Thinking Before Doing

Everyone thinks before trying to solve a problem. From the most correct ones to the inconsequents. Even if just a little.

Who works in the creative industry and in more subjective areas, where the talent is the one that make things happen, know that this process of thinking before doing to solve a problem is not always something clear. Even in projects that need a more logic, exact and sometimes repetitive approach, the process can also vary a lot.

There are the ones that have a standard process. The ones that never thought about having one. Ones that think that having a process is essential. Ones that have enough experience to know the shortcuts and dismiss processes. Ones that prioritize posture over process. Ones that prioritize experience and intuition over process. Ones that prioritize the beer that will make you fell better and makes whatever needs to come, come. It doesn’t matter. Everybody ends up thinking before doing.

Against this fact, everyone that thinks, does it with the brain. And in this polarized and post truth’s world that we are living in, even the poor brain seems to be suffering. This study made a by a group of american neuroscientists goes against the theory that the brain has two isolated zones: the left side, realist, analytic, practical and organized (open and close the door) and the right side, creative, passionate, sensual and poetic.

The study concludes that during the creative process the brain works by networks and each network activates areas that are in both sides of the brain. As said in a piece of the study’s article. “Creativity does not involve only one brain’s region or side of the brain. Instead, the whole process — from preparation, incubation, illumination to verification — consists in a diverse range of cognitive interactions and emotions. Depending on the stage of the process and what you’re trying to create, different regions of the brain are recruited. Importantly: many regions of the brain work as a team and demand structures from both left and right sides of the brain.”

After reading the article, i researched and found other studies with similar conclusions. Being the absolute truth or not, when i read that point of view an old restlessness that started in my first years in communication agencies came back and it’s something you can see in a diverse range of areas: why some people insist in saying that there are the ones that only analyze and think and others that only imagine and create? There are the ones that only know how to deal with logic and wow imagine creating something and the ones that say that they can’t deal with data and that what they do is create stuff all over. There are even online tests to check if you’re a person “right side of the brain” or a person “left side of the brain”.

I clearly understand the need of specialization and the importance of areas and assignments for things to work out inside companies. I also know that processes and methods are important to have a certain quality pattern and make companies more scalable and lucrative. At least, that’s what it looks like.

This discussion is beyond the job market, any specific segment or industry: regardless of your speciality, area that you work or even being for personal projects or life movements, exercise and develop other forms of thinking can help you become a better professional and a more evolved person. Everyone can enjoy the benefits of developing logical thinking capabilities, as well as everyone can enjoy the benefits of creative thinking capabilities.

Well, that already was my opinion and the research that i mentioned was a trigger to make me write this article and have you here now. I researched a lot, read a bunch of articles and studies, wrote things down on paper, came with some discoveries, but to not stop there, i entered in a journey of speaking with inspiring people of a diverse range of areas that would aggregate in this discussion. I spoke with people from architecture, start up, communication, design, neuroscience and education about their processes and how they see the relationships and intersections between analytical and creative thinking. Amazing chats with great people. In the end of the text I’ll mention all sources i used, people i spoke and their companies/projects.

After a dive in everything i read and listened, the fact is that the two ways of thinking are way more connected that they seem. What could be the brain’s natural behavior, like we just saw in the first paragraphs — by mixed networks, not separated poles — is a great indication of that. Speaking with people that are used to work by themselves, is clear that they don’t separate, or even associate their processes by logical and creative parts. Even people that work in teams, even though there are processes that need a minimal organization of things, at least in their speech, is a consensus that it’s important that those processes are more intuitive and value convergent and divergent thoughts during every stage of the process.

Every problem’s solution needs a clear and on point strategy. If the synthetic is not well defined, creativity may not work. The biggest effort could or even may be in the divergent thoughts. But the strategy not only guides creativity it also comes soaked with creativity. And the creative solution, if it’s not based in contexts, facts, necessities and some limitations, doesn’t work. That is, it evolves alongside convergent thoughts.

Taking it all in consideration, i revisited some models of creative processes. I thought it was a good idea to bring Graham Wallas model of creative process, taken from the book The Art of Thought, and make some provocations.

Obviously moments exist, but they are not and don’t need to be isolated. Just like how the brain’s zones work, the ways of thinking can mix with each other, come in non linear orders and must be respected. Specializations are necessary, but they don’t need to make our way of thinking become rigid and inside a box.

This isolation of thoughts is a dangerous trap usually created by very rigid processes that tend to create similar solutions. To facilitate a more natural relationship between different thoughts, seems to be better to develop processes in a more modular way: predefined moments, tools and premises that can be adapted, used and served as inspiration according to each challenge.

Well, there are lots of methods and tools all over and they vary according to each project (i will mention some in the end of the article). To add more in this discussion, i organized a list with premises that were highlights of the study, gems of thinking, not related to any specific method and can be related to different kinds of thoughts. The idea is to inspire people to evolve their processes, developing ways of thinking that miss most in the each one’s head.

Enjoy.

Before all, the impulse must be intuitive, come from personal experience;

Understand the root of the problem, never leave to solve something without thinking a lot about it;
More than problems, they are relationships between people involved, one must dedicate to be a part of the whole;
Your posture in front of a problem is more importante than any process;
Exercise the deductive, indutive and abduction reasonings;
Make sure you looked to all posible informations that are relevant for the solution of the problem;
Importance identifying the obvious;
Bigger than data is the human intepretation of data;
Relationship between the intelectual and the animal/instinctive;
Never be satisfied with the first solutions;
Everyone was born creative, the practice is what makes the difference;
Importance of self knowledge to be able to dive in your personal repertoire;
Meditate over a problem, first imprints, the connect thoughts;
Getting away from the problem is essential for illumination;
Importance of collaboration, different points of view;
Develop short narratives and small prototyping along the way;
Always try to create things bigger that yourself, expand your point of view.
Evolve your idea according to critics and feedbacks, for your idea to have success it’s importante to shre with the world and adapt, if necessary.
Have courage to follow your instinct, it can have more value than posible absolute truths;
It's in the frontier between knowing and not knowing that the best ideas show up.