mind map your creative goals

As creatives, we may tend to keep everything we want to do in our brain and not necessarily organized in a way that we can remember and follow.  I recently discovered a visible and creative tool to help me keep my ideas and projects organized so that I can move forward with some sense of confidence and order.  Creating a Mind Map is one tool that helps me to get the information from my head and out to the universe for me to clearly delineate how my creative projects will flow.  It is a great way to include notes for your project as well as visuals that tie it together effectively to literally "map out" your ideas.

Mind Maps are structured to focus from the center...and raidate out using lines, images, words, colors based on simple, "brain-friendly" concepts. The design is based on using information that many of us would use for planning by converting them into a brain friendly way of taking in the steps and processes.  There is no real "rule" in organizing your thoughts around the central idea.  You can put down any idea that pops in your mind and then organize when it makes sense to include them. 

According to Mindmapping.com, there are "Five Essential Characteristics of Mind Mapping" which includes the following:

1. "The main idea, subject or focus is crystallized in a central image
2. The main themes radiate from the central image as 'branches'
3. The branches comprise a key image or key word drawn or printed on its associated line
4. Topics of lesser importance are represented as 'twigs' of the relevant branch
5. The branches form a connected nodal structure."

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​How to Make a Mind Map

1. Let's say you are looking to write a book of poetry.  Use "poetry book" as your general theme and write that in the center of the page.  You may want to use an image, like a book or a symbol that represents the project.  
2. Now, think about the "sub-themes" of your main concept (ex. write poetry, find a publisher, establish a platform for the marketing, subject matter, etc.) and draw branches to them from the center, like a spider web.  
3. Color code the lines and themes as well as include images and symbols to represent the sub-themes. Images help invoke thought quickly. 
4. Use short phrases or single words, long sentences are not needed.
5. Make sure to use very short phrases or even single words
6. With each sub-theme, think of two additional main points that underscore your thoughts (ex. write poetry might have subject theme or format as sub-themes or branches).  Create additional branches out of these. 
7. Try thinking of at least two main points for each sub-theme you created and then create branches out to those.

Your finished product should help you visually "map" out your thinking process in reaching your creative goal.   Have you ever used mind mapping for your creative projects?  How did it work for you? If not is it something you would try?  Feel free to comment below.