By Chris Blauth
I was reminded of an interesting historical fact while visiting the West Point Military Academy recently: to control the Hudson River during the War of Independence, military commanders ordered a massive chain—some 1,500 feet in length, weighing 65 tons—to be strung across the river and affixed on both sides. This “Great Chain” was so ominous, historians note, that it was never directly challenged by a single Royal Navy warship.
Viewing the Great Chain at Trophy Point reminded me of cognitive chains that impact creative thought. Creative thought is based on the ability to make connections and combinations—particularly between seemingly unrelated things. The capacity to mix and match data, bits and pieces of information, knowledge and experience in ways that are unusual and useful—to be able to see those connections when others don’t—underlies creative thought.
When we see an image or hear a word, our minds proceed along a chain of automatic associations, each one connecting to another. It happens quickly, with no effort, the mind following the simplest path—a previous set of associations. Chains of associations tend to be grouped around areas related to our own experience, and the more an association chain is used, the stronger it becomes. Association chains help us move quickly from analysis to action. They can also limit our ability to think expansively, to question assumptions and conventions and to see things in new and different ways. The weaker the association chains, the easier it is to connect outside the norm—to make unexpected and creative combinations and connections.
With a little practice you can invite your mind to travel a path it wouldn’t normally or routinely go. Two practices will help you jump the association track:
- Widen your world. Singular, field-specific expertise, for all its strengths, can make it more difficult to break out of established patterns of thought. So, widen your world. Be on the look-out for ways to experience new points of view and to extend your frames of reference.
- Ignite new insights. You can prepare your mind to make more creative connections. If you want to shake free of your typical associations, you’ll need a few sparks—ways to ignite new insights. Practice making unusual and unexpected mental associations. Or think how something that works in a dramatically different setting can work in yours.
