In the first two parts of this column I discussed Daniel Pink’s “A Whole New Mind”; a book that discusses how to create in a global marketplace. He introduced the “six senses” as a way to increase your high concept and high touch aptitudes. These aptitudes are related to right brain functioning, something he believes is crucial in the current conceptual era.
I touched briefly on the six senses: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning, in part 2. The following are ways that Daniel Pink prescribes to develop your right brain aptitude. It may feel a little like homework, but it actually is a lot of fun and the benefit of improving your perspective is well worth it.
- Design: Become aware of your environment.
- Keep a design notebook and write down the design elements that work for you in the environment around you and the ones that don’t. If you hate writing notes, take pictures instead.
- Read design magazines and visit museums. Get a sense of what feels good to you. Go to open houses and pay attention to layouts that work and others that feel crammed.
- Story: Explore different ways of telling stories.
- Write a mini saga: stories that are only 50 words long.
- Record yourself or family member telling a story.
- Go to storytelling festivals.
- Tell stories digitally with pictures and sound.
- Symphony: The ability to put together the pieces and invent something new by detecting patterns and combining elements.
- Listen to classical music such as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
- Draw. Books like “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards will help hesitant drawers.
- Keep a metaphor log and list metaphors you encounter in print and daily conversation.
- Empathy: The ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s position and intuit what the person is feeling.
- Read Paul Ekman’s book “Emotions Revealed” to learn how to decipher the emotions on people’s faces.
- Take an acting class. Not your style? Buy the CD-Rom Mind Reading. Originally developed for people who have difficulty reading emotions and want to learn how, it is now used by actors, illustrators and people who want more insight.
- Volunteer.
- Play: No longer seen as a distraction from working and learning; games, humor, and joyfulness are contributing positively to society.
- Join a laughter club.
- Play right brain games. Tecmo’s Right Brain Game determines your brain dominance and challenges you to complete increasingly difficult level of right brain functioning.
- Play some video games for fun, but skip the excess.
- Meaning: The abundance of information and technology has led many people to increasing meaning in their lives through creating happiness and spirituality.
- Show gratitude for the people in your life who have helped you along your life path.
- Examine roadblocks in your current life. Compile a list of some of the important changes you’d like to make and what’s keeping you from realizing them
- Look at how you spend your time and decide what activities add value to your life.