Mind Mapping Technique: Visual Creativity Tool Invented by Tony Buzan
By Chris Dunmire
Looking for a hands-on way to visually explore your creative ideas? Give Mind Mapping a try!
Remember the ThinkBuzan Creativity Test I wrote about in May? It's developer, Tony Buzan, is not only "the world's foremost expert on thinking visually, and a leading lecturer on the brain and learning," but he's also credited with inventing the popular Mind Mapping tool in the 1970s. Yes, Publisher's Weekly lauded Buzan's The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential as an "idea-rich, relentlessly upbeat manual [that] proffers graphic images as an aid to unlock creative thinking or clarify emotions." (It's no coincidence that this visual wonder comes right on the heels of my doodling phase!)
I've been in touch with staff at ThinkBuzan.com this week coordinating some content to enlighten and teach the more finer points about Mind Mapping on Creativity Portal. In the past we've had some great articles by Linda Dessau, Violette, and Dan Goodwin about using Mind- and Creativity Maps in the creative process (see Explore Mind Mapping), and now we're happy to include some new material by ThinkBuzan.com, the first the fundamental article How to Create a Mind Map.
With all these growing branches around Mind Mapping at the Portal, I've decided to enlist the tool on a personal creative project of my own that I'm a little stuck on. After a few stabs at outlining (linear) a new article for my 26 Simple Ways to Nurture Your Creative Life series, I put away my lined notebook paper and ballpoint pen and pulled out color pencils and drawing paper and started Mind Mapping my ideas (non-linear) in landscape form instead. (See also: Buzan's basic Mindmapping Guidelines at Wikipedia.)
As a big-picture, visual person, I find Mind Map-making fun, especially when you follow the instructions to use lots of color, curvy lines, and pictures. The process definitely helps loosen you up and let go, perfect conditions for allowing creativity to flow.
As soon as I get my article written* I'll post the Mind Map I drew to help my creative process along. Meanwhile, have a look at the Explore Mind Mapping page on C-P, and notice an example Map by artist Violette that accompanied her Journal Bliss book writing project. Yes, even eccentric artist Violette is a big fan of using Mind Maps! How might you use the Mind Mapping technique in your projects? Are you willing to give it a try? •
* 8/14/10 Update: The article's written: Nurture Your Creativity #18: Row a Metaphoric Boat, and here's a scan of the Mind Map I drew to help me along in my creative process:
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