Pssst: Like multitasking, unicorns, and Donald Trump’s self-made real estate empire, brainstorming is a myth.
I know, it doesn’t fit the stereotype of creative spaces “filled with fidget toys and Post-it notes in an array of colors, all meant to absorb some of the energy of a group of fast-thinking, well-dressed hipsters deep in ideation mode.” (Confession: I’m neither fast-thinking nor well-dressed, I’m too old to be a hipster, and if anyone uttered the word “ideation” within twenty feet of me, fisticuffs would ensue.)
The big news here is that “a survey of 20,000 creatives from 197 countries suggests that, in fact, a majority [emphasis mine] of these professionals—including writers, musicians, photographers, and podcasters—find that brainstorming is largely unhelpful for solving a creative challenge.”
I always just assumed I was alone in my dislike of the practice. While I prefer to work through problems on my own—preferably on a walk, where I’m free from office distractions—I’ve known more than a few designers and writers and suchlike who rely on that collaborative give-and-take to fully flesh out their ideas.
Nice to know I’m not a weirdo.
