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04 July 2015

RVO:Creativity Mental Block #2: Searching for logical answer

This post is a continuation of THIS POST. Please read it before you read this post 

Von Oech starts off this chapter by discussing the two types of thinking. The soft thinking is metaphorical, approximate, humorous, playful and capable of dealing with contradiction. Hard thinking tends to be logical, precise, exact, specific and consistent.

Hard thinking is like a spotlight. It is bright, clear and intense, but with a narrow focus. Soft thinking is like flood light, it is diffuse, but covers a larger area.

How are these modes of thinking related to creative thinking?

The creative thinking has two phases. In the imaginative phase, one has to think differently, meaning one has to use soft thinking. In the practical phase, one has to get things done and here hard thinking comes useful.

The key issue with 'That is not logical' thinking is that it bypasses the power of intuition. Intuitive hunches are the answers that our mind provides to our current problems by assimilating our past experiences.

The last part of this chapter deals with the use of metaphors, which Von Oech says are the tools that you can use to bring logic to the current problem at hand. Metaphor links the familiar to the unfamiliar thereby bringing clarity to the unfamiliar. Von Oech recommends the use of 'Action Metaphors'. Some examples of action metaphors include 'Running for office', 'Fishing in troubled waters', 'Prospecting for gold' etc. The problem with metaphors is that they have the power to limit our thinking if we habitually used.

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