Mind Mapping for Creativity

For many years Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map, has been a passionate ambassador for the use of mind mapping to increase creativity. I remember buying my first mind mapping book and admiring the beautiful colourful structures. Lacking confidence in my drawing skills so far I have been hesitant to use this tool. However, when I started writing this blog, I found mind maps very useful in gathering my thoughts and giving my writing structure. I have adapted the mind mapping system for my own use and even though it still lacks the creative flair it’s a move in the right direction for me. You can start wherever you are and improve your skills on the way.

I recently watched Tony Buzan’s Ted Talk “The Power of the Mind to Map” in which he explains why mind maps are a fantastic tool for creative thinking.  He asked the audience to think of a mango. He then enquired how the participants’ brain processes the word ‘mango’. Although we still don’t do know exactly what the brain does, it transpires that everybody seems to get an image, quickly followed by further associations. He explained that imagination and association are the primary language of the human brain and that languages are still important but secondary in comparison. He describes how children can play with each other even when they do not speak the same language. I can vouch for this myself as I remember very well a family holiday in Italy when I was five years old. I played very happily with a group of Italian children for a couple of days and language definitely was no barrier for us.

Tony Buzan demonstrated the effect of using a mind map on expanding our creative potential by describing an experiment involving young children. He explained that creativity can be measured by using very simple association tests. A little boy was asked to think of ideas for the use of a paperclip. In ten minutes he generated four ideas. The experimenters then explained to him how he could use a mind map. They tested his creativity again, this time asking him to think of the use for a rubber band. This time, with the use of a mind map, he generated twenty two ideas in only ten minutes. Tony Buzan reported that at the end of the exercise the little boy looked up with a big smile and said “I am a genius”. Tony Buzan maintains that we all have the capacity to be geniuses provided we use our brain in the way it actually works. Our brain is capable to make infinite connections which gives us the scope for infinite creativity.

In my last blog post I mentioned ‘creativity scars’ and that sadly many people collect these kind of scars as they grow up. Tony Buzan tells the very poignant story how he observed a little girl having her creative spirit crushed by her mother. He described how he was travelling on the tube and how the train was going faster and faster, so much so that he feared they would crash any moment. In front of him was a mother with her young daughter. He overheard the little girl saying to her mum: “Mummy, it’s going so fast we can go into tomorrow and then we can tell Daddy what’s going to happen.” He said that he was very astonished that this little girl was capable of this very creative thought. However, sadly, he then heard the mother reprimand her daughter by saying: “Don’t do that again. That’s stupid. Think properly.”

Tony Buzan concludes that we all are scientist, poets, artists and that we still have the childlike quality within us to daydream and produce infinite connections. We can all capture fresh news ideas tapping into our creative potential.

Mind Mapping is not only useful, it is fun and our creative brain likes fun.  Towards the end of his talk Tony Buzan waved a bundle of different colour felt tip pens and said that his wand was much more powerful than Harry Potter’s wand.

Make time to rediscover the magic of colour, daydreaming and your precious imagination. Do some mind mapping to ignite your creativity.