the backroads of my mind map

in my introduction to creativity class, we were assigned our first creative project near the beginning of the semester.  the assignment was to create a mind map around the topic of our choice.  we had to choose a main topic, my was secrets, and then create at least three main branches from the main topic, mine were secret fears, secret handshakes, and secret stashes.  then from each of the main branches we were supposed to create smaller branches and then even smaller branches until we ran out of room on the paper.  we were instructed to look for connections all across the mind map, regardless of which main branch the sub branch, or idea, was rooted on.  at the time in class we were learning about brainstorming and divergent thinking and this assignment promoted the use both ideas.
the process not only made realize how many connections i could make, which amazed me,  but it also revealed something deeper about the way i think.  i didn't really notice it until i came across the project again the other day and i was looking at the grading rubric and seeing where i lost points.  one of the major areas that i lost points was because i sectioned off each of the main branches and that would have been fine but i didn't make any connection from section to section after that.  my professor even thought that i sectioned it off as to not permit connections from section to section.  at first, i didn't really notice anything weird about the way i sectioned the mind map off or find it weird that there were no cross section connections.  then it hit. i had most likely done it subconsciously.  in almost every aspect of my life, i like a little bit of structure but then within that structure i find it necessary to have freedom.  hence my double major in rigid, rule-based accounting and free-flowing, divergent advertising.  i need a little bit of both to stay sane.  thus it only makes sense that i would continue this on my mind map.  each section of main branches were organized neatly but within those sections ideas flowed any and everywhere.  i never thought a class assignment would teach me so much about myself.