### 3.4.2. THAT'S NOT LOGICAL

Logic is an important creative thinking tool. Its use is especially appropriate in the practical phase of the creative process when you are evaluating ideas and preparing them for action.

When you are searching for ideas, however, excessive logical thinking can short-circuit your creative process. That's because the germinal phase is governed by a different kind of logic which could be best described as metaphorical, fantastic, diffuse, elliptical and ambiguous.

The metaphor is an excellent tool to help you "think something different". As Ortega y Gasset put it, "The metaphor is probably the most fertile power possessed by man". Think of yourself as a poet, and look for similarities around you. If you have a problem, try making a metaphor for it. That should help to give you a fresh slant on it. Go on metaphor hunts. Pay attention to the metaphors people use to describe what they're doing. For example, have you ever noticed how meteorologists use the "War Model of Weather" to describe their science'?

Pay attention to the metaphors use in your own thinking. As glorious a tool as metaphors are, they can easily imprison your thinking if you're not aware how much they're guiding your thoughts.