A Science Based Look at Creativity
By Jacob Aguiar
As an artist and a doctor, I tend to balance my creative approach with a fair bit of analytical thinking. I enjoy thinking about the process of creativity, determining the conditions that allow for creativity to flourish. I have a favorite podcast called the Huberman Podcast, and some time ago, he had an episode that focused purely on the creative process. Dr Huberman is a neuroscientist at Stanford, and goes in depth on a variety of topics in his podcast. If you’re interested in the science, anatomy, and physiology of creativity, I highly recommend listening to this particular episode. If not, here are a few key takeaways to consider.
Dr Huberman discusses two form of creativity, divergent thinking and convergent thinking. According to Merriam-Webster, divergent thinking is “creative thinking that may follow many lines of thought and tends to generate new and original solutions to problems” whereas convergent thinking is “thinking (as in answering a multiple-choice question) that weighs alternatives within an existing construct or model in solving a problem or answering a question to find one best solution and that is measured by IQ tests.” Convergent thinking requires precision, finding the one correct solution to any given problem.
An example of divergent thinking is to consider “pen,” and write down every word or phrase that comes to mind when you think about “pen.” These can be loose or tight associations with the word. You might describe the color of the pen, how it’s to be used, or even generate a free-flowing story about how the pen is used to write a novel. And those that are more effective at divergent thinking are able to generate more associations with the word pen.
In painting, where there are infinite possible solutions to any given problem, I feel divergent thinking is a more appropriate model to consider. There is no “right answer” to any painting problem.
I had an “aha” moment listening to this podcast, realizing that if I could enhance divergent thinking, I could consider more possible solutions to any given painting problem. And hopefully, with experience, the solution chosen will be more creative, yet coherent within the painting as a whole.
There are a handful of specific, science-based approaches that are proven to enhance divergent thinking. According to Dr. Huberman, essentially any activity, food, or stimulus that increases dopamine to an ideal level supports the creative process. It is how dopamine acts on different pathways in the brain that encourages either divergent or convergent thinking. I won’t go into the details about each brain area and neural pathway, but suffice it to say, the brain is complicated!
A highly effective technique for improving divergent thinking is called “open monitoring meditation.” This type of meditation involves focusing on the present moment, allowing for stray thoughts, emotions, sensations. The mind is allowed to shift fluidly between these varying stimuli. This is markedly different from “focused attention meditation”, which involves narrowing the mind’s attention and focusing on the breath, a point, a mantra, etc. The type of meditation we commonly think of is focused attention meditation. Focused attention meditation actually increases convergent thinking, by activating different brain pathways. Dr Huberman recommends a combination of both types of meditation to get the full benefit for creativity.
Another approach for increasing dopamine and specifically divergent thinking is called “nonsleep deep rest” or NSDR. With this technique, you can lay in a comfortable position, perfectly still. The goal is not to fall asleep, but to completely relax your body and allow your mind to settle. There are guided NSDR sessions on apps such as Insight Timer and Calm. With practice, one can achieve the state between consciousness and sleep. I know I have some of my most creative ideas as I’m either drifting off to sleep, or coming out of sleep in the morning.
A favorite approach of mine to increase creativity is “perspective shifting.” When feeling stuck, or wanting a novel approach to a problem, shifting one’s perspective can be quite helpful. This could be as simple as stepping away from the easel to grab a glass of water or going for a short walk. This allows our brains to become “unstuck”. A change in visual stimuli can sometimes trigger a new approach to the problem, as can exercise, or looking at a good art book or magazine. One could also ask, “how might an oil painter handle this problem?” Or, “what about (insert favorite artist here)?” Each of these attempts at shifting perspective works better than staring at the painting, waiting for a moment of insight.
Other lifestyle factors known to increase dopamine, and therefore creativity, include listening to enjoyable music, exercising, and cold exposure. And eating foods that are high in tyrosine like chicken, turkey, fish, peanuts, almonds, avocados, bananas, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds also supports healthy dopamine levels. Caffeine also increases dopamine levels in the brain. There are specific supplements such as tyrosine and Macuna pruriens that support dopamine but supplement shortcuts are never as effective as lifestyle change. Plus, there are so many additional benefits of these various techniques on mood, and overall health.
And last but not least, chocolate! Chocolate significantly increases dopamine levels. For the past several years, I’ve always had a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in my studio. Maybe on those days the piece seemed to paint itself I just hit the correct threshold of chocolate chips!
I wanted to introduce you to the ideas above in the context of creativity in hopes that you will consider incorporating one or multiple of them into your creative practice.
Happy painting!
Jacob
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