Finding Creative Wisdom by Looking for Less

Risa Mickenberg (1996) had a brilliant idea for a book: collect life wisdom from New York City taxi drivers. After all, what better place to hear gems about life? As she wrote in the book introduction, “…New York cab drivers are the world’s most accessible source of truth and wisdom,” and the fact that many of them were raised in other countries only enriches the perspectives gained during cab rides.

One of my favorite quotations from her book comes from a taxi driver who shared this wonderful life insight: “I see more of what is going on around me because I am not concerned with finding a parking place.” In other words, the taxi driver sees more by looking at less.

Vision is often primary among our senses in obtaining information from our environments. It frequently overrides the other senses, a term known as “visual capture.” The human brain is structured so that more space is dedicated to vision than other senses, and, as Pomerantz (2020) related, “…we are influenced by what we see more often and more powerfully than by what we hear, smell, taste, or touch” (p. 77).

A ventriloquist act is a good example: Ventriloquists do the talking for themselves and their dummies. However, in this “ventriloquism effect,” people look at the dummy as it “talks,” knowing full well that the words are actually coming from the ventriloquist (American Psychological Association, n.d.).

The ways in which we “see” affect our thinking, particularly when trying to think creatively. The taxi driver quotation points to this: By removing the stress of finding a parking place, our attention becomes more focused, and we “see” more. Blocking out parked cars and open parking spots reaps rewards.

When searching for creative ideas, people often “ignore the unexpected” (Michalko, 2001, p. 228). Because the focus is on that elusive parking space, perhaps they miss out on the beautiful fountain by the side of the road, a famous landmark, or even the billboard from their family wishing them a happy birthday. They miss the interesting things others find curious and take the time to see closely.

As Michalko (2001) noted, Alexander Fleming wasn’t the first person to observe how mold grew from exposed cultures. Other scientists didn’t give this a second thought. However, Fleming took the time to notice and explore the possibilities. Instead of looking for a parking space, his curiosity saw something different, leading to the invention of life-saving penicillin.

To enhance creativity, one idea is to "slow" your vision and begin to see things that otherwise would have been overlooked. And perhaps you will find a parking place too.