Just back from a Learning and the Brain Conference in Orlando
on imagination, curiosity and creativity.
As genealogists we have passion which is the basis for all three, the
drive that’s needed for success. After
hearing the wonderful speakers from around the world I began to think that the
application for genealogy can knock down our brick walls. Here’s how-
The beginning of imagination is dreaming. Our dream may be to discover who our several
times great grandpa married or the reason our family moved to an area. It could be how our grandparents met or why
we always have banana birthday cake.
These thought provoking questions for people with passion to learn more
about their ancestors lead to pursuing and seeking ways to find the answer to
the question.
The posed research question you act upon is how you
demonstrate your curiosity. One of the
sessions had an interesting photo at the beginning – it showed square
trees. The research question presented
was where could you find square trees. I
figured it was a trick question and immediately replied Lowes or Home
Depot. Hint: That’s not the answer the presenter was
looking for! How I formulated my
response was by enlisting my background knowledge. My do-it-yourselfer hubby has had me assist
with so many projects involving square wood if I lived in a large city my frame
of reference may have been to expect that most trees grew in a square shape
because that’s what I would be familiar with in the big box lumber
department. I know that the trees in my
neighborhood grown in somewhat of a round shape and that what we find in the
store is processed lumber. Think how
this applies to your research. Do you
always rely on your same go to websites – the big names on the web to answer
your research question? That’s not bad
or wrong to do but there’s so much more that you’re missing. Those that want to REALLY know the answer
would have their curiosity take them to some out of the box, unconventional
places. I have found the answer to some
of my research questions in odd places – on a microfilm in Salt Lake
City of a book that exists in no library today, at a research facility in Boston that had
a text that isn’t anywhere in the state the record was compiled from, on a CD
created by a rural former church historian of the denomination’s newsletters,
in a deed moved from the recorder’s office to an archive, in a letter stuck in
a book on the shelf in our study. Those
are just a few examples that pop into my brain that have happened to me in the
last six months. None of those had
anything to do with the major genealogical websites. Please do not think that I don’t value the information
that’s now available on the web. I
DO! I certainly don’t want to go back to
those dark ages when information was difficult to obtain. I highly value and appreciate the big box
genealogy sites. My point is that we
need to remember it’s not the be all and end all. There is more – lots more – and your
curiosity will propel you to find the more.
If you’re thinking, easy for her to say! I can’t afford, find the time, etc. etc. to
go seek this information you’re wrong and doing your research a
disservice. You don’t have to go to Salt
Lake or Boston or even clean your house to find the letter in a book. You can use the technology that’s available
to minimize the miles and bring the research to you. Use Worldcat if
it’s available to have your library cooperative bring the material to you. Same with the microfilm – search Familysearch and order the film to be delivered
to a closer site to your home. Yes,
there is a fee but it’s minimal compared to cost involved if you don’t live in
the Salt Lake City area. Aren’t sure how
to find what you need? Call or visit
your local library and they will help you.
If they don’t, go to another. Don’t
give up and don’t let negative people stand in your way.
How interesting is this! I’ve even mentioned big box sites
to help you find the information you’re needing. You are bringing the knowledge closer to
you. That’s why I believe genealogy is a
study in patience. In this info overload
world we so often expect the answer to arrive instantly on our phone, tablet or
laptop. As the song says, “Waiting is
the hardest part” but could also be the most important and relevant piece of
your genealogical puzzle. While you’re
waiting – go make yourself a nice cup of tea and dream some more, then act on
that dream and the cycle continues.
See, when you’ve acted on your curiosity you’ve become
creative. It was quite easy! We all have this ability we just have to
practice it.
We did a cute little exercise at one of the breakout
sessions you can take part in. Go to Answer Garden and
answer the question “What is creativity.”
Your answer is right because there is no one right answer so don’t be
afraid. You don’t have to sign in, give
your email address, nada! Once you
submit your answer you will get an interesting “art” piece. I printed it and have it on my workspace as a
reminder to be creative.
Creativity is the quality of human existence that allows us
to modify the environment to our needs to make something new and useful. It’s a mix of intuitive and rational
factors. That’s why we use the
Genealogical Proof Standard. We use our
gut and our brain to analyze the findings and reach a conclusion. We may be right and we may be wrong but until
a direct or negative piece of evidence is discovered to make us revisit our
findings, our analysis stands.
Creativity is a process and like all processes, has several
steps. Preparation is primary! If the problem is worth studying you need to
have background information and that’s pulling together what you know. Your answer may be right there in front of
you but was overlooked the first time you saw it. Here’s one of my “Oh, Duh!” moments – wanted to
know where an adult child had moved and found it listed on a death certificate
for the parent. Was there all the time
but I failed to “see” it. Don’t reinvent
the wheel! Collaborate with others who may have already discovered what you’re
looking for. Email the person who posted
that family tree and ask where they got their info. Sure they might have just copied someone else
but they might not have. If you don’t
ask you won’t know. Asking is free!
Now you’ve found some tidbit of a record and you don’t know
how it fits. No worries, time for
another cup of tea. You just need to
reflect on the finding. It will allow
your brain to storm! Hmm, maybe I should
check this resource or that facility or ask that second cousin. Research shows brainstorming is best done
alone; we are social creatures for the most part and even if we don’t want to
believe it, social inhibitions often prevail in group think. There is a time for collaboration and a time
for going solo. When you’ve got some
brainstormed ideas it’s time to put it out there to the genealogical community
and step back into collaboration. How
can technology help you in preparation?!
Use Google Docs to share your findings
with the other researchers that are working on your same line. One of the presenters recommended Padlet which I haven’t tried yet but plan to. It looks like a thinking Pinterest and it’s
free. I like free! You collaborate with whoever you select to be
in your group. Wish I had known about
this a few years back when I was working with several distant relatives to beat
the clock to find a Revolutionary War participant so an elderly relative could
join the DAR before she passed. We made
it happen but this would have been so much better. Another awesome idea is to use a Web Whiteboard.
A whiteboard has taken the place of blackboards in the classroom – no squeaky
chalk and no dust. You don’t even need
one in your office, you can draw, write or scribble on a virtual whiteboard to
help you sort out the connection between those found documents. Symbaloo may be the answer you need to bookmark
your favorite go to web sites. It’s a
free social bookmarking cloud based service that allows you to surf your
favorite website with an easy click AND download an ap so you can keep being
productive when you’re waiting in line at the checkout or for an
appointment.
Now that you’ve
got many ideas to help you with your preparation you’re ready to move to the
next stages of creativity: Incubation
and Inspiration. I love incubation – it’s
easy but we don’t do it enough. We just
need to STOP and let our brain process what we’ve found. Go outside and smell the roses. Take a
walk. Swim. Lay on the sofa. Wherever you love to hang, go there! Your brain is still working on solving but it
needs to be left to do it without the pressure of hurry. It’ll come.
Just wait. Patience again!
My brain works in a weird way. My
best solutions for my job as an educator comes when I’m stuck in traffic on the
interstate after my 2nd cup of coffee and old hard rock is
playing on the radio. I see my destination off in the distance, Oz
beckons me and Voila! The answer is there.
So if you’re like me, you may have your incubation moment in an odd
location but if it works, who cares because you’ve reached inspiration. The unconscious mind (incubation) has brought
the solution to be recognized in your conscious mind (inspiration).
If you’re
stuck in incubation here’s some ideas that might help you. Vocaroo
is an online way to share voice messages over the web. For those of you who are auditory this may really
be helpful. Say what you know into
Vocaroo and then listen to what you said.
That’s it. If you’re a visual
learner you may want to Mindmap. Unfortunately, most mindmap sites are not free but you don’t need to purchase it – take a look at images on google
and you’ll get the idea. Mindmap on
paper or on the virtual whiteboard. Poplet is a free sight designed for schools that can
help you with a downloadable ap so you can take it anywhere. Since you’re reading this blog you might be a
blogger yourself. Blogging can also help
your inspiration. You can keep your blog
to yourself, include just a few or make it public. There are lots of blog sites but I like
Google’s Blogger. I don’t want you to think you have to spend
a lot of time on becoming creative. Use your smart
phone clock timer to keep yourself in check.
Don’t beat yourself up if the timer goes off and you’re not where you
hoped to be. It’s okay, really.
The last parts of creativity are Verification – Implementation
– Production. Test the ideas that
inspired you. You’re that much closer to
scaling your brick wall. Happy Hunting!
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