Creativity Triggers for College Students

By Edward Glassman, PhD

I know college students. I taught college students for 30 years, plus the years I was a college student myself, so I possess some insight into the college student's mind.

All college students are creative. Unfortunately almost all students attempt creative thinking without training, like a teen athlete operating without a coach, a mentor, or any formal lessons.

The result: an attempt at creative thinking without the quality outcomes that come from trained creatives.

Recently I wrote a book, "Creativity Triggers For College Students," to help with the creativity training of college students, helping them become more creative by improving their creative thing skills, which I call 'creativity triggers' because they spur the enhancement of creative ideas.

Here are some of the creativity triggers in my book:

1. Receiving new ideas in a supportive, non-evaluative manner.
2. Focusing on the daily enjoyment of creative effort, the internal reward.
3. Learning and using targeted creativity triggers, such as, brainstorming, brainwriting, forced combinations, fresh eye, How to's, metaphors and analogies, future fantasy, idea card, idea grid, etc.
4. Seeking to discover and use personal environmental creativity triggers.
5. Enjoying and welcoming bizarre ideas as triggers to better ideas.
6. Taking 100% responsibility to create a creative climate.
7. Using the 8 rung problem-solving ladder to attack problems creatively.

Creativity produces golden thoughts, new & useful ideas. Whether you are an undergraduate, a graduate student, or a student in a professional school, my book will help you change from a person that has to be reminded to 'think outside the box,' to a person who eliminates the box from your thinking, a person that spouts unexpected ideas generously, and solves problems creatively.

I enjoy my creativity. Ideas pop into my head in an erratic stream. It adds spice to my life. And it enabled me to write my books and columns, and contribute to the quality and excitement of my life. Savor your creativity. It will help you enjoy your life.

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