Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life
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- Create Date：2021-04-17 11:55:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Shelley Carson
- ISBN：0470547634
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Summary
Research-based techniques that show everyone how to expand creativity and increase productivity
Harvard psychologist Shelley Carson's provocative book， published in partnership with Harvard Health Publications， reveals why creativity isn't something only scientists， investors， artists， writers， and musicians enjoy; in fact， all of us use our creative brains every day at home， work and play。 Each of us has the ability to increase our mental functioning and creativity by learning to move flexibly among several brain states。
Explains seven brain states or brainsets and their functions as related to creativity， productivity， and innovation
Provides quizzes， exercises， and self-tests to activate each of these seven brainsets to unlock our maximum creativity
Your Creative Brain， called by critics a ？new classic？ in the field of creativity， offers inspiring suggestions that can be applied in both one's personal and professional life。
Harvard psychologist Shelley Carson's provocative book， published in partnership with Harvard Health Publications， reveals why creativity isn't something only scientists， investors， artists， writers， and musicians enjoy; in fact， all of us use our creative brains every day at home， work and play。 Each of us has the ability to increase our mental functioning and creativity by learning to move flexibly among several brain states。
Explains seven brain states or brainsets and their functions as related to creativity， productivity， and innovation
Provides quizzes， exercises， and self-tests to activate each of these seven brainsets to unlock our maximum creativity
Your Creative Brain， called by critics a ？new classic？ in the field of creativity， offers inspiring suggestions that can be applied in both one's personal and professional life。
Reviews
Jess Manchester
，
I had a brain infection in 2014 it gnawed on scar tissue from an ear surgery I had at the age of 7， and was the result of un-diagnosed Lyme disease。 I was diagnosed with remitting relapsing Multiple Sclerosis before I went to Connecticut in 2007， so the doctor never considered testing for Lyme until an MRI discovered the brain infection。 I suffered a bit of aphasia， which sometimes lingers。 I've always been creative but words became phantoms。 I needed to retrain my brain because as a writer the I had a brain infection in 2014 it gnawed on scar tissue from an ear surgery I had at the age of 7， and was the result of un-diagnosed Lyme disease。 I was diagnosed with remitting relapsing Multiple Sclerosis before I went to Connecticut in 2007， so the doctor never considered testing for Lyme until an MRI discovered the brain infection。 I suffered a bit of aphasia， which sometimes lingers。 I've always been creative but words became phantoms。 I needed to retrain my brain because as a writer the almost right word just isn't good enough。 I recommend this book to anyone who wants to become more creative。 I love acronyms， and this one stayed with me: ConnectReasonEnvisionAbsorbTransmissionEvaluate Stream 。。。more
Michael Jensen
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This book changed my perspective on creativity。 It helped me understand that improving creativity is not only possible but there are processes that can assist with this。 I greatly appreciated the neuroscience prospectives。
William Schram
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I had one major problem with this book。 It came from a library and the answers were already filled in。 To me， there is nothing more irritating than a book that has words written in the margins。 Though I suppose if it were my own copy I would still not give it the best grade out there since it is one of those books where you are encouraged to write in it or treat it as a workbook。 I can't abide by that notion， so I would probably have gotten a notebook for that purpose。The book uses advances in n I had one major problem with this book。 It came from a library and the answers were already filled in。 To me， there is nothing more irritating than a book that has words written in the margins。 Though I suppose if it were my own copy I would still not give it the best grade out there since it is one of those books where you are encouraged to write in it or treat it as a workbook。 I can't abide by that notion， so I would probably have gotten a notebook for that purpose。The book uses advances in neuroscience and psychology to create a brain environment that is conducive to being inventive and creative。 So it has you think of words and solve puzzles and things like that。 According to the book， there are seven states of creativity and all of them must be used for maximal effect。 Which states are most effective depends on the person in question and how they apply that creativity。 So if you are a person making a movie， it might be bad to be too creative。 The book put it this way; if you keep having new ideas and can't implement your old ideas， then it isn't really helpful to be so creative。So the book is meant to help in several ways， and it does do that pretty well。 However， like I said， I don't usually write in my books unless it is information that shows that I own the book or something。 。。。more
Megan Rohrer
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Great booksIt put into words some of the ways that my brain works and I learned a lot about myself。I hope others read it to learn more about themselves too。
Deena Hypothesis
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I'm not sure why this book has been rated down due to it's academic jargon。 I picked it up because so far it seems to be one of the only one that incorporates actual neuroscience rather than throwing around "accessible " words like "brain mapping" which explain， well， nothing。 So far it seems like a good introduction to the brain for those unfamiliar I'm not sure why this book has been rated down due to it's academic jargon。 I picked it up because so far it seems to be one of the only one that incorporates actual neuroscience rather than throwing around "accessible " words like "brain mapping" which explain， well， nothing。 So far it seems like a good introduction to the brain for those unfamiliar 。。。more
Scott Wozniak
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I love the content。 But I give four stars （not five） because it's overly technical/academic in it's language。 I'm all about rigorous research。 But the author is at Harvard and wrote this like a long academic journal article。 If you can get pat the dry， over complicated language， it's a good read。 Example: she calls these thinking modes "cognitive brain sets" or "brain activation patterns"。Creativity， the author argues， is not a single mental process， not a magical gift some have and others don't I love the content。 But I give four stars （not five） because it's overly technical/academic in it's language。 I'm all about rigorous research。 But the author is at Harvard and wrote this like a long academic journal article。 If you can get pat the dry， over complicated language， it's a good read。 Example: she calls these thinking modes "cognitive brain sets" or "brain activation patterns"。Creativity， the author argues， is not a single mental process， not a magical gift some have and others don't。 Rather， it is the ability to engage in and transition between several ways of thinking。 The first thinking pattern she discusses is the "absorb" mode， where you are open， curious， and nonjudgmental about what's happening around you。 The key here is to see with fresh eyes rather than filter the world though your assumptions。 The "reason" mode is a deliberate problem solving mode。 You systematically analyze the gaps， look for patterns， test ideas， etc。 The "connect" mode is where you reach for associations， finding similar themes but in non-obvious ways。 This is where you see how building team cohesion is like baking a cake， or how thinking of paintbrush bristles like a pump for paint opens new manufacturing options。 The "envision" brain mode is using your imagination， vividly seeing what could be。 You pose a possibility and then envision all the ways it would play out。 The "evaluate" mode uses an explicitly judgmental process。 All creative professionals know that many more ideas are generated than can be used。 In fact， many of them are really bad ideas。 Doing the hard work of sorting and rejecting some ideas so you can focus on good ones is at the heart of good creative work。 The "transform" mode， she says， happens when the negative feelings about yourself and life fuel creative work。 I actually totally disagree with this mode being on her list。 There are a lot of creative professionals who struggle with negative feelings。 But I think feeling blue doesn't in and of itself contribute to creativity。 I think creativity can help alleviate or channel those feelings。 But it's a separate thing。 Correlation does not equal causation。 The last mode is the "stream" mode。 This is when you get so caught up in what you're doing that time fades away and you zone out。 It's when the challenge matches your skill level and there is real time feedback （even if just your own feelings on how you're doing）。 This mental process often generates ideas and work that feels effortless and even from beyond ourselves。 But， again， creativity requires all these modes。 It's not staying in our favorite mode。 It's being proficient in each。 And it's being able to slide back and forth without a major loss of energy or time。 When someone can do this， they can be creative in any field。 。。。more
Chris
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awesome！
Niya
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Very clear and useful。 My brain style is "absorbent" - and I was certain I'd test as an "envisioning。" Very clear and useful。 My brain style is "absorbent" - and I was certain I'd test as an "envisioning。" 。。。more
Teri Temme
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"Remember that nobody has your unique combination of knowledge， memories， and skills stored in their brain。 This unique combination is what you will share with the world - if you don't do it， your unique combination will be lost forever。" ~Shelley Carson， PhDSome great creativity tips。 The exercises were fun too！ "Remember that nobody has your unique combination of knowledge， memories， and skills stored in their brain。 This unique combination is what you will share with the world - if you don't do it， your unique combination will be lost forever。" ~Shelley Carson， PhDSome great creativity tips。 The exercises were fun too！ 。。。more
Jeevan Basavaraju
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Book suggests many exercises for readers。 I yet to practicee any of them。
Sarah Embaby
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Perfect！The Exercises are Remarkable！Never stop taking notes along！ Change is gonna come！
Dave Hood
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This book describes the creative process and presents a model of creativity。 Envisioning is one of seven dimensions of this model， which is useful for writers， photographers， painters。 For instance， we can become more creative through envisioning---using imagination to generate mental pictures with sensory details， using mind mapping or clustering to generate ideas， generating ideas by sketching， doodling， or diagramming。
Venkat Pedapati
，
This is one of the best books on creativity research I've read in a long time。 The author has substantial knowledge on the subject， and the book is a treat all the way through。 You'll finally get a deeper understanding of how our brain works and why it is capable of such amazing feats。I particularly liked the way the chapters are organised and mental exercises mentioned in this book are life-savers。 This is one of the best books on creativity research I've read in a long time。 The author has substantial knowledge on the subject， and the book is a treat all the way through。 You'll finally get a deeper understanding of how our brain works and why it is capable of such amazing feats。I particularly liked the way the chapters are organised and mental exercises mentioned in this book are life-savers。 。。。more
Imranshaikh
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nice
Shayla
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Not my favourite book， found the whole thing frustrating and the exercises weren't helpful or enlightening。 I wouldn't recommend this book。 Not my favourite book， found the whole thing frustrating and the exercises weren't helpful or enlightening。 I wouldn't recommend this book。 。。。more
Nina
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What separates humans from most animals？ Creativity - according to Shelley Carson。 You need to be creative to enhance the quality of your life。 But not only that， you need to be creative to survive。 Creativity is not just for artists， writers， and musicians - every aspect of the modern way of life requires human creativity to sustain it。 Carson assumed one had to be like Einstein or Mozart to be gifted with creativity; but from her research on the subject， she determined that creativity is actua What separates humans from most animals？ Creativity - according to Shelley Carson。 You need to be creative to enhance the quality of your life。 But not only that， you need to be creative to survive。 Creativity is not just for artists， writers， and musicians - every aspect of the modern way of life requires human creativity to sustain it。 Carson assumed one had to be like Einstein or Mozart to be gifted with creativity; but from her research on the subject， she determined that creativity is actually an innately human talent all people possess。Because Shelley's book purports to be instructional， for the purpose of unlocking the creative potential of self-determined "un-creative" people， I am interested in how it could inspire innovative curricula。 Specifically for creative people to teach so-called "un-creative people" how to be more creative in one or more aspects of their lives。。。 without devolving into "art therapy" or "arts and crafts" coursework。Note: so far， I've been reading pages online from Amazon or Google。 But I plan to get my hands on a copy。 。。。more
Jess Macallan
，
This is book is like candy for brain junkies。 It was fun to discover how my creative brain works （and how it could work better）。 The exercises are time consuming， but worth it if you'd like to increase your productivity and efficiency。 This is book is like candy for brain junkies。 It was fun to discover how my creative brain works （and how it could work better）。 The exercises are time consuming， but worth it if you'd like to increase your productivity and efficiency。 。。。more
Martha
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read again in Sep 2014， Dec 2015
Kevin Washburn
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Shelley Carson provides a valuable contribution to the research and literature on creativity。 Based on findings from neuroscience， Carson identifies and explains seven "Brainstates" associated with creativity: Connect， Reason， Envision， Absorb， Transform， and Stream。 While these ways of thinking have been identified by other authors， Carson provides some evidence of a neurological basis for each。 This is a fascinating addition to the discussion！ Much of the rest of the book has more of a self-he Shelley Carson provides a valuable contribution to the research and literature on creativity。 Based on findings from neuroscience， Carson identifies and explains seven "Brainstates" associated with creativity: Connect， Reason， Envision， Absorb， Transform， and Stream。 While these ways of thinking have been identified by other authors， Carson provides some evidence of a neurological basis for each。 This is a fascinating addition to the discussion！ Much of the rest of the book has more of a self-help feel。 While I found the exercises and suggestions potentially helpful， they were of less interest to me than the "harder" science the book offers。 Worthwhile reading for anyone interested in creativity or seeking to increase creative thinking。 。。。more
Bookchick
，
Good ideas on how to access divergent thinking。Carson uses the acrostic CREATES to explore & discuss different states of mind in the creative process: Connect， Reason， Envision， Absorb， Transform， Evaluate， Stream。Absorb: uncritically take in all that is around you， most sensory of all stages， openness to novelty， new experiences & ideas， a knowledge gathering stage， easiest to do when in a positive moodReason: consciously manipulate information in your working memory to identify & solve a probl Good ideas on how to access divergent thinking。Carson uses the acrostic CREATES to explore & discuss different states of mind in the creative process: Connect， Reason， Envision， Absorb， Transform， Evaluate， Stream。Absorb: uncritically take in all that is around you， most sensory of all stages， openness to novelty， new experiences & ideas， a knowledge gathering stage， easiest to do when in a positive moodReason: consciously manipulate information in your working memory to identify & solve a problem， use research & planning skills plus discipline to implement solutionConnect: defocused state where brain can make disparate connections， generate multiple solutions to a problem （usually referred to as brainstorming）Envision: visually manipulate objects in your mind， imagine， hypothesizeTransform: use negative mood to create works of art， transform distress through self expressionEvaluate: consciously judge the value of your ideas， use the criteria of usefulness & appropriateness， cull & select ideas at this point， don't use this state of mind too early in the creative processStream: improvisation （also referred to as flow or being in the zone）， used when a person has developed expertise in a certain skill areaCarson suggests using physical exercise to stimulate the brain when trying to generate ideas and music， meditation， or sleep & dreams to allow for a more relaxed， unfocused state to incubate divergent ideas and connectionsHer book is filled with exercises to use to stimulate various parts of the brain and the accompanying stages of creativity。I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Vivalc
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I enjoyed this book very much。 It supported previous books I have read on the subject of creativity。 It proveds the reader with a well thought out plan/exercises to stimulate creative ideas。 However， I was distracted and sometimes confused by the medical explanation of how the brain works。。。I would rather focus my energies on the different brainsets that stimulte creativity rather than frontal lobe， hiipocampus etc。。。Anyone who is interested in pursuing a broader vision of creativity will enjoy I enjoyed this book very much。 It supported previous books I have read on the subject of creativity。 It proveds the reader with a well thought out plan/exercises to stimulate creative ideas。 However， I was distracted and sometimes confused by the medical explanation of how the brain works。。。I would rather focus my energies on the different brainsets that stimulte creativity rather than frontal lobe， hiipocampus etc。。。Anyone who is interested in pursuing a broader vision of creativity will enjoy this book 。。。more
Altaïr
，
Shelley Carson's 'Your Creative Brain' offers unique and innovative insight into the creative process。 But more importantly， it teaches those who have condemned themselves as the 'uncreative' to shake off that grim mantle and demonstrates how they can achieve new levels of ingenuity and unlock abilities they'd never known they possessed。Carson carefully and thoroughly guides the reader through every part of the creative process， beginning with the generation of ideas and progressing all the way Shelley Carson's 'Your Creative Brain' offers unique and innovative insight into the creative process。 But more importantly， it teaches those who have condemned themselves as the 'uncreative' to shake off that grim mantle and demonstrates how they can achieve new levels of ingenuity and unlock abilities they'd never known they possessed。Carson carefully and thoroughly guides the reader through every part of the creative process， beginning with the generation of ideas and progressing all the way to presenting and finalizing your projects。 At the end of each chapter she has included exercises to help strengthen any areas of weakness you might have。The concept of distinct brain-sets used in the various stages of creativity is quite interesting and an idea worth looking at。 Carson discusses what she calls the CREATES brainset:C - ConnectR - ReasonE - EvaluateA - AbsorbT - TransformE - EnvisionS - StreamCarson's greatest asset is the overwhelmingly convincing amount of scientific evidence she presents to support each of her conjectures。 Many other self-help creativity books push several questionable techniques that often only truly make sense to the author。 However， Carson （as a PhD， Harvard Med School researcher） backs up every one of her theories with sound evidence （which I'm sure will help those who consider themselves less creative）。All in all， this is an excellent book for anyone who professes to feel 'uncreative' or 'unimaginative'， and demonstrates that all individuals are capable of creativity。 。。。more
Sonyajohnston
，
I bought this book on Kindle and it is not a good idea to。 You can't really see the graphics and charts。 Shelley Carson offers some of the suggestions in her book to go to her website for。 I went to her website many times looking for what she said was there and it isn't。 Her web page is disappointing。 It is all about her and promoting herself。 I did email her about not being able to find access to what she said was there。 She never did email me back。 I was disappointed in her site。 The book has I bought this book on Kindle and it is not a good idea to。 You can't really see the graphics and charts。 Shelley Carson offers some of the suggestions in her book to go to her website for。 I went to her website many times looking for what she said was there and it isn't。 Her web page is disappointing。 It is all about her and promoting herself。 I did email her about not being able to find access to what she said was there。 She never did email me back。 I was disappointed in her site。 The book has a lot of exercises for you to do and is very time consuming。 Personally I like to read a book and occasionally jot down an idea。 This one is not that way。 Be prepared to spend a lot of time to get through this book。 。。。more
Lisa
，