There is nothing like facing a blank piece of paper to sort out your ideas. Get out a pencil, a few sheets of paper, settle into an easy chair, close your eyes and wait. A question will show up or an organizational plan, or an outline, or… Let your mind take you on an adventure with stick figures, odd shapes, connecting lines, arrows and large and small lettering. Whatever shows up is perfect. This is your intuition speaking, the creative part of you that is freer than your organized mind.
Brainstorming is about capturing ideas
If you’ve ever been in a brain storming session, you know the rules are that you never reject anything. Every idea is acceptable because you never know when it will spark another idea. Mind mapping is simply a written form of brainstorming. It brings your ideas one step closer to clarification. It helps you to unconsciously express your thoughts in size, shape and position and shows you both connection and value. You are tapping you deepest cavern of creativity.
Use Plain Ol’ Mind Mapping for everything
For me, brainstorming works best with paper and pencils rather than software. I can place ideas anywhere on the paper, draw connecting lines, add arrows to show the flow, put ideas in order, or identify a core idea. Sometimes it all looks orderly. Other times it’s the act of drawing connecting lines that finally clarifies the idea in my own mind.
Write the words that come to you
When a question pops up, write it down. The act of writing clarifies. If it’s a list, write a list. If the idea is a picture, draw it. I was recently working to define the form of the Deeper Song Community. In the center, I wrote “Help Each Other Sing a Deeper Song” and put a circle around it. A list began to appear, a few of the words based on a conversation I had that day showed up. Then I wrote a question, “How do I connect them?” Options appeared. Suddenly in big bold letters, I wore “Teach each other.” That concept made a lot of options and ideas fall into place. I have used that odd-looking piece of paper to write new words for the Deeper Song Community landing page, for making a decision about how to connect us and to deepen my own understanding of the potential of the group.
Mind Map Everything
I have figured out time lines, sketched out logos, and organized the learning process in a course by using pencil and paper to capture my ideas. If I had tried to make these connections on a computer, I would be confined to the medium. With a pencil, I can sketch out a series of exercises, draw a smiley face or a path I want to take with signs pointing the way. All with a pencil, paper and a comfortable, contemplative chair.
To Sing a Deper Song consider:
