Mike,
Wow, what a tremendous contribution you have made here with all of your work on the right and left brain. I want to make an observation and support your particular point here:
"I believe there is one way in particular to not only develop the creative imagination, but to drastically improve memory skills as well. This has to do with the use of what I call MNEMONIC IMAGERY. A mnemonic is a memory device. Mnemonic imagery is using the imagination as a tool to better store mental information for easy retrieval at a later date. However, mental creativity is a side benefit of the process."
I totally agree with you on this point and coming from an engineering/military background I was as far left brain as you could get, until I discovered memory improvement strategies. Yes a mnemonic is a memory device - the tree you park you car next to in a busy car park is a mnemonic device if you use it to help you find your car again - in fact any little trick you use to assist in your recall of stuff you want to remember is technically a mnemonic device. Ironically my latest post on my blog is all about
menmonics. Anyway I digress...
Yes I discovered using my imagination much more when I took a memory course and found to my delight just how easy it was to remember stuff. I didn't appreciate it at the time that it was because I was using more of my imagination. Being quite systematic (still couldn't let go of the left brain dominance :-)) I developed and adapted the systems I had read about, put together a training programme and to cut a long story short, came second in the world memory championships (the story continues with developing a speaking career, writing books, going on TV etc etc but that is not the point of this post). So I developed my memory to a very high level.
However my point is that my previous left brain dominance has now been more than balanced by a much more creative strength that I am convinced was due to my memory training. I have also used and taught Mind Mapping for 15 years now which is probably the most powerful thinking tool (if used and understood properly - too many people just don't fully appreciate it). Mind Mapping completely integrates left and right brain processes and is a true whole-brain tool.
So I fully endorse and support your recommendation that using your imagination to improve your memory and stimulate your creativity is a great idea. I can also recommend learning a musical instrument too. In addition learning a language and a physical skill (for me I learn Aikido, Tai Chi and I am learning to speak Russian and German) is also a good idea. This is because when you are learning something you inevitably come up against things that seem difficult and it really does stimulate the creativity if you keep asking yourself "How" questions like "How can I learn this?" or "How can I make this easier to understand?".
Right I have waffled a bit here, hopefully kept to topic. Once again thanks for your contribution.
Michael