JoAnn R. Corley - Brain on Fire: Unleashing Your Creative Superpowers

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and InternationalCopyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording, or by any information and retrievalsystem now known or hereafter invented, without permission from the publisher.

To order this book visit www.thehumansphere.com All rights reserved.
SBN-13: 978-1512288773
ISBN-10: 1512288772

Introduction
Rethinking Creativity - 15
Debunking Creativity - 16
Creative thinking is an economic imperative - 17
Employee Engagement & Creativity The Essential Power Couple - 23
Creativity Your Change Management Ally - 25

Step Through The Portal Your Creative Self is Waiting SIDEBAR | Lip Service or Leadership? - 37
Creativity Is Simple and Common - 39
Intentional Creativity The Ideation Process - 41 Let the Magic Begin - 50
Essential Saturation Comrades - 53
Incubation & The Inspired Spark - 56
Be Prepared For The Naysayers 56
Limiting & Sabotaging Beliefs - 59
Setting The Stage - 61
Conditions are the Fertilizer - 66
The Creative Flow Brain on Fire - 68

Act III - Your Creativity Toolkit
To build the flame and stoke its power, its worth it to collect a variety of woods. 71

Introduction
Using Props - 75
Mental Preparation- 77
Primers - 78
Visual Challenges - 80
Warm-ups - 83
Thinking in pictures - 85
Activating the Imagination - 87
Mind mapping - 88
Story Telling - 87
Innovation suggestions - 90
The power of questions - 92
Day dreaming - 94
Side Bar | Dreaming, Ideation & Problem Solving - 95

Besides the sheer joy I developed being in nature, detached from the everyday bustle and grind, I loved the challenge of living off the land sort of. I wasnt hard core but a practiced novice at the basics; gathering firewood, cooking everything over an open fire, including coffee with an old camping coffee pot. I loved setting up the tent, preparing the sleeping bags and arranging the campsite to get the best cozy, campy feeling possible.

My particular pleasure was the challenge of starting a fire without cheating. Cheating involved newspaper or lighter fluid. That would feel like utter defeat and an insult to fellow tent campers everywhere. No, it had to be started with authentic elements of the woods.

I began with the thinnest, tiniest twigs assembled in a square, teepee type formation with such delicate precision, one match (yes the one modern allowance) was all you needed to ignite what grew into a large, blazing fire.

The key to the success of what I eventually termed the one match challenge was the choices of twigs, their strategic arrangement and the deliberate timing and addition of certain sized twigs. One twig too big or a formation that didnt allow enough oxygen and the match flame would quickly peter out.

I see a significant similarity with another love of mine, helping people discover and connect with their creative power. I see the act of generating ideas, engaging in the creative experience much the same as starting a campfire. It takes the right conditions with the right elements combined with a strategic method (and a few other components) to get a blazing, sustaining, fire of ideas going.

Ive discovered most people dont know that. People in general and leaders of companies need to know that now more than ever.

Or, they may have experienced small, periodic flames that can be easily doused, but they really dont know how to build or have rarely encountered a substantial, sustaining fire. Many have no idea whats possible. Because of that, company leaders have no idea the amount of money left on the table the profits never realized.

Many dont know how to build the type of fire that is raging, like one acting as natures furnace on a cold, crisp night. Theyve not experienced one built so expertly that even in the morning glowing embers can be coaxed back to a breakfast fire with a few gentle puffs.

You know those kinds of fires the stubborn ones. Theyre difficult to extinguish. They still have a few tiny tenacious flames persistently pushing through the wet ash determined to survive.

Most people have not encountered that kind of creative experience; like a substantial sustained campfire, sometimes raging when needed, yet embers continuously aglow.

Its the kind of experience where
there is a constant source and steady flame of ideas generating ideas feels so fun and effortless
the creative period wakes you up and keeps you up what you produce surprises you, over and over again youre in disbelief of what youre capable of
there is a creative flow so intense its as if youre having an out of body experience
youre so in the zone, you dont want to stop
youre in so deep, you loose track of time
the creative energy is so powerful, its difficult to extinguish

This is your brain on fire. Its my definition. I use it to remind myself and articulate to others the scope and intensity of whats possible. This phrase dramatically represents the power of our capability. At full strength, it feels like a superpower. Your mind is so supercharged that whatever its holding cant be contained like a volcano ready to erupt.

Of course a fire can begin with a simple spark and Im always amazed at how quickly a spark can spread into a raging fire. A spark with the right conditions can be unstoppable.

Thats what I wish for this book. Ive desired to write it for sometime as a companion to my workshops and more generally to provide a more accessible platform from which to proclaim its essential messages.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive resource on creativity, but a spark that with use can generate and sustain a continuous, meaningful fire to serve exactly what you, your company or group needs. Its intent is to light your fire, so that you can light others.

Its designed is to be a non-academic (there are enough of those), simple, approachable, practical creativity manifesto -- a loyal talent companion.

Enjoy it alone or share and use it within a group. Its written for individuals, corporate leaders, teams and teens in a way that anyone can read and gain immediate benefit.

I want to help and inspire everyone to create and write a new story of their creative capability, the impact it can have and the contributions that can be made.

Consider it your handbook and workbook your fire guide to igniting the flames of your talent emboldening your sense of personal power.

At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done. Then they see it can be done. Then it is done and the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.