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When we think about creativity, we often envision a burst of fantastic ideas or artistic endeavors.
However, creativity is more of an approach to problem-solving and innovation that is applicable in all areas of life.
What exactly is creativity?
As Dictionary.com defines it, creativity is “the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.”
Despite its incredible value, the psychological underpinnings of creativity remain mysterious. But one thing we know for sure is that it's spontaneous and difficult to produce on demand.
This elusiveness poses a challenge, especially nowadays, when creativity is often expected on a schedule. Unfortunately, while there are activities to foster creativity, there isn't a definitive recipe.
However, we can make creativity more manageable by viewing it as a process rather than a skill.
We can make creativity more manageable by viewing it as a process rather than a skill.
In his book Building a Second Brain, Tiago Forte explains that while creative products change over time, the creative process remains constant and involves two phases: divergent and convergent.
In the divergent phase, we need to stay open-minded and generate as many ideas as possible.
In the convergent phase, we narrow down, select, and execute ideas. This phase is necessary to transform ideas into actual products or solutions.
Neurologically, the best state for creating ideas and solutions is the “daydreaming” or “mind-wandering” mode, the state of the brain at rest, which is defined as the “default mode network” by Marcus Raichle. In this state, the brain, disengaged from intentional focus, creates new neural connections and associations and expands concepts.
On the other hand, during the convergent phase, when we select ideas to act upon, our brain utilizes “stay-on-task" mode (or intentional focus, as discussed in our previous article) to help you execute a task without distractions.
(Learn how focus works psychologically.)
These modes are mutually exclusive; in other words, one suppresses the other.
Neurologically, the best state for creating ideas and solutions is the “daydreaming” or “mind-wandering” mode, the state of the brain at rest ... On the other hand, when we select ideas to act upon, our brain utilizes “stay-on-task mode."
As you may have experienced for yourself, mind-wandering mode is crucial for creativity, and it happens almost unpredictably, and only when we are free from our to-do lists. That's why, in today’s busy world, it's important to intentionally schedule this mind-wandering, or creative time.
That might seem counterintuitive, but in today’s world of distractions, you must purposely release yourself from your never-ending to-do list in order to let your mind wander.
What does this look like? Going out for a walk or engaging in boring or repetitive (and not mentally demanding) activities, like cleaning or gardening, can increase the chances of activating this mode. Or sitting in front of your Freewrite and letting thoughts flow through your fingers!
In today’s busy world, it's important to intentionally schedule this mind-wandering, or creative time.
Both phases of the creative process involve a high level of focus — yes, even the divergent phase.
But how is it possible to focus (which we know consists of filtering out information to stay on task), and also stay open to possibilities simultaneously?
We’re able to do it because of selective attention, the process that makes us notice all the many yellow cars on the street once we decide we want to buy a yellow car. When we tell our brain that yellow cars are important or relevant, it pays more attention to them, working as a guide for our mind-wandering.
So, if we want to improve our creative process and get actual results, we should apply and practice focusing at two different levels.
First, focus on just one project to guide your brain's wandering to get the answers and clues you are looking for, to let your brain make connections and come up with new ideas. Even when you’re just generating ideas, it's an excellent habit to focus on "The One Thing," as Gary Keller and Jay Papasan define it in their book.
Next, focus on a single task to accomplish it. When Albert Einstein disappeared from the public eye for three years, for example, he decided to focus on one single research project. This allowed him to create his groundbreaking theory of relativity.
While these types of focus differ cognitively, both are essential compasses for our thinking, and both involve narrowing your goals. It's why many highly creative individuals are often believed to be obsessed with one thing.
It's why many highly creative individuals are often believed to be obsessed with one thing.
You don't need to become obsessed. But if you provide clear directions to your brain through the proper focus, creativity will flow.
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Freewriter Britt Gondolfi has an important message: people need to put down their phones and LOOK UP. The medium she chose to get this message across? Pigeons and poop jokes.
Find out how Britt and her BFF (who happens to be her illustrator) took a silly song and turned it into a book deal.
Astrohaus, the team behind Freewrite, is an American company. Like many American companies, and virtually all consumer electronic brands, our cost base is global. We work with contractors in Europe, in South America, and in Asia. We purchase components from a global supply chain and assemble our product in China, but make no mistake, we are an American company. The majority of our costs, including goods, services, and payroll, are from the United States. Most of our team lives in the Midwest. I founded this company in Detroit, Michigan, and am still here. I am proud to have built an American company that supports 10+ Americans and their families.
But now we are caught in a trade war that threatens our very existence. A war that was building up over time but has crescendoed to a point that no business owner could have prepared for. As I write this today, we have to pay an additional 145% of the cost of any product made in China as a tax to the U.S. Government.Yesterday it was 104%, up from 54%. In March it was 20% and in February it was 10%. Tomorrow?
Astrohaus is an importer because there is no consumer electronics industry in the U.S. China has emerged over the decades as the world's factory. At first, as a low-cost solution, but in 2025, they are undeniably the best in the world.
Now we are in a pickle because we have established relationships with our contract manufacturing partners that go back to when we started in 2014. Yes, some of the folks we work with today have been with us since the very beginning. They took a chance on us and helped us get off the ground. I have personally spent months on the ground in Hong Kong and China working closely with these folks, whom I now call friends.
Everyone, including our contract manufacturing partners, is helping us explore our options, but the truth is that it is incredibly difficult to move factories. It takes careful planning, huge expense, and much more time than we have.
Unfortunately, we can’t wait to let the trade war resolve itself, nor do we have the advantage big companies like Apple have with a diversified supply base in various countries. We must work with our existing supply base in China, and that means adjusting prices to cover some of our new costs. That's assuming a trade deal gets done, because 100%+ tariffs are simply untenable long term.
On Monday, April 14, we will be raising prices. Not because we want to, but because we have to.Thank you for standing by us over the years. We aren’t going anywhere.
Write on,
Adam
Freewrite Founder & CEO
Bryan Young writes for many magazines and online publications. As you get more entrenched within the industry and develop relationships with editors, the process can vary widely. But at the start of cultivating those relationships, it’s usually very much the same. Here's his walk-through of the process.
