Your Creative Brain

Research-based techniques that show everyone how to expand creativity and increase productivity Harvard psychologist Shelley Carson?s provocative book, published in partnership with Harvard Health Publications, reveals why creativity isn't something only scientists, investors, artists, writers, and musicians enjoy; in fact, all of us use our creative brains every day at home, work and play. Each of us has the ability to increase our mental functioning and creativity by learning to move flexibly among several brain states. Explains seven brain states or "brainsets" and their functions as related to creativity, productivity, and innovation Provides quizzes, exercises, and self-tests to activate each of these seven brainsets to unlock our maximum creativity Your Creative Brain, called by critics a ?new classic? in the field of creativity, offers inspiring suggestions that can be applied in both one?s personal and professional life.

Whether you're writing a novel, painting with watercolors, composing a symphony, or baking peanut butter cookies, creativity plays a crucial role in achieving satisfaction and excellence. But, for many of us, accessing our creative core is difficult, if not impossible. Now, acclaimed film producer Don Hahn offers his own unorthodox, yet highly effective methods for reawakening the creative spirit.

What do you do if you are lagging in the morning? You probably grab a cup of coffee for that extra boost of energy. Throughout the day, you are asked to be creative, to come up with new and better ideas. So what do you do when you need a creative jolt for your brain? Now you can turn to Caffeine for the Creative Mind. This collection of short, focused creative exercises is just the boost you need get your brain working. Inside, you'll find: Over 250 brain-stretching exercises. The exercises are brief, fun and are meant to evoke creative, thought-provoking responses. Get your brain moving by engaging in an exercise at the start of your day or stop and do one whenever you need a creative jolt. "I Tried It" testimonials. From illustrators to photographers to professors, real people give feedback on specific exercises they've tried. They also offer more suggestions for how the exercises can be used, changed or reworked to become even more useful. Interviews with prominent creative people. See how the people who are in charge of building and maintaining creative environments—studio heads, designers, shop owners, illustrators and animators—view the importance of creativity in their everyday lives. The only thing keeping you from reaching a new level of creative thought is inaction. With this stimulating book, you'll learn how to focus your creative attention in short, definable ways. Caffeine for the Creative Mind is your springboard for coming up with solutions that challenge you to alter your perspective—and begin generating ideas at the highest possible level!

"Building a second brain is getting things done for the digital age. It's a ... productivity method for consuming, synthesizing, and remembering the vast amount of information we take in, allowing us to become more effective and creative and harness the unprecedented amount of technology we have at our disposal"--

The right-brain way to conquering clutter, mastering time, and reaching one's goals: the first book to show creative people how to arrange their desks, their time, and their lives in a style consistent with their unique way of perceiving the world. Suggests a host of practical solutions, all in harmony with the way creative people think and act. 20 line drawings.

Creative Brain Training is a course currently being taught to incarcerated participants in different prisons across Southern California. In 2011, the author, Diego Irigoyen, reached an all-time low. Having been put on academic probation, Irigoyen decided to change his life around and this book describes the techniques he used to go from poor scholastics to receiving multiple awards for his creative endeavors and educational research. Irigoyen has taught his Creative Brain Training course for over three years at a variety of levels ranging from middle school to college, and adults in prison, with a majority of that time teaching adults. This book will help you tap into your dormant potential in the opposite hemisphere of the brain. Creative Brain Training offers the pragmatic information to go from a lazy, timid, distracted, and bored state of mind to an energized, vibrant, attentive, and creative state of mind.

This inspiring and inventive guide teaches readers how to develop their full potential by following the example of the greatest genius of all time, Leonardo da Vinci. Acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, who has helped thousands of people expand their minds to accomplish more than they ever thought possible, shows you how. Drawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, Gelb introduces Seven Da Vincian Principles—the essential elements of genius—from curiosità, the insatiably curious approach to life to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as your inspiration, you will discover an exhilarating new way of thinking. And step-by-step, through exercises and provocative lessons, you will harness the power—and awesome wonder—of your own genius, mastering such life-changing abilities as: •Problem solving •Creative thinking •Self-expression •Enjoying the world around you •Goal setting and life balance •Harmonizing body and mind Drawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, introduces seven Da Vincian principles, the essential elements of genius, from curiosita, the insatiably curious approach to life, to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as their inspiration, readers will discover an exhilarating new way of thinking. Step-by-step, through exercises and provocative lessons, anyone can harness the power and awesome wonder of their own genius, mastering such life-changing skills as problem solving, creative thinking, self-expression, goal setting and life balance, and harmonizing body and mind.

Creativity is a uniquely human ability highly prized and sought after, defining the excellence of individuals, corporations, and nations. In the modern era of global competition, the nurturing of creativity in oneself and others has become a major concern for the general public. Until recently, however, human creativity had been treated as a mysterious process of brain activity, since we had neither tools to measure precisely the brain activities nor the theories to analyze and synthesize creativity.The quick advancement of brain science these days ? thanks largely to the development of various measurement tools such as EEG, EMG, and fMRI and to new attitudes which view the brain as a system ? has enabled us to discuss creativity in the context of science.Written in an entertaining manner, the book is a modern primer on the science of creativity and would attract a wide audience ? from those already versed in cognitive or brain sciences to the layman from the street.