10 Creative Mental Models | Weekday Wisdom 🚀

← Archive Links10 Creative Mental Models | Weekday Wisdom 🚀 · 2025-04-08← Older Newer →

Hello there, you clever creative!

When you're stuck on a problem, staring at a blank page, or wondering why your brilliant idea still hasn’t caught fire - it might not be you. It might just be your model of thinking.

This week, we're sharing 10 mental models that are like cheat codes for creativity. Borrowed from physics, Zen, engineering and more, they’ll help you zig when others zag and unlock better ideas faster.

And if you like them, you'll love our Creative Thinking course. Check it out below!

Big love,
Chris & the 42courses team

THE TUESDAY TAKEAWAY 💡

Want to be more creative? Start stealing! (From other disciplines, that is)

That’s the idea behind mental models. They’re borrowed ways of thinking that help you see problems differently. For example, "Framing" asks you to turn a flaw into a feature by changing how you describe it (like hail-dented apples became “dimpled by the heavens”)

Curious? Here’s a handy guide to our 10 favourite models:
👉 Read 10 Mental Models for Creative Thinking

COURSE OF THE WEEK 🏆

CREATIVE THINKING - because let’s face it, staring at the wall isn’t working.

Whether you're pitching a new idea, battling creative block, or just trying to make your next brainstorm less painful, this course is your secret weapon.

Made in collaboration with some of the world’s most celebrated creative minds, like Josy Paul and Sir John Hegarty, our CREATIVE THINKING course is packed with practical exercises, proven frameworks, and idea-sparking stories from Cannes Lions award-winners.

It’s designed to help you actually become more creative - not just talk about it.

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking “I’m just not the creative type,” we’re here to lovingly say: that’s nonsense. Creativity is a skill, not a birthright. And like any skill, it gets better the more you practise.

🎓 You’ll even walk away with an official certification from Cannes Lions
✨ Bonus: it’s fun, easy to do in your own time, and full of “ohhh now I get it” moments

Here’s what one happy learner had to say:

WHAT MAKES THIS AD GREAT

Where's the most creative place to put your logo?

On everybody's breakfast, of course.

This idea from X-box is so spectacularly simple, there's almost nothing to say about it. Imagine getting people to BUY a device that prints your logo on something that they will see every day for years to come!

Bravo X-box.

If you love good ads like we do, learn how to make them in our Advertising Masters course.

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Bonus joke: What did one DNA say to the other DNA?
Do these genes make me look fat? 🤭