I'm not going to bore you with a long dissertation on research into creative thinking. But I do want to mention a few terms that describe different ways of thinking.

1. convergent thinking - This is the way most of us are taught to think in school. It's the way we think when when we are trying to find the "correct" answer. Convergent thinking is great for taking standardized tests, like the SAT or an IQ test. But convergent thinking is not very useful for creative projects.
2. divergent thinking - The opposite of convergent thinking. This is the kind of thinking we use when we are trying to come up with as many different ideas as possible. Brainstorming and mind mapping are examples of strategies that use divergent thinking. A limitation of these strategies is that they take from ideas that are already stored in the brain, but don't really generate any new ideas.
3. lateral thinking - Related to divergent thinking, but where divergent thinking still relies on thinking in a sequential way (one thought, leads to the next), lateral thinking is about purposely breaking out of our normal habitual ways of thinking. Lateral thinking is about thinking "outside the box".

Of course, none of these are the "correct" way of thinking. Each has it's uses, in life as well as in creating content. For example, there are many aspects of blogging where you have to "get it right". Not every question has a creative answer. If I'm writing a product review, there are basic facts that I must get right. This requires convergent thinking.

Researcher have identified other types of thinking, such as systems thinking and aesthetic thinking. But I won't go into those now.

Instead, lets look at the artist, the rock star and the weird strategy they came up with to help themselves and others use lateral thinking to break though creative blocks.