Developing the ‘other side’ of your brain

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Jul 18, 2009 in Mind Maps in Education, Personal Mind Maps | 0 comments

If you are a regular reader of my articles or regularly browse my websites, you will notice a common theme. It can be simply described as lifelong learning. Seeking knowledge from the cradle to the grave is one of my mottoes.

Everything that I do, is to enable you to do this faster and easier. I constantly punt Mind Maps as the greatest tool to help you achieve this objective.

One of the reasons that Mind Maps work so well, is the fact that it engages both sides of the brain. i.e. both the logical side and the creative side. I have other articles on my sites that explain the ‘left brain’ and ‘right brain’ in more detail.

As most of us have a preference for either the right brain or the left brain, I strongly encourage you to develop the ‘other side’.

I am naturally ‘left-brained’, for example. I studied electronic engineering, went into computer programming and then into database and system design. Today I am an I.T. manager leading a team of largely left brained people. I am comfortable in this world.

To develop my ‘right brain’, I had to move out of my comfort zone. Luckily my wife, Jasmine, also a keen Mind Mapper, realised this and gave me wonderful birthday presents over the last few years.

A few years ago she sent me on a short piano/keyboard course. Today, I can play a few (albeit basic) songs on my keyboard. While I will never be a concert pianist, the thrill of actually being able to play a song that someone recognises was definitely worth the effort!

Last year, she sent me on a painting course. On the course, I completed an acrylic painting, which is now hanging in our lounge.

Today, I started a drawing course. I learned about the ‘hardness’ of the different pencils. I learned about lines, texture, tone, form and shapes. I learned how to shade using dots, cross hatching and gradual toning. I learned how shadows are reflected. I learned that a portrait can be drawn without using a single line. I didn’t know that you could ‘draw’ using shading alone.

While I am completely out of my comfort zone, my right brain is being developed in ways that I never thought possible. I was afraid to show people my drawings. Luckily, I’ve found a good art teacher that will enable me to express my artistic self in a safe environment and without being ridiculed for my ‘poor’ artistic skills.

I will keep you informed on how this is going.

If you are naturally ‘right brained’, I recommend that you start some naturally left brained activities, such as puzzles, sudoku or even chess.

By doing this, you will become more of a ‘whole brain’ thinker and if you add Mind Maps to your itinerary, you will take your thinking to the next level.

So don’t just read this and do nothing. Identify whether you are more ‘right brained’ or more ‘left brained’ and work on the other side! You will be on the path of the creative geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci. He was an artist, inventor, scientist, mathematician and much more…