3 Listening to your depth mind (the

3 Listening to your depth mind (the unconscious
mind)
• allowing your conscious mind the freedom to
create
• sleeping on problems.
Creative thinking can be helped but it cannot be forced. If
you are not making progress working on a problem
sometimes it is best to put it aside and let your subconscious
mind take over. Mental blocks can come from:
• The lack of a starting point: If the problem is so
large it can be difficult to know where to start but
jumping in usually provides some inspiration, even if
it means beginning again at a different point.
• A lack of perspective: Sometimes you can be too
close to a problem and therefore unable to see it
clearly. Leaving it alone for a while can make it more
approachable.
• A lack of motivation: Maybe you don’t want to find a
solution enough and have been put off your sense of
purpose.
• A lack of consultation with others: Creative thinking
should be a social activity to gain inspiration from
others.
Allowing your mind to delve into its depths will allow you
to develop new ideas and solutions not previously considered.
Your depth mind is capable of analysing, synthesising
and valuing at a subconscious level.
Sleeping on the problem often brings benefits. Your dreams,
although not always directly relevant, can give you ideas and
clues which will lead you to a solution. Sometimes you may
not remember your dreams but they will come to you
suddenly during the day. Some of our most valuable
thoughts are those that come unsought.
Guidelines for improving the use of your depth mind:
• Practice makes perfect so use your depth mind as
much as possible to innovate.
• See relationships between your thoughts and
decisions despite their apparent differences of time,
place and scale.
• Look at your mind as a sort of computer which holds
lots of data and information. Allow your mind time to
go through the sequences to piece together the information
it holds to aid your creative process.
• Don’t allow your mind to be lazy. Making your depth
mind work for you can be hard work but if you persevere
you will reap the benefits.

CHECKLIST: ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR DEPTH MIND?
• Are you aware that your depth mind can work
productively for you, and are you willing to let it?
• Do you build time into your creative thinking to
allow you to sleep on a problem?
• Do you consciously allow your depth mind to
analyse complex problems, restructure theories
and reach judgements?
• Do you recall experiencing a situation when your
unconscious mind has solved a problem for you?
• Do you take note of and record your fleeting
thoughts or half-formed ideas?
• Do you understand how your depth mind works
and therefore how others work?

4 Suspending judgement
• not dismissing half-formed ideas prematurely
• only listening to creative critics.
Don’t be too quick to criticise your own ideas or half-ideas,
give them room to breathe and grow. They may just turn
into something more productive. Also be aware that premature
criticism from others can put a block on your creative
thinking.
We should all be open to criticism from others if it is constructive
and provided at the appropriate time during the
creative process. This type of feedback is a way for us to
improve ourselves and our ideas. Remember, two heads are
often better than one.
It is useful to hear another person’s perspective on a
problem. They may have more experience or knowledge in
that particular area, and they are likely to spot your unconscious
assumptions and allow you to challenge your
preconceptions.

CHECKLIST: SUSPENDING JUDGEMENT
• Do you tend to evaluate your own ideas or halfideas
too soon?
• Have you ever abandoned a promising idea
because of someone’s premature criticism?
• Can you think of situations when other people
have had a positive impact on the development of
your ideas?
• Do you know when and how to criticise others
constructively?