THE CONCEPTUAL MIND

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The conceptual mind is a specific kind of visionary mind and has the special intellectual capacity to operate mostly in terms of ideas, concepts, solutions and visions.  

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This is loosely described as a fertile imagination by those who do not understand or appreciate the value of such minds. It is far more than that and not something you can learn to acquire at school or university. It is inherent – a rare gift or talent - that considerably exceeds academic credentials such as PHDs. The conceptual mind can be simultaneously likened to both a cosmic fisherman that has a penchant for finding the most exciting fish, and a universal radio receiver that naturally tunes into the secret, wonderful and magical worlds beyond normal consciousness. It is overwhelmingly found in the matchless worlds of art and science. 

 

The words; idea, concept, imagination, innovation, creativity, invention, inspiration and vision, are often seen in promotional brochures from as unlikely sources as banks, business schools and accounting offices to understandable sources such as film, literature, science, technology, art, invention, advertising and design. 

 

In fact, money is not necessarily positive and does not make the world go round – it is ideas – and the masters of ideas are conceptual minds! Money was an idea, and it came about thousands of years after people discovered or created materials and products that were worth trading. In fact, most concrete realities that we take for-granted today, such as aeroplanes, cars, computers, telephones, electricity and gas, plumbing and toilets, pencils and paint, anaesthetics and pain killers, pianos and guitars, hang-gliders and bicycles - all started out as ideas, and became fully-fledged concepts before being prototyped, developed, produced, sold and incorporated into our societies. 

 

Although there are various definitions or explanations about the word idea in the dictionary they are limited, so for the purposes of this essay and as an award-winning creative writer, artist and designer, I will define it from a creative standpoint in the following way:

 

An idea is an emotionally charged visionary spark or ‘seed’, occurring in or invoked by the mind or received and simply registered by it, that gives one a glimpse of something intriguingly new, numerous alternative options or directions and perhaps a unique way to solve a problem.

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An idea is alive – it is an entity seeking to manifest itself in the material realm. When an idea comes to mind some people dismiss it for various reasons (they are too busy, for example). Others don’t recognise it or do not see it as useful (not applicable to so-called ‘real life’) or even as potentially valuable (I don’t see how I can make money from this etc.). And then again, some are distracted and forget the idea. An idea has to firstly, be recognised as such (it may be as subtle as a fragrance or as bold as lust), then held in the mind and pursued (involving time travel into possible futures) in an effort to see it more fully or to discover where it might take one, and finally, recorded in some way – more often than not it is jotted down on a piece of paper.

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GENIUS

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Genius. What is it and what does it mean? It is a superhuman capacity to invent, create, imagine and focus. It means that the human race is fortunately blessed by these gifted individuals, who, if they are not persecuted by the authorities, can help the human race leap into a more positive and civilized future. Geniuses, broadly speaking, tend to be scientifically, philosophically or artistically inclined.

 

Generally speaking, there are 4 types of genius:

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1. ECLECTIC – this type is brilliant in several areas (sometimes dozens), and has the capacity to realize his inventions. He has a little of all the other types below                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

2. PRAGMATIC – this type is a great problem solver and/or inventor. He is usually a mathematician, scientist or engineer, but may well be a philosopher                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

3. CONCEPTUAL – this type is an ideas person with a vast intellect who is content to reside in the realm of concept and philosophy                                                                                                                                                                             

4. SPECIALIST – this genius is focused on one area, say mathematics or rocket engineering, at the highest level possible

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It is essential to be aware that for every well known genius there are hundreds of unknown or less recognised geniuses with gifts close to, equal to or surpassing the famous ones. And these are ready and willing to prove themselves priceless to insightful CEOs and progressive corporations!

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