It's end of school year days at the school where I work. The faculty and I have, together with each student individually, assessed the drawing and painting excercises from this trimester — a sometimes challenging, but always interesting process. In one way you could say that I have spent two days in the border territory between linear and non-linear thinking.

In pretty much all creative pursuits, the relationship between linear and non-linear thinking underpins the processes and practices. In my field, traditional painting, understanding how these two modes of thought collaborate, can many times be the key to progress.

Linear Thinking: The Structured Approach

In traditional painting linear thinking — the sequential, step-by-step process — is often represented by the parts of the process that can be formulated into clear steps: starting with a simplified drawing, making an under painting, followed by other clearly defined stages (that all have names), to eventually build up details and textures. This structured approach helps painters to achieve precision and to plan their projects.

Non-Linear Thinking: Embracing Chaos and Serendipity

Seemingly contrarian, non-linear thinking is more associative and dynamic. (When teaching second and third year students, I very often refer to these parts of the process as concentric.) Jumping between ideas and concepts, in what seems to be a non orderly fashion, making unexpected connections, embracing the unpredictable — the non linear parts of painting are, in a way, the very argument for making a painting at all; to achieve an image that helps defy the sense of time. Nerdrum likes to say that good painting has an inward motion, I like that. When dealing with the linear parts of the process we often use words like ”intuitive”, ”intentional”, ”presence” etc, trying to encompass the phenomena that might never emerge from a strictly linear approach.

The Creative Symphony

While it’s tempting to view linear and non-linear thinking as mutually exclusive, it is my experience that the most compelling creative works often is a merge, a blend of both. When I teach, I very often try to get students to treat the conscious switching between, the balance act, almost as a method in itself. A fun parenthesis is the painter’s mouth - a state that can be observed by the coffee machine at the end of the day. Students who have spent more than two hour in non-linear mode need some extra time before they can speak - as if the language center has been put to sleep.

This symbiotic relationship isn’t just anecdotal. Part of why I wanted to write this text is that I’m excited to have found a scientific study that suggests that creative individuals often display an ability to switch between different types of thinking as needed. Now, as with all texts in another language than Swedish, I need to read it a couple of times. But as far as I understand, the study (Mednick, 1962) introduced the concept of "associative hierarchies" in creativity, and that creative solutions can be achieved in three ways: serendipity, similarity, and mediation. Mednick also suggests that in a creative process, individuals access a broader range of associations, linking disparate ideas in non-linear ways while also utilizing linear thinking to structure and refine these ideas.

Practical Implications

Having been immersed in a very particular kind of creative work - students learning how to balance the structured and the intuitive parts of painting realistically, I think that understanding this interplay can have practical implications for anyone involved in creative fields. If you find yourself stuck in a rut, it might be helpful to switch gears. Engaging in a more structured, linear approach can help clarify your goals and break down complex tasks. Conversely, if your work feels too rigid or uninspired, allowing yourself the freedom to think non-linearly—through brainstorming, improvisation, or playful experimentation—can inject new life into your projects. Or, in the case of aforementioned students, breathe life into mere mimesis.

Thanks for reading!

---

References:

1. Mednick, S. A. (1962). The associative basis of the creative process. Psychological Review, 69(3), 220-232.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/927c/10385d93d538e2791f8ef28c5eaf96e08a73.pdf

It's end of school year days at the school where I work. The faculty and I have, together with each student individually, assessed the drawing and painting excercises from this trimester — a sometimes challenging, but always interesting process. In one way you could say that I have spent two days in the border territory between linear and non-linear thinking.

In pretty much all creative pursuits, the relationship between linear and non-linear thinking underpins the processes and practices. In my field, traditional painting, understanding how these two modes of thought collaborate, can many times be the key to progress.

Linear Thinking: The Structured Approach

In traditional painting linear thinking — the sequential, step-by-step process — is often represented by the parts of the process that can be formulated into clear steps: starting with a simplified drawing, making an under painting, followed by other clearly defined stages (that all have names), to eventually build up details and textures. This structured approach helps painters to achieve precision and to plan their projects.

Non-Linear Thinking: Embracing Chaos and Serendipity

Seemingly contrarian, non-linear thinking is more associative and dynamic. (When teaching second and third year students, I very often refer to these parts of the process as concentric.) Jumping between ideas and concepts, in what seems to be a non orderly fashion, making unexpected connections, embracing the unpredictable — the non linear parts of painting are, in a way, the very argument for making a painting at all; to achieve an image that helps defy the sense of time. Nerdrum likes to say that good painting has an inward motion, I like that. When dealing with the linear parts of the process we often use words like ”intuitive”, ”intentional”, ”presence” etc, trying to encompass the phenomena that might never emerge from a strictly linear approach.

The Creative Symphony

While it’s tempting to view linear and non-linear thinking as mutually exclusive, it is my experience that the most compelling creative works often is a merge, a blend of both. When I teach, I very often try to get students to treat the conscious switching between, the balance act, almost as a method in itself. A fun parenthesis is the painter’s mouth - a state that can be observed by the coffee machine at the end of the day. Students who have spent more than two hour in non-linear mode need some extra time before they can speak - as if the language center has been put to sleep.

This symbiotic relationship isn’t just anecdotal. Part of why I wanted to write this text is that I’m excited to have found a scientific study that suggests that creative individuals often display an ability to switch between different types of thinking as needed. Now, as with all texts in another language than Swedish, I need to read it a couple of times. But as far as I understand, the study (Mednick, 1962) introduced the concept of "associative hierarchies" in creativity, and that creative solutions can be achieved in three ways: serendipity, similarity, and mediation. Mednick also suggests that in a creative process, individuals access a broader range of associations, linking disparate ideas in non-linear ways while also utilizing linear thinking to structure and refine these ideas.

Practical Implications

Having been immersed in a very particular kind of creative work - students learning how to balance the structured and the intuitive parts of painting realistically, I think that understanding this interplay can have practical implications for anyone involved in creative fields. If you find yourself stuck in a rut, it might be helpful to switch gears. Engaging in a more structured, linear approach can help clarify your goals and break down complex tasks. Conversely, if your work feels too rigid or uninspired, allowing yourself the freedom to think non-linearly—through brainstorming, improvisation, or playful experimentation—can inject new life into your projects. Or, in the case of aforementioned students, breathe life into mere mimesis.

Thanks for reading!

---

References:

1. Mednick, S. A. (1962). The associative basis of the creative process. Psychological Review, 69(3), 220-232.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/927c/10385d93d538e2791f8ef28c5eaf96e08a73.pdf