Understanding Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking

Some issues in life require creative answers and actions and other life situations can require a much more structured and critical response. Knowing the difference can mean a good day or a bad day or even a loss of a job or important relationship, etc. There are times when it is very simple to say: "this situation needs some creativity or some common sense and practical knowledge". But the grey areas are the ones that get to us because we think at the time we are using our best resources and we find out in hind sight that another approach would have worked better.

Here are some hints on these two different thinking patterns:

Creative Thinking:

Open and intuitive; start with noncritical thoughts and expressions

You can use more abstract venues and ideas

You are not locked into a set paradigm

Your boundaries are unlimited

Your freedom is unconstrained

You can use colorful and imaginative ways and means to express your ideas

Others will have a hard time seeing the same vision until they can understand the concept for themselves

Free flow of thoughts is encouraged

Can be life changing

Creative ideas are usually personal and expressions of someone's inner personality

Critical Thinking:

Analytical, methodical, studious, reasoning, backed by data and other measures

Researched, just the facts

Usually black and white type reasoning without much room to wiggle out

Common sense and practical

Can be simple and to the point

Pragmatic, dogma, not any room for error

Usually tried and true concepts

Many facts, figures, rules, regulations and laws and theories

Can be life changing

Concentrated precise efforts

Different thinking patterns are required of us on a continual basis. It is very important to apply the correct method to the correct situations. For instance, getting creative with your tax return is usually not the place to display your most creative genius ideas. Getting critical and overly analytical with your dance moves or artwork will only impede the process and bring you to a stalemate. I believe this can also be found when a writer has writer's block, some over thinking is usually involved and free flow can be hindered.

So next time you find yourself at an impasse on a decision or action; you may want to sit down with yourself and see if you are using the right or left brain thinking correctly to effect the specific circumstances. Sometimes just switching it up will give you the answer you need to a stalemate in a blocked process.