Your brain and creativity

I was fascinated by a column on Sunday in The Fresno Bee by farmer/philosopher David Mas Masumoto. He talked about the brain and the many ways the creative process works.

As I've written a few times in this blog, my brain sometimes goes on vacation to the Bahamas at the exact time I'm trying to remember a name or a fact that should be easy to recall. I'm not even talking about the creative process. I'm searching my brain for basic facts. It's like a Rolodex keeps spinning in my brain, but the card with the name I want won't fall into the right slot. Now that's frustrating.

Mas used the research of Mark Jung-Beeman, a cognitive neuroscientist, as a basis for his column on Sunday about how the brain works during the creative process. Here's part of Mas' column:

Imagine the left side of the brain desperately searching for an answer, trusting logic over randomness, reason over emotion. Precision is asked for as we focus.

We repeat the question over and over in our minds, tightening our muscles, squinting, grimacing, clenching our fists, gritting our teeth. We believe that if we concentrate hard enough, somehow the right solution will fly out of our mouths.

But then we struggle. We incorrectly assume our focus helps us cut distractions and pay attention only to relevant details. Instead, we suppress options and inhibit creative connections that can lead to a break through.

Finally exhausted, just at the verge of quitting, we pause and take a break. In a resting state, we generate greater right brain activity; the right hemisphere is allowed to join in. Then new brain communication occurs between regions that are not ordinarily connected. A broader, general search party begins, the whole brain hunts for options. Then and only then, Jung-Beeman concludes, can the mental balancing act unfold and creative insight occur.

In these cases, the brain just needs to relax, Mas writes. "We give ourselves time and space to think. In Zen, they call this focusing on not being focused."

So it's really very simple. We just need to relax. Wow, that Rolodex card just dropped into the right slot.

How's that memory working?

Why is it that some days I can remember the combination to my locker in the 7th grade at Tioga Junior High School and another day I can't remember where I put my keys? As I finish up my 50s (I only have 2 1/2 more months in this decade), I think I'd rather have a better memory than anything else.

Well, maybe I'd want better eyesight. . . and not to ache so much in the morning when I get up. Oh yeah, and to have the physical stamina I had at age 22. But besides those things, I'd want a solid memory. You know. . . so that I could recall things when I actually need them. Instead, I bolt up in bed hours later and say, "22-18-8," which was my locker combination. There's a lot of unneeded 411 in my brain.

I once had a co-worker who had a photographic memory. She could roll the movie credits in her mind of "Davy Crockett" and tell you every actor who played every role. What I would give for that kind of a memory. BTW, she did very well on television game shows.

I've tried some of the memory games out there, but I get bored because I forget the rules to the games. . . Just kidding. I get bored with these games because they are boring. So what are my options?

I've been doing some research on the subject and I've come up with a couple of suggestions. One of the key points is that all of us can improve our memories if we only have the discipline to try. So don't get bored, and do the hard work needed to improve your memory.

That means exercising your memory by using it and testing it every chance you get. Your brain will appreciate the workout and pay back those efforts with better brain function. You'll be surprised at how much you retain in your memory bank if you consciously try to remember stuff. Repeat the information. Think about it. Try to recall it a few minutes later. Do it again.

For more memory recall tips, check the Web site helpguide.org. You can access it by clicking here.