Cannabis to Spark Creativity and Innovative Thinking

At the heart of innovation and creative thinking is being open-minded and curious, seeing things from a diversity of angles, with fresh eyes or a renewed perspective.

Harnessing our own creative potential, or artistic process – whether at work or play – can be motivated by a need to overcome a creative roadblock in order to produce a required output for a deadline or a deliverable at work for example, or being driven by an intrinsic desire to create freely and without constraint.

When it comes to measuring the efficacy of substances like cannabis on our creativity, we rely heavily on qualitative research and a select few measurement tools, because creativity can in many ways be highly subjective. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

Using ‘rarity of an idea’ as a measure of creativity, cannabis consumers produced significantly more ‘rare-creative’ responses during a study by Australian Researcher, Katy Jones. Her team at the School of Health and Behavioural Sciences from the University of Wollongong used Gough's Trait Self-Report Creative Adjective Checklist, and the Consequences behavioral test of creativity (involving five scenarios where possible consequences have to be devised), as a way of empirically measuring creativity in recreational cannabis consumers.

Convergent thinking is the ability to narrow down a variety options in a linear, strategic fashion. This type of thinking is conducive to tasks such as creative problem solving, and is a necessary counterpart to divergent thinking, typically associated with free-flowing creative ideation. Cannabis consumers performed significantly better on a measure of convergent thinking and self-reported higher levels of creativity, which is a refreshing contrast to the outdated stereotype of cannabis leading to lazy and unproductive outcomes.

However, Emily LaFrance and Carrie Cuttler both of Washington State University’s Department of Psychology remind us “it’s difficult to attribute this outcome with cannabis alone, rather it’s likely in reflection of overall heightened levels of openness to new experiences.” It’s not hard to think of the many ways this would impact someone’s depth of life experiences and context from which to draw on for creative inspiration, versus cannabis being the sole source.

Openness to new experiences is a value shared by many thought leaders, entrepreneurs and executives in the cannabis industry. Their ability to harness innovation, problem solve, or ignite their creative process is aided by conscious cannabis consumption. This means consuming with intention, an awareness of dose, potency, and the interplay of chemical compounds found in cannabis, notably cannabinoids and terpenes.

Trang Trinh is the Founding Director and CEO at TREC brands where her team is pioneering a portfolio of purpose driven cannabis brands that contribute an unprecedented 10% of profits to transformative causes that put people and the planet first. “When I’m looking for free-flowing thoughts such as brainstorming and trying to think outside of the box, I find that cannabis helps. However, dosage is key - I find that lower dosages around 2.5mg to 5mg works best for me. Anything above that stalls my thought process and gives me the munchies!”.

Within TREC’s brands Blissed (available in Ontario), and Wink (available in BC and Alberta) are products containing terpenes that are uplifting, and energetic such as limonene (citrus aroma) and terpinolene (piney, floral and herbal aroma). “If I am looking for an instantaneous onset - such as immediate focus or alertness to work through a heavy number crunching document - I would prefer a joint” Trang says. 

Mimi Lam is the CEO and Co-Founder of Superette Cannabis, an award-winning retail cannabis brand with locations in Toronto and Ottawa, built around a memorable and iconic style, including a tasteful nod to nostalgia. “I get in my head and my mind runs around a lot. In a way, it's like cannabis is what I need to give myself permission to be creative. Not too much though, a little goes a long way!” The strains she consumes tend to be dominant in [the cannabinoid] THC [tetrahydrocannabinol] or balanced with CBD [cannabidiol] in a 1:1 ratio, and have prominent caryophyllene or pinene aromas, reminiscent of spice and pine forests.

Terpenes, like caryophyllene and pinene are often called the "essential oils of cannabis". These compounds deliver the distinct aromas and flavours in cannabis and play a role in reported effects such as calming, uplifting, mood boosting, or sedative.

Well respected for her multi-talented contributions across the industry, Barinder Rasode is the CEO of Grow Tech Labs, Co-Chair of Havn Life, and Founder of NICHE Canada, touching everything from cannabis education and advocacy, to incubation and accelerator programs for emerging cannabis companies, and psychedelic research. “Cannabis helps me thrive as it allows me to sleep, and deal with issues faced by many women in their 50’s. Taking care of myself allows me the privilege to focus on creativity and building, versus just surviving day-to-day.” Edibles and tinctures are her preferred method of consumption, offering longer and sustained effects compared to inhaled forms of cannabis.

Emily Leung is the Founder of Ohai Collective, a cannabis lifestyle brand featuring a curated collection of Elevated Essentials™—cannabis tools and goods for the style conscious and aesthetically aware. She says “Cannabis is a huge part of my creative process. It allows me to feel more relaxed and less inhibited to express my ideas and thoughts, even if it’s just for myself. A joint is the perfect companion to my late-night creative brainstorms.” She seeks cultivars with a touch of [the terpene] caryophyllene as she finds its spicy, pungent notes reminiscent of cinnamon and clove “subdue my anxiety, leading me into creative bliss.”

No matter the source of motivation to create, getting into the right headspace and mood can be facilitated by cannabis. The early science suggests there is validity to the long-standing anecdotes shared by many cannabis consumers choosing this plant for its impact on their creative process, including many industry trail blazers balancing demanding but rewarding careers. As we have seen, the key is to consume consciously and be aware of the potency, format, and attributes that best match your own unique tastes and preferences. These can be discovered by being open-minded and curious, which is after all at the heart of creative thinking.

[This content was first published in Maple Magazine. Annual subscriptions via The Naturalist Publishing.]

Dive Deeper: 

Cannabis and Ecstasy/ MDMA: empirical measures of creativity in recreational users. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20235438/

Inspired by Mary Jane? Mechanisms underlying enhanced creativity in cannabis users. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29065317/