Rules are the first casualty of imaginative thinking, so let’s first fail to define the indefinable and then delve deeper to extricate our best ideas from social constraints. 

We’ve explored instinctual, rational, and moral thinking, but imaginative thinking is wholly different. Root thinking begins instinctually and drives us to act. Rational thinking is taught in school and is used to succeed. Moral thinking—sorely lacking these days—is desperately needed to improve our decisions. Yet imaginative thinking is the rarest, most valuable, least valued and most misunderstood.

Imagination imagines, wandering and wondering—ideally taking on a life of its own—creatively, destructively iconoclastic, unpredictably novel, exploring and ignoring limits.  Applied imaginative thinking—creative thinking and invention—is how we come up with new ideas; the goals vary, from understanding the truth, to creating a beautiful work of art and to finding a simpler, more elegant solution to a mundane old problem.  But in its purist form, imagination is unburdened by reality: a spark, a thread, a blank slate, a new world or multiverses. Yet since imagination is limitless, it tends to draw ideas from all types of thought, which causes problems right in the beginning.  

Most people use their imagination to imagine what they desire, which is driven by their instinctual needs.  Advanced creative thinking evolved from this type of fantasizing, but when only used in service of instinct, imagination is limited to serve our basic needs and is reduced to being an extension of our primitive nature.  When an animal uses tactics to hunt, that is instinct, not rational thinking.  Similarly, visualizing our urges is instinctive, not imaginative thinking.  Instinctual desires are basic, common, constant, repetitive, and ubiquitous, the most direct path to satisfying a need as opposed to the originality of uniquely creative ideas.

Motive matters. Freeing our imagination from our basic instincts is just as important as learning to think rationally or morally.  Freeing your creative mind in this way allows you to do much more than simply satisfy or stimulate yourself.  Human passions may fuel imagination, but if the goal is only to express those emotions, then that is all you will get.  If the goal is pure imagination, art for art’s sake, or a single idea, then imaginative thinking can be used for any dream. Imaginative thinkers are aware of instincts but are not bound by them. Unconstrained, they may choose to reveal conflicts in the human condition in order that we may see ourselves anew and change. If the goal is to create something novel, a child’s escapist dream can mature and develop into an elaborate new vision for humanity.

Rational thinkers are productive but follow standard procedures, limiting their capacity for change. Rational thinkers judge imaginative thought solely by its productive utility or output value, and they dislike budgeting time or resources on vague concepts or chaotic individuals. They seek to control the production of ideas, defining subcategories of creative thinking, invention and brainstorming to harness imagination to create, invent or solve their priorities, counting the number of bad ideas identified and evaluated, preferably producing at least one quantifiably useful insight per day. So, invention and creativity often become budgeted, programmatic efforts to produce quantifiable results on schedule. There is little that’s creative about a brute force evaluation of a large number of committee-brainstormed suggestions to fit a limited set of concrete criteria. Also, rational people are typically the least qualified for evaluating creative thinking, since they often lack the imagination needed to understand, appreciate or apply a new idea.

Imaginative people who enjoy new ideas for their own sake often struggle to operate within corporations and bureaucratic organizations, especially when they receive no credit for their ideas. Chaotic daydreamers with vague concepts are anathema to their rational bosses, until the day one comes up with a new competitive advantage for the whole firm. Imagination is disruptive to routine, but an idea can add more value in an instant than a division of diligent workers do in a year. Imaginative, out-of-the-box thinking necessitates removal of limits, which contradicts the standard operating procedure of rational business people. So, imaginative employees often need to find a perceptive advocate for their approach, to explain the potential reward of a new idea for a relatively low investment of time and resources, and to demand appropriate credit for a successful result. Visionaries often have to start their own businesses.

Imagination is often amoral and especially dismissive of conventions and customs.  Moral thinkers typically evaluate imaginative thought by its risks and benefits to society, and, as self-appointed guardians of righteous behavior, they often clash with new, unproven ideas. But imaginative thinkers are often seeking good ideas and positive solutions, just in different, unconventional and creative ways. Society develops moral rules which are internalized by people, but even the most well established social rules must be improved through innovation. Otherwise civilizations stagnate and can become oppressive in pursuit of stability, where consistent conformity leads to small-minded dull routine. Think of how a comedian can newly capture a common daily scenario that makes us suddenly realize its absurdity and laugh. One imaginative person can shatter the self-imposed constraints of a civilization, giving it the freedom to grow into a better one.

Our civilization does not make imaginative thinking easy. We ridicule and ostracize people who think different, assign ownership of ideas to corporations that may bury them to protect profits, and we pass laws prohibiting uncomfortable changes that challenge the status quo. In theory, the possibilities of imagination are endless, but in practice, the world places constraints upon us.  At work, creative people may be expected to produce innovations on schedule, within budget, conforming to specifications, using preferred methods, following brand guidelines, in Compliance, after gaining agreement of all stakeholders, with input from senior leadership.  If there are only a few ideas that will fit, then it is not particularly creative to pick one.  Rational thinkers may believe they understand the problem better and may try to impose their solution upon you.  Moral and instinctual thinkers may also believe they know best. 

Imaginative thinkers must both rise above instincts and keep rational and moral controlling forces at bay. Imagination can create something out of nothing, while unimaginative others remain stuck in ruts, plod through 10,000 sequential failures, or miss the point entirely. A good idea requires looking at the problem differently than before, taking a new approach or testing a tenuous new connection. A good idea may appear to come out of the blue suddenly, but usually a good idea is the result of a unique perspective or uncommon thinking.  Imagination uncovers secret shortcuts through inspirational, non-linear leaps, invisible and unknowable to others. Often such thinking requires walking outside, sleep, or focusing on seemingly unrelated ideas. Daydreaming at work is cause for dismissal, but once you come up with a new solution to an intractable problem, everyone follows and claims credit.

We need to reorient our lives, our work and our society to encourage imaginative thinking. Creative thought burns calories, and imagination requires effort and time.  Imaginative thinkers need independence, space to do their thing, and access to whatever fuels their ideas and inspires them, without interference. Realizing a dream may require new media, new technology or shattering a sacrosanct symbol. New ideas need inspiration, including varied viewpoints, diverse experiences and old forgotten ideas.  Ideas yearn to be free, realized, rediscovered, shared, stolen and reimagined. But imaginative people need recognition for the value of their contributions, champions to help bring their ideas to fruition and protection from small-minded, fearful bureaucrats, thieves and corrupt controllers.

But the magic begins when we give ourselves time to dream, so first, imaginative thinking must be a personal priority. I live my best life when I lead with my imagination and let everything else follow.