Creative person: Leornardo da Vinci

Yet again, I will show how another creative person, Leornardo da Vinci generates all his creative ideas. He is one of the greatest geniuses of all time.

1. Making Connections

It was da Vinci's belief that everything connects. Through his observations, he discovered that making connections between different things, no matter how different they may seem at first, was probably the best creative thinking skill. You could emulate his thinking process by trying to see how different things could be combined to produce something completely different and new.

2. Developing Multiple Intelligences

Da Vinci believed that it was important for a creative thinker to obtain as many knowledge as possible from different fields. Therefore, he was always fascinated with all branches of learning and knowledge. He did not chose to specialise in one particular subject as he believed that they were all inter-related. By following the theory that discoveries made in one area of study will affect one's understanding of another area of study, da Vinci managed to become a fully rounded person with great thinking skills. He was a scientist, engineer, philosopher, artist, composer and many more. He proved that of you developed multiple intelligences instead of developing only one specific intelligence, you will be more creative and knowledgeable in your thinking processes.

3. Ambidexterity and Mirror Writing

Da Vinci was ambidextrous, meaning he could write and paint with both hands at the same time. It was one of the techniques he used to stimulate his intelligence. You could try to stimulate your mind by writing with your non-dominant hand. Da Vinci also made many of his notes by writing letters backwards form right to left. This technique was known as mirror writing and it also helped in heightening his creative thinking capabilities.

4. Looking for Recognisable Patterns

Da Vinci frequently looked for recognisable patterns or images in the ashes of his fireplace. By trying to look for images in something totally different, he was stimulating his imagination. You could try the same by looking for pictures or patterns in clouds, shadows or tree barks. You could try seeing animals or faces in the clouds, shadows or tree barks.

5. Notebooking

Just like Thomas Edison, da Vinci recorded his every thoughts and ideas in a notebook. By doing this, he was basically affirming to his mind that the ideas were valuable and that he should develop those ideas further.Writing down ideas in your notebook also help in freeing your mind to expand on the ideas, since the origins of the ideas were objectified.

6. Drawing as a Thinking Aid

Da Vinci used his abilities as an amazing artist to aid him in his creative thinking. He did little illustrations in his notebooks that portrayed something he was observing. You could try this method too to boost your creative thinking powers. It is easy to learn to draw sufficiently well to be able to illustrate your ideas.

7. The Da Vinci Code of Four Principles

i) Study the science of art
ii) Study the art of science
iii) Develop all your senses especially the sense of sight
iv) Study all the above in the light of the idea that everything connects in some way to everything else