Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about creativity. Not in an abstract way, but in the very practical sense of what creativity means for us designers who are working within budgets, deadlines, and client expectations. We are asked to be creative and innovative, but also efficient and grounded in the constraints of the business world.
For years, we were told that creativity lives in the right brain and logic in the left brain. It is a simple, useful metaphor, but it misleads us. Modern neuroscience confirms that both hemispheres work together on tasks rather than functioning in isolation. Creativity does not belong to just one side of the brain but emerges from interaction and communication between multiple neural networks on both sides of the brain. Cognitive neuroscientist John Kounios describes creativity as the ability to discover an idea, perspective, or solution that is not obvious. The “aha” moment is not a random spark of light from nowhere, but occurs when the brain forms a non-obvious connection between pieces of information collected over time. The sudden burst of creative intuition is, in fact, the result of a much longer process of expanded thinking.
I believe this is the beauty of “Whole-Brain Creativity,” the ability to connect and move fluidly between expansive thinking and focused analysis, between imagination and strategy, between art and business. It is not about two opposite modes and choosing one side over the other but integrating them into our daily work. Creativity in our profession is not separate from business but rather recognizing that interior design is a creative business. When creativity aligns with strategy and human need, it strengthens business performance. According to McKinsey’s Business Value of Design report, organizations embedding design into their strategic core consistently outperform competitors. Creativity and business are not opposites, they are partners.
Creativity starts with being curious. To me, this simple definition captures it best:
Curiosity is collecting the dots. Creativity is connecting the dots.
Curiosity begins with humility, the recognition that the more we know, the more there is to learn. It is an open mindset and a willingness to admit that there are multiple ways to approach a problem or a task. When we adopt this growth mindset, we begin collecting dots and inspirations everywhere. And when we remain open to learning and exploring, we can begin connecting those dots in new ways, and creativity emerges.
So how do we intentionally cultivate whole-brain creativity in practice?
- Start with curiosity, not a solution.
Before we race to a quick solution, we need to pause and widen the playing field. Curiosity is not passive interest, but an active pursuit. This may look like reading outside our discipline, studying behavioral science, paying attention to human experiences, listening to people who think differently from us, or observing how people occupy spaces that have nothing to do with our current project. Over time, this steady gathering of diverse inputs creates a rich internal collection from which new, non-obvious connections can form.
- Design the conditions that make creativity possible.
Creativity does not flourish in stress, but in a positive mood and psychologically safe state of mind. Plenty of sleep, moments of mind wandering, a warm shower, a walk in the park, or entering a flow state are all known to support creative thinking.
Creativity also thrives in environments that signal permission to explore. According to environmental psychologist Sally Augustin, science shows that certain types of spaces increase creative thinking. They tend to include art, allow privacy and personalization, provide choices and options, and align with the task at hand. These spaces make us feel good and support mental refreshment. They often incorporate natural light, plants, wood grain, or nature sounds. Taller ceilings can subtly encourage expansive thinking, thoughtful materiality and workmanship can create a sense of awe, and even specific shades of green have been shown to support creativity. These are not aesthetic indulgences; they shape cognitive performance. With this science-backed knowledge in our design toolbox, designers are uniquely positioned to create environments that communicate, “Creativity is valued here.”
- Ask better questions before solving.
Before generating ideas, we must make sure we are solving the right problem. Strategist and design researcher Cindy Coleman reminds us that framing the problem and questioning the question can help designers avoid the common pitfall of solving the wrong problem.
Julio Ottino speaks about “assumption archaeology,” the practice of excavating the buried assumptions that limit our thinking. Before jumping into solution mode, it is worth asking what we are assuming to be true, and why. Are we designing a collaborative space, or addressing a deeper issue of culture and trust? Especially in the age of AI, crafting thoughtful, human-centered questions may be one of our most valuable creative skills. Creativity does not begin with the right answer; it begins with asking better questions.
- Integrate research and strategy into the creative act.
Creativity is not synonymous with aesthetic novelty. It is not simply about new forms or styles, but about arriving at ideas that are meaningful and new within context. That requires research, synthesis, and strategic thinking. Writing observations on separate Post-it notes, mapping patterns, clustering themes, and deliberately connecting insights is not just an effective process; it is creative work. Strategic foresight, such as IIDA Certified Design Futurist program, strengthens our ability to connect today’s signals to creatively shape tomorrow’s possible future scenarios.
- Develop depth and breadth through a T-shaped mindset.
In our field, we often talk about generalists versus specialists, and the value of T-shaped talent. These are the unicorns who have deep expertise in one field and also possess a broad range of knowledge and adaptable skills. Applied to creativity, breadth without depth becomes surface-level inspiration, but depth without breadth becomes repetition and cookie-cutter design. The most creative designers I know have deep mastery of their craft—spatial design, materials, detailing, lighting—and a wide lens that extends into psychology, art, technology, economics, and culture. This T-shaped mindset allows us to connect unexpected ideas without losing rigor. It is the difference between remixing randomly and synthesizing intentionally.
- Repeat divergence and convergence.
Whole-brain creativity thrives in cycles of divergence and convergence. First, expand and explore multiple options. Then analyze, synthesize, and refine. In practice, this means generating genuinely different and non-obvious ideas before narrowing direction. Host charrettes, vision sessions, and co-design workshops where interdisciplinary voices are invited early and ideas are built upon rather than immediately critiqued. Cover a wall, or a virtual board, with notes, sketches, and research insights, and rearrange them until unexpected relationships begin to appear. Convergence becomes far more powerful after wide divergence.
- Embrace constraints as catalysts.
Unlike artists, designers do not create in isolation from the real-world constraints. We work within business ecosystems, and understanding those systems allows us to propose ideas that are both ambitious and viable. When we can articulate the value of creativity through storytelling and how a bold spatial move supports organizational goals, improves well-being, or enhances long-term adaptability, creativity gains credibility. Constraints often expand our thinking and sharpen our inventiveness.
- Collaborate beyond your professional echo chamber.
Design excellence within our discipline is important, but whole-brain creativity expands when we work across boundaries. Researchers, scientists, designers, strategists, engineers, business analysts, and academics each see different dimensions of the same problem from their own vantage points. It is essential to reframe problems from domain-specific to cross-domain, working with interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams to address complex challenges. When those perspectives intersect, new patterns emerge. Bridging science and art, academia and practice—something I care deeply about—allows evidence to inform imagination, and creativity to shape research.
- Embrace uncertainty, experimentation, and iteration.
David Kelley of IDEO often speaks about taking risks and building creative confidence through small experiments. Prototypes, mock-ups, and pilot studies are not extras, but the tools that allow ideas to be tested and strengthened through action. When we practice being comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty, and stop clinging rigidly to an initial plan, we create space for evolution and discovery.
As Jony Ive wrote in the Letter to a Young Creator, early ideas are fragile and protecting them requires disciplined curiosity and a willingness to learn, explore, and remain open. Often, innovation comes not from entirely new ingredients, but from seeing familiar ones differently.
- Protect play.
At its core, creativity is play. It is tinkering with ideas, making connections, rearranging relationships, testing and building simply to see what might happen. Ken Robinson reminded us that children are born creative, but we often lose that capacity somewhere along the way. Play is not the opposite of professionalism; it is the foundation of innovation. It is how we explore without the pressure of immediate perfection. Play is curiosity in motion, and we must protect the mindset of play to be more creative.
Whole-brain Creativity Mindset
Whole-brain creativity is a mindset and a way of thinking. We need to remain curious even when we believe we have all the answers and stay open to new approach when it seems to be easier to default to what has worked before. It is about balancing imagination with analysis, respecting research and intuition, and understanding that design and business are not opposites but strategic partners.
In a time when our industry faces rapid change, technological shifts, and complex challenges, creativity is our responsibility and superpower. If we choose to cultivate whole-brain creativity, we elevate not only our design work, but the value of design itself shaping our human-centered future.
So let us collect widely and connect thoughtfully. And let us design in a way that reflects the full capacity of our wonderfully integrated human brain.
Editor’s Note: Yong In is a professor of interior design at Purdue University and has more than 25 years of experience in the design and architecture industry. She earned her master’s degree from Northwestern University and holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in interior architecture and science. She is a whole-brain designer with a unique background in both creative explorations (design/art/architecture) and analytical processes (science/engineering/strategy).