Diary of a creative person: day 7

Describing and expressing things differently

Marc, whilst doing some research for a new composition, became intrigued by some graffiti he discovered (describing it as 'layers of comment and memory'). His re-expression of the word 'graffiti' immediately enabled him to think about it in different and interesting ways.

We all get used to describing things with the same old words. This leads us to perceiving and dealing with things in the same old ways. This is particularly the case when we are at work, where many tasks and problems become routine (and jointly accepted and commonly understood ways of describing them help us address them quickly and effectively).

But trickier tasks and problems, and sometimes routine ones that have become mysteriously difficult, demand less commonly used words that force us to understand things in new ways: new ways which can uncover new and creative solutions.    

Start describing difficult tasks and problems (and routine ones that have become frustrating) in new and different ways: use different words and phrases to describe them (perhaps use the Metaphor Technique); ask what words or phrases capture their essence; re-express them by using other people's words or phrases, or by not using words at-all. 


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