I have been known to talk about the zen of the motorcycle helmet. While I am ridding, I am working my body and aware of my surroundings and the tasks required to manage them, but I am at least partially disconnected mentally and sometimes find creative solutions in that space.
It turns out that this is a pretty good way of thinking about creativity and intelligence. This link takes you to an interview with an expert on intelligence and creativity. It's a pretty long read, but there are some interesting ideas in it.
https://onbeing.org/programs/rex-jung-creativity-and-the-everyday-brain/
Quoting one of my favorite parts;
"So with intelligence, there’s you know, the analogy I've used is there's
this superhighway in the brain that allows you to get from Point A to
Point B. With creativity, it's a slower, more meandering process where
you want to take the side roads and even the dirt roads to get there, to
put the ideas together."
So, now you know why you are looking at pictures of back roads. It's time for all of us to start meandering and get creative.
One other interesting idea from the interview is that we reach our peak
intelligence potential in our 40's. After that, the connections in the
brain start to degrade. But the cool thing is that when those
connections degrade, the opportunity for creativity grows. Those fewer
connections make it easier for the brain to meander and create.
