The transformative power of artistic thinking practices

Artists and art educators know that the right habits of mind can lead to discovery and innovative thinking when it comes to idea-generating. Sometimes we need to focus our thoughts in a mindful way in order to clear the path for fresh insight. How can you better connect with your creative self? Here are some strategies to adopt for a mindful approach to thinking creatively.

Alignment and attunement: Habits of (the creative) mind

Alignment and attunement are ways of understanding connections between the environment (as we perceive it) through our senses.

Arts researchers Michael Gallagher and Pekka Ihanainen (2015) explored the concepts of alignment and attunement in terms of developing habits of mind for lifelong learning. These habits or dispositions demonstrate how we can tap into our cognitive, emotional and physical selves with greater focus and intention. By examining our internal responses, we can reframe our external approaches to our environment and, by extension, enhance our creative potential.

These processes reflect the trend toward mindfulness: a practice of conscious and intentional action and reflection.

Mindfulness as a creative practice

Mindfulness directs our focus to the body and our thoughts and is used to understand ourselves better in terms of stressors and preoccupations. We learn to recognize where we carry tension physically and identify the persistent thoughts which can distract us. Yoga, meditation, even walking mindfully can disrupt and refocus predictable or stagnant thought patterns.

This is particularly important because studies in creativity show that there are specific strategies that one can use to increase both the quantity and the quality of ideas.

For example, alignment means taking an inventory of one’s perceptions: the direct perceptions we gain via the senses as well as the connections we make via memory. It requires alertness to changes and paying attention to outliers—things that seem compellingly different.

Attunement requires us to understand our perceptual tendencies and consciously adjust them so that we approach objects, ideas and problems with a mind open to possibility, an emotional openness anchored in response rather than reaction, and an understanding of the body’s role through movement and sensation.

How do alignment and attunement function as creative habits of mind?

It may seem counterintuitive to impose limitations on creative thought through mindfulness. However, alignment and attunement help us to be more flexible and judicious, making better sense of random thoughts that occur during ideation.

Aligning and attuning to your surroundings helps the imaginative process of creativity by developing mindfulness of your own responses, paying attention to what memories are evoked. They help make new connections between your observations and your memories.

How to practice alignment and attunement

One simple model which applies alignment and attunement is found in an artful thinking routine that came out of Harvard’s Project Zero called ‘See -Think - Wonder'. Designed as a strategy for educators and learners, the purpose of this routine is to allow students time to thoughtfully consider what they’re observing, and what those observations mean.

The first step involves close observation of an object or problem: What do you see? You might think this seems obvious, but it requires making no assumptions regarding meaning. Be as concrete as possible and try to avoid making instant connections.

The second step is to analyse your observations in order to determine which are meaningful. What did you notice? What do you think about it?

 Lastly, What does it make you wonder? involves asking questions, expressing feelings or considering ideas that extend from the object or problem. Taking what you thought and letting your imagination run wild.

For example, you might see a work of abstract art in a gallery or museum painted with a chaotic mix of colour and line. There’s no sense of space or depth in the composition, which is filled with brushstrokes in every direction. The composition is hard to read, yet full of dynamic movement; you don’t know what it means, but you get a sense that it somehow describes the effect of traffic on a wet night. It might even remind you of the physical feeling you experienced walking along a busy city street in a blustery storm. You could consider things like: what’s the context? Why did the artist set it up this way? What are we supposed to take away from this?

By focusing on each phase individually, different parts of the self are activated, and you can resist the tendency to jump to conclusions. The habits of mind called for in a thinking routine like ‘See -Think - Wonder' allow for closer observation of a situation or an idea, actively querying our response to it.

Aligned and attuned

While no single exercise or thinking routine is certain to produce creative results in every situation, mindfulness strategies associated with alignment and attunement bring ideas, images and problems we encounter into sharper focus. Give it a try: see, think and wonder your way to broader and deeper insight.

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