Dan Goodwin : Creativity Cookies : Chunky Nut Questions

Creativity Cookies

Chunky Nut Questions

By Dan Goodwin

Do you ever feel a little stuck creatively, wondering what to do next, believing you’ve tried everything and still got nowhere?

Often the best way to spark off a new direction is to ask a powerful question. Not a closed question like “Can I be more creative” that only prompts a Yes/No answer, but a question that encourages your creativity in the way it’s asked.

This Creativity Cookie is called “Chunky Nut Questions” and will help you ask the deeper, more nourishing kind of question that will unlock your creativity in a moment.

Little Nibble:

The form for these kind of questions is the key to them being effective. Firstly they must be open, rather than closed questions. A closed question is: “Can I become a better writer?” The only answer is yes or no (or maybe) and it doesn’t stimulate you to probe any further.

An open question is something like: “How can I become a better writer?” It forces you to bypass the yes/no/maybe and get straight to coming up with ways of becoming a better writer. It cuts right to the action.

Experiment with this open format and see which variations inspire your creative thoughts most.

Big Bite:

The other crucial element to a question that will unlock your creativity is that it contains a presupposition. This means it assumes that something is possible in the way it’s asked.

So when you ask, for example, “What are the best ways I can learn to paint more freely?” it makes the assumptions that you CAN paint more freely, there ARE things you can learn, and some of these ways will work well for you.

Compare this with “Can I paint more freely?” and you’ll see a major difference.

You can take this element further to encourage your creativity by adding different presuppositions. For example “What steps can I take in the next 24 hours to become a better writer?” adds a time factor. The question already assumes you can take steps to become a better writer and the 24 hours really focuses your thinking. It moves you through the “Maybe I could do this and this...” phase to “I will do this and I’m going to do at this specific time.”

Again, experiment to find the questions that work best for you.

Then, head over to CCS to share the Chunky Nut Questions you’ve come up with, and to see what others have shared: Join in on the discussion here. •

© Copyright 2008 Dan Goodwin

About the Author | More by Dan Goodwin
Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, at www.CoachCreative.com.

06/27/08