a shorter period of time. If the student can’t, then the student’s creative process has been confined to a too short period of time and must be elongated. In short, in order to assess the student’s limits, you allow the creative process to materialize in a shorter period of time while maintaining quality. Once time is cut too short to maintain quality, the student has reached her upper limits in speed through the creative process. Thus, it is now time to slow it down so that the student can get more comfortable at slower speeds before speeding it up again.

While you speed up the creative process, expect for incremental improvements to occur along the way. If a student’s time limitations are one hour, for example, you can’t expect that the
student will navigate herself though the creative process instantaneously in the next lesson (even though it is possible).

As you and the student ascend the incremental climb to creativity in the moment, your goal is to improve understanding and provide sufficient practice for the student to get there efficiently. You know when the student has reached creativity in the moment when she, like the musician, can perform the creative task instantaneously, without even “thinking”.

Creativity in the moment reaches its maximum speed when the subconscious mind does the thinking for the student. Subconscious takeover of the creative process occurs when the student thinks without “thinking” or “being there”. Some of the most inspirational creative minds of human history have explained this sensation as an out-of-body one. They explain that when their actions come from this realm of the mind, they are there physically, but their mind is elsewhere because their subconscious mind controls the execution of the creative process. However, only with years of experience, in-depth understanding, and advanced critical thinking skills, can the student expect to reach this pinnacle of creativity.

© Megan Prats 2014

By: Megan Prats

10/13/2014

Sometimes the student has no time to go through the creative process. Thus, the creative process must be completed in an instant. Creativity in the moment is probably best exemplified by a musician improvising on stage. The musician literally goes through brainstorming, idea selection, and end product while showcasing his music to the audience. This skill is more innate in some, but like all elements of critical thinking as defined by the 2learn® Method, it can be taught and for those who are already innately talented at this skill, learning about being creative in the moment will heighten their abilities to do so.

Because the subconscious mind reacts faster than the conscious one, creativity in the moment works best if it utilizes subconscious thinking. Thus, to develop creativity in the moment, you need to start with the creative process at slower speeds and little-by-little, speed up the process until it reaches the instantaneous speed of the subconscious mind.

To start, you should give the student a good amount of time to complete a creative task. Thus, have the student compose a blues song, for instance. Then, give the student plenty of time to go through each stage of the creative process so that she has time to fully understand each part and can be clarified of any misunderstandings along the way. Once the student has a solid understanding of how the creative process works, it moves the creative process one step closer to subconscious thinking.

Once the student has completed the first creative project, it is now time to have the student do another, but this time, give the student less time to complete the project.  Throughout this time, you should be looking to see if the student can maintain quality with a shorter period of time. If the student can’t, then the student’s creative process has been confined to a too short period of time and must be elongated. In short, in order to assess the student’s limits, you allow the creative process to materialize in a shorter period of time while maintaining quality. Once time is cut too short to maintain quality, the student has reached her upper limits in speed through the creative process. Thus, it is now time to slow it down so that the student can get more comfortable at slower speeds before speeding it up again.

While you speed up the creative process, expect for incremental improvements to occur along the way. If a student’s time limitations are one hour, for example, you can’t expect that the
student will navigate herself though the creative process instantaneously in the next lesson (even though it is possible).

As you and the student ascend the incremental climb to creativity in the moment, your goal is to improve understanding and provide sufficient practice for the student to get there efficiently. You know when the student has reached creativity in the moment when she, like the musician, can perform the creative task instantaneously, without even “thinking”.

Creativity in the moment reaches its maximum speed when the subconscious mind does the thinking for the student. Subconscious takeover of the creative process occurs when the student thinks without “thinking” or “being there”. Some of the most inspirational creative minds of human history have explained this sensation as an out-of-body one. They explain that when their actions come from this realm of the mind, they are there physically, but their mind is elsewhere because their subconscious mind controls the execution of the creative process. However, only with years of experience, in-depth understanding, and advanced critical thinking skills, can the student expect to reach this pinnacle of creativity.

© Megan Prats 2014