Design Fundamentals - Developing Creativity

Week 2 - Creativity

What is creativity? How can I be creative? What is my ideal creative environment?

As a group, define creativity using one sentence.
Create a list of things that help you be creative. (What do they look, sound and feel like?) (Y-Chart)
Create a list of things that hinder your creativity. (What do they look, sound and feel like?)
List two things that each group member will change about their own creative environment
List two things that each group member will try to change in the near future about their own creative environment.
Prepare a presentation for the class to share your ideas (5–10 minutes) --be creative!
Include type and art in your presentation
All group members must speak
Other groups will take notes to compare and contrast findings
HAND IN a copy to the teacher so you earn credit—Include names of group members present

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Defining Creativity

So… what exactly is creativity? The general consensus is that creativity is the creation of something truly original. Now this can leave a lot of room for interpretation, so let’s look at it a little deeper. Many people have shared their opinions on what creativity is, and Dr. Leslie Wilson (2007) has complied several on her Web site.

“You cannot use up creativity. The more you use the more you have.” -Maya Angelou.
Creativity is marked by the ability or power to create–to bring into existence, to invest with a new form, to produce through imaginative skill, to make or bring into existence something new. -Webster’s Dictionary.
“The emergence of a novel, relational product, growing out of the uniqueness of the individual.” -Carl Rodgers (psychologist an writer).
“The occurrence of a composition which is both new and valuable.” -Henry Miller (writer).
“The ability to make new combinations of social worth.” -John Haefele (CEO and entrepreneur).
“A special class of problem solving characterized by novelty.” -Newell, Simon, & Shaw (team of logic theorists).
“Any thinking process in which original patterns are formed and expressed.” -H. H. Fox (scientist).
“Fluency, flexibility, originality, and sometimes elaboration.” -E. Paul Torrance (educator, academic, creativity investigator).
“Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being.” -Rollo May (writer, philosopher).
“A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.” -Frank Capra (film director)
“Creative thinking involves imagining familiar things in a new light, digging below the surface to find previously undetected patterns, and finding connections among unrelated phenomena.” -Roger von Oech.
“... the ability to use different modes of thought to generate new and dynamic ideas and solutions.” -Carnevale, Gainer, Meltzer.
The National Curriculum in Action Web site (2007), which outlines The National Education Curriculum for England, defines creativity as a set of four “characteristics of creativity.”
- Imagination. The creative process should always involve thinking or behaving imaginatively.
- The imaginative activity must be applied to a purpose, or to achieving an objective.
- The creative and imaginative process must generate something original.
- The creative outcome must be of value in relation to the objective or goal.

As mentioned before, most of these definitions share the view that something new, innovative, original, unique, and novel is created. Keep this definition in mind as you explore and develop your own creativity. One caveat: many believe that creativity should also be the creation of something of value to society and life in general. For example, curing an illness or improving a process to shelter and feed the needy is a creative product of value. However, conceiving a new and innovative way to deceive, oppress or harm people is not a creative endeavor that will benefit mankind. Let your conscience and ethics be your guide.

The Origin of Creativity

Now that we have an idea of what creativity is and how we can define it, let’s examine where it comes from. Here, I present two differing opinions regarding the origin of creativity and the ability to originate creativity in people.

Creativity is a Choice - Investment Theory

We can develop creativity in students, according to Robert Sternberg (2006) a creative researcher and professor at Tufts University. Sternberg and his colleagues are creative researchers building upon and advancing the work of Paul Torrance and J. P. Guilford. Torrance and Guilford are American pioneers of the study and testing of creativity.

Professor Sternberg suggests that creativity is not isolated to a gifted few. Instead, he suggests that creativity is a choice that anyone can make. Sternberg’s investment theory of creativity states that anyone can be creative if they are willing to invest the necessary time and effort into the creative process. This time and effort requires that we develop (invest in) six areas needed to realize creativity.

Intellectual skills. We must see problems in new ways, differentiate between good and bad ideas, and have the skills to persuade others to follow and value our new ideas.
Knowledge. We must invest enough research in our field in order to know where it has been, where it is currently, and where it could go. We must also be aware that too much knowledge can hinder our ability to think in new ways about an “old” subject.
Thinking Styles. The best thinking style to encourage creativity is a style that favors thinking about things and deciding to think in new ways.
Personality. There are several important personality traits linked to creativity including; A willingness to overcome obstacles; defy the crowd; take sensible risks; a tolerance toward ambiguity; and believing in one’s self.
Motivation. One must be truly interested in the creative task at hand in order to be creative. One must either love their work (and experience intrinsic motivation), or, they must choose to be motivated toward reaching their creative goal.
Environment. One must have a supporting and rewarding environment that they can be creative in. Without it, creativity may never be encouraged to show itself.

When these six factors align, creativity is encouraged and expressed. Sternberg reiterates though, that choice is still a large factor that happens on multiple layers. Not only must one decide to invest in all six areas, but one must also decide to use these investments toward doing something creative.

Graphic designers and artists should realize the value of the creative process and embrace it and use it. There is value in investing in the six areas mentioned above, especially when the creative well runeth dry and we have to be creative for our jobs and clients. Group work and sharing creativity is an excellent way to build from the brain power of others. Art directors, creative directors, managers and teachers can also lead by example. They should help by offering an environment that encourages creativity and stimulates sharing and interaction. A little pressure never hurt either. Research shows us that some level of pressure to get a task done increases our creativity and our ability to stay focused on a task. Too little pressure, or too much pressure, had been shown to have negative affects on creativity and problem solving.

Creativity - Reserved for the Gifted?

In contrast to Sternberg’s opinion that creativity is largely a choice, Dr. Leslie Wilson (2007), suggests that higher level creative thinking may be unattainable for some people. Wilson outlines five progressive levels of creative ability. She suggests that the first three levels can be reached by anyone who has enough determination and motivation to reach them. The first three levels can also be attained with proper training and education. The fourth and fifth levels, however, may be reserved for those who are naturally gifted with creative talents. The five levels of creativity from Wilson are as follows:

Primitive and intuitive expression: This first level of creativity incorporates the primitive and intuitive expression found in children and in adults who have not been trained in art. There is an innocent quality to primitive art, but also directness and sensitivity. The naive artist creates for the joy of expression.
Academic and technical level: The second level of creativity is the academic and technical level. At this level the artist learns skills and techniques, developing a proficiency that allows creative expression in myriad ways. The academic artist adds power to expression through the mastery of craft.
Inventive level: Many artists experiment with their craft, exploring different ways of using familiar tools and mediums. This heralds the level of invention. Breaking rules is the order of the day, challenging the boundaries of academic tradition, becoming increasingly adventurous and experimental. Inventors use academic tradition and skills as a stepping-stone into new frontiers.
Innovative level: At the level of innovation the artist, writer, musician, inventor, thinker is more original. Materials and methods that are out of the ordinary are introduced. Now the creator breaks the boundaries. The academic or inspirational foundation remains as a substructure of unconscious thought guiding these creative efforts.
Genius level: The fifth level of creativity is characterized as genius. There are individuals whose ideas and accomplishments in art and science defy explanation. Genius is arguably the one level that is unexplainable and perhaps unattainable for most of us, something that an individual is born with.

While Wilson’s opinions do contrast Sternberg’s, there are some similarities. The investment theory can be found in the five levels of creativity—especially in the first three. The first three steps show that with the proper investment in practice and formal education, anyone can be creative and create something original to them (meeting the generally accepted definition of creativity). The investment theory can also be found in levels four and five. Some people, even though they may exhibit some degree of creative genius, still need to be shown how to focus and direct their gift. Levels four and five can be present, but still may need the academic substructure and personal motivation to realize them and bring them out in valuable,worthy creative endeavors.

Creative Characteristics

In the workplace and classroom, it is important to see each designer and student as an individual and try to identify their current level of creative ability and build upon and grow it from there. It can be, however, very difficult to determine where each designer or student is creatively.

We can also begin to understand what a creative person looks like by looking at the personality characteristics they display. If we see several of the creative characteristics listed below, we may have a good foundation to categorize them as being more creative. If we see fewer of these “creative characteristics” we may categorize that student as less creative and in need of more attention and creative training. In the education field, this would be considered pre-assessment.

Dr. Donna Fitzroy Hardy (2007), Professor of Psychology at California State University-Northridge, citing Creativity - Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1996), outlines several personality characteristics of creative people. These characteristics are:

Creative individuals have a great deal of energy, but they are also often quiet and at rest.
Creative individuals tend to be smart, yet also naive at the same time.
Creative individuals have a combination of playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility.
Creative individuals alternate between imagination and fantasy at one end, and rooted sense of reality at the other.
Creative people seem to harbor opposite tendencies on the continuum between extroversion and introversion.
Creative individuals are also remarkably humble and proud at the same time.
Creative individuals to a certain extent escape rigid gender role stereotyping and have a tendency toward androgyny.
Generally, creative people are thought to be rebellious and independent.
Most creative persons are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well.
The openness and sensitivity of creative individuals often exposes them to suffering pain yet also a great deal of enjoyment.
Wilson (2007), adapting and adopting from the scale for Rating Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students by Renzulli and Hartman (2002), also outlines several characteristics of highly creative people. They are:
Display a great deal of curiosity about many things; are constantly asking questions about anything and everything; may have broad interests in many unrelated areas. May devise collections based on unusual things and interests.
Generate a large number of ideas or solutions to problems and questions; often offer unusual (“way out”), unique, clever responses.
Are often uninhibited in expressions of opinion; are sometimes radical and spirited in disagreement; are unusually tenacious or persistent -- fixating on an idea or project.
Are willing to take risks, are often people who are described as a “high risk taker, or adventurous, or speculative.”
Display a good deal of intellectual playfulness; may frequently be caught fantasizing, daydreaming or imagining. Often wonder out loud and might be heard saying, “I wonder what would happen if. . .”; or “What if we change . . ..” Can manipulate ideas by easily changing, elaborating, adapting, improving, or modifying the original idea or the ideas of others. Are often concerned with improving the conceptual frameworks of institutions, objects, and systems.
Display keen senses of humor and see humor in situations that may not appear to be humorous to others. Sometimes their humor may appear bizarre, inappropriate, irreverent to others.
Are unusually aware of his or her impulses and are often more open to the irrational within him or herself. May freely display opposite gender characteristics (freer expression of feminine interests in boys, greater than usual amount of independence for girls).
Exhibit heightened emotional sensitivity. May be very sensitive to beauty, and visibly moved by aesthetic experiences.
Are frequently perceived as nonconforming; accept disordered or chaotic environments or situations; are frequently not interested in details, are described as individualistic; or do not fear being classified as “different.”
Criticize constructively, and are unwilling to accept authoritarian pronouncements without overly critical self-examination.

As mentioned before, it is my belief that these characteristics, while only a starting point, can help managers and teachers evaluate where their employees or students are and, in turn, help them decide how to differentiate their project workload or training and delivery methods used to develop creativity. I believe strongly in pre-assessment, and feel that although this is certainly a subjective area to evaluate, we should attempt to pre-assess creative abilities and use the findings to begin to teach people to be more creative—no matter what field of study they are in.