Experiencing the distinction between creative and critical thinking

Recently I stumbled(quite by accident!) onto an exercise that has completely changed the way I think about doing projects.  For this exercise I did this:

1. Start scribbling lines(these lines can curve) on a sheet of paper.
2. Keep scribbling until an image begins to appear on the paper.
3. As the image begins to appear, darken the lines that compose the image and add any lines that are missing from the image.

The interesting thing about this exercise is that I didn’t try to create the image.  I imposed no limits.  Instead, I let my subconscious mind decide what it wanted to see and I simply watched.  I learned this from the exercise:

1. The subconscious mind is vast.
2. The subconscious mind is creative.
3. There is a clear distinction between creating thinking and critical thinking.
4. The subconscious mind will automatically do all the creative work for you if you simply let it.

Finally, I understand the difference between creative thinking and critical thinking.  In the past I intellectually knew there was a distinction and now I’ve experienced the distinction.  Those are two profoundly different lessons.