Creative Thinking for Dummies

Being creative can be tough - and trying to come up with great ideas under pressure can leave the great ideas under wraps! Creative Thinking For Dummies helps you apply creative thinking techniques to everything you touch, whether it's that novel you have inside you or the new business idea you've had that will make you the next hot entrepreneur ??? or anything in between.

Creative Thinking For Dummies is a practical, hands-on guide packed with techniques and examples of different ways to think creatively. It covers a range of techniques, including brainstorming, lateral thinking, mind mapping, synectics, drawing and doodling your way to great ideas, meditation and visualization, word and language games, and divergent thinking.

• See the world in a different way, and realise that you are surrounded by creative inspiration
• Brainstorm new ideas successfully and try out some lateral thinking exercises
• Open your mind to a new way of thinking and nail down those great ideas
• Discover creative thinking techniques using games, words, drawings, and storytelling
• Let creativity enhance all aspects of your life, whether developing your personal skills, becoming more professionally effective, or using creative thinking techniques to help your children develop their creative minds

You'll soon discover that everybody, including you, has a wealth of creative potential within—you just need to tap into it!

David Cox is a creative business consultant who, since the 1970s, has created, acquired and sold numerous successful businesses. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing as well as a Chartered Practitioner of NLP. David began his education in Fine Art, where he cultivated his interest in creativity. He also trained as a clinical psychologist before turning to marketing, when he founded the UK's first youth marketing consultancy.

Introduction 1

Part I: Laying the Foundations: Understanding Creativity 7

Chapter 1: So What Is Creativity? 9

Chapter 2: Living in a World of Creativity 27

Chapter 3: Exploring the Creative Mindset 49

Part II: Preparing Yourself: Creating Your Creative Mindset 71

Chapter 4: Preparing to Be Creative 73

Chapter 5: Committing to Creativity 93

Part III: Getting Creative – The Practical Stuff 113

Chapter 6: Changing Your Mind with Creative Thinking 115

Chapter 7: Opening Your Mind with Creative Thinking Techniques 141

Chapter 8: Closing In on the Answer: Creative Problem-Solving 169

Chapter 9: Playing Creatively 189

Part IV: Applying Creativity to Your Life 215

Chapter 10: Living the Creative Life 217

Chapter 11: Children and Creativity 239

Chapter 12: Working Creatively 257

Chapter 13: Embedding Creativity in Your Personal Life 279

Part V: The Part of Tens 301

Chapter 14: Ten Great Ways to Get Creative 303

Chapter 15: Ten Acorns That Became Oak Trees: Great Ideas that Became Reality 309

Chapter 16: Ten-Plus Essential Books 317

Chapter 17: Ten Inspirational Creative Businesses 325

Chapter 18: Ten Unusually Creative Individuals 333

Index 341

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.