I don’t think of myself as a disorganized person, and I’m pretty sure no one who knows me would use that word to describe me. To the outside world, I’m the opposite of disorganized. I meet my deadlines; my paperwork is always in order; I have intense focus on a project and always see things through. I get stuff done.
But this morning when I was working on an important project, one with several moving parts, I found myself flitting from one idea to the next. I started with an outline, but the outline inspired me to look something up, and when I found that thing I realized I should make a new document to support the project, and I got excited about that document, and at some point in that process I realized that my brain had just shot off in several directions and even though I couldn’t seem to focus on any one component, I was in a state of creative flow. My mind was disorganized, and I’m sure my activity looked like it was all over the place. But it was all coming together.
Sometimes creativity can’t be organized. Sometimes focus means allowing your brain to wander and flirt with new ideas while staying within the parameters of a bigger project. This isn’t a new realization for me, but sometimes it’s good to remind myself that in some respects, I’m disorganized. And when it’s in the service of creativity, I can embrace that!
After reading this I feel much better about my own messy creativity. Sometimes it feels like the instant I want to focus on a project, my brain decides to throw out a bunch of random and intriguing questions and ideas! I’ve been experimenting with keeping a notepad nearby to jot down all those fleeting thoughts and questions.
Kathy, this is why I can’t keep a nice, neat bullet journal like other people do. It has to be a messy, double-sided, spiral graph notebook that I can feel free to scribble on, diagram on, and occasionally make into complicated charts. My brain just doesn’t work in a bullet-journal way!
“The right side of the brain looks at visual reference as a whole, whether it be a landscape, object, or piece of artwork, and then works its way into noticing finer details.” (sprial journal and non-linear thinking)
“The left side on the other hand first sees the details and puts them together to form the bigger picture.” (The bullet – linear-thinking)
Source from an article (emphasis mine) @: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/11/understanding-your-brain-for-better-design-left-vs-right/
Love this comment and article, Sasha! Thank you for sharing!