Divergent Da Vinci

Thinking outside the box, beyond normal social expectations, is referred to as divergent thinking. Studies suggest that, as children, our ability for divergence is high.

In fact, research reveals 98% of pre-schoolers fit the definition of ‘creative genius’. Going to school and growing up changes that.

We become adults by learning to repress our impulses to make us more acceptable but that also dampens our creativity. This results in becoming a convergent thinker. Convergence often focuses on getting things right and fear of failure.

Da Vinci

In contrast, many of our most influential thinkers and artists have been divergent thinkers.

For Leonardo Da Vinci, constant creativity and divergent thinking was a way of life. In addition to being an artist, he also was an architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor and an expert in anatomy, geology, mapmaker and botanist.

Creative Collection

When he died, Da Vinci left over 13,000 pages of sketches and notes, with many more thousands of details and complex inventions that reveal just how divergent was.

His inventions and designs were well beyond the thought of the 15th Century. His peers considered him eccentric and borderline mental health disorders.

‘Da Vinci Flying Machine’ Image from creativecommons.org by mahjqa

For example, his flying models, much like planes today, would have flown if created even though they were designed 400 years ago. He lived in a time where convergent ways of thinking often meant you would be discredited or considered mad so they were never tested. I have pondered this week, what concepts and inventions he would have thought of if he had lived today. With world wide peer support, could we already be on Mars?

Da Vinci’s life illustrates how powerful divergent thinking can be as a creative tool but also how limited it can be through the eyes of others