An Introduction to Some Basic Concepts and the Field of Creativity Studies
Gerard J. Puccio
Some Creativity Basics
Creativity is fundamental to life. Though we may not give it much conscience thought, the very world we live in has been shaped by human creativity. Look around. We are surrounded by tangible representations of human creativity. Almost all that we see originated through the imaginative powers of some individual or group of individuals. The pervasive nature of creativity was captured well when Robert Fritz – author, filmmaker, and composer – observed, “The creative process has had more impact, power, influence, and success than any other process in history. All of the arts, many of the sciences, architecture, popular culture, and the entire technological age we live in exists because of the creative process” (1991, p. 5).
Museums have served as repositories of the creative products described by Fritz. Through their collections museums draw explicit attention to creativity and thus play an important role in helping communities to recognize and celebrate the achievements brought about in a variety of human endeavors. Indeed, if it were not for museums society would retain very little memory of the best that human creativity has to offer.
What is creativity? The word is often invoked but not well understood. Certainly creativity refers to an outcome or product, but it is much more. The product, the tangible representation of an idea, serves only as the tip of the iceberg. And as with the iceberg much of the phenomenon of creativity is hidden from view. More than 40 years ago a researcher named Mel Rhodes attempted to define creativity. After analyzing some 50 published definitions of creativity and imagination, Rhodes discovered that creativity defied a single definition; rather he referred to creativity as a multifaceted concept. That is, it is the interaction of at least three facets that yields a creative product. These facets are referred to as person, process, and environment. The person facet refers to the skills, traits, abilities, and motivation that predispose an individual to be creative. Process relates to the mental activities a person or group goes through to achieve some Paper prepared for the Indo-US workshop on Design Engineering, Bangalore, India,
January, 2006
2
creative end. Finally, the environment, an individual’s physical and psychological surroundings, can serve to either facilitate or undermine creative thought. Like a chemical reaction, the right qualities of all three facets must be present to bring about change.
The most commonly held definition of creativity in the academic literature is “the production of a novel idea that serves some purpose.” Creativity represents a balance between originality and usefulness. To be original means to be the first, to be unique, or phrased in operational terms “to be a statistically infrequent or uncommon idea.” To be useful means to solve some problem, resolve some difficulty, or fulfill some desire or wish.
We can certainly take a retrospective look at creativity and identify how it has shaped our world, but what is the value of creativity in the present moment and for the future? The importance of creativity can be felt at many levels, from the individual, to an organization, to an entire society. For individuals our ability to think creatively enables us to cope with life’s challenges and to resolve complex problems. We often face problems, both in our professional and personal lives, that are ambiguous and for which there is no apparent solution. In such situations we must employ creative thinking to discover effective solutions. In fact, so common is the need for creative problem solving in the workplace, that a study sponsored by the US Labor Department identified Creative Thinking and Problem Solving as one of seven basic skill sets required for professional success (see Carnevale, Gainer and Meltzer 1990). It has also been argued that creative thinking skills promote good mental health1 and can stave off the decline in mental activity associated with aging2.
Never has the need for creative thinking been more important in organizations, both profit and non-profit. The global economic competition faced by today’s organizations makes creativity imperative; the degree to which companies can transform creative ideas into innovative products and services is often the difference between success and failure3. As Andy VanGundy noted, “organizational growth and survival can be tied directly to an
Paper prepared for the Indo-US workshop on Design Engineering, Bangalore, India,
January, 2006
3
organization’s ability to produce (or adopt) and implement new services, products, and processes” (1987, 358). The need for creative thinking is not limited to for profit ventures. Non-profits are also being challenged to use their creative talents, i.e., to do more with less, to reinvent themselves, to continue to grow, to find new sources of funding, to develop fresh programs and activities,etc.
Historian Arnold Toynbee argued that creativity was essential for societies to thrive. He argued, “to give a fair chance to potential creativity is a matter of life and death for any society” (1964, 4). Toynbee suggested that nations that support and nurture the creative talents of its citizens are destined to make history, while those that ignore the creative talents of its people will soon be surpassed by other nations. As a greater number of jobs are outsourced to other countries, it becomes increasingly apparent that the economic engine for America is its ability to produce new ideas, service, products, and industries. In other words, to use the talents of our workforce to not reproduce products, but to harness the creative talents of our citizens and lead the world in innovation across all industries and sectors, from manufacturing to education, from technology to the arts, from health sciences to architecture, from energy to museum design, etc.
source from:http://tsf.njit.edu/2006/fall/puccio-creativity-101.pdf
TOPIC 1:FINDING CREATIVITY
source from:http://www.google.com.my/imgres?q=FINDING+CREATIVITY&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&biw=1366&bih=543&tbm=isch&tbnid=4aWwY6X5KPndxM:&imgrefurl=http://the99percent.com/articles/5993/Reel-Back-Finding-Creativity-in-Constraints&docid=--9vVigf-ShEjM&imgurl=http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/e2/99/img/posts/c3/81e67536ae27e7e6a16aab9b009422dc.jpg&w=572&h=429&ei=1I0BT6-UNcLprQe-mJH9Dw&zoom=1
There are many ways to find creativity.According to Dr.Yeoh Kam Keong,a creativity teacher,people tend to find creativity the most during a crisis or been challenged to the maximum.Archimedes found the "Displacement Theory" when his life is at stake.According to Dr.Yeoh Kam Keong to find ones creativity ,one must have knowledge,needs,idea generating and idea development
TOPIC 2:INTERPRETATION OF CREATIVITY
source from:http://www.google.com.my/imgres?q=INTERPRETATION+OF+CREATIVITY&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&biw=1366&bih=543&tbm=isch&tbnid=Q6Z8muu9JKvxKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.brothers-brick.com/2009/09/09/what-is-creativity/&docid=HItFQA06JLZxRM&imgurl=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2552/3903987595_2ed4f27944.jpg&w=500&h=389&ei=Mo0BT9SyIojIrQftvM27CA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=635&vpy=160&dur=1634&hovh=198&hovw=255&tx=156&ty=92&sig=116160830998725248671&page=1&tbnh=160&tbnw=206&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0
Creativity can be interpret as a person ability to collectively use ideas to create new ideas treat benefits mankind.We should not interpret creativity as creating something new but should be interpreted as a person ability to create ideas to resolve daily problems
TOPIC 3:UNDERSTANDING OF CREATIVITY
source from:http://www.google.com.my/imgres?q=understanding+of+creativity&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&biw=1366&bih=543&tbm=isch&tbnid=w9HXMI5i06BIIM:&imgrefurl=http://personal.ashland.edu/jpiirto/BOOKS.html&docid=zNn2dZnlVEn2AM&imgurl=http://personal.ashland.edu/jpiirto/images/Understanding%252520Creativity%252520cover.jpg&w=1210&h=1812&ei=iYsBT_nWOoLnrAe53Kj5Dw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=183&vpy=124&dur=406&hovh=275&hovw=183&tx=91&ty=136&sig=116160830998725248671&page=1&tbnh=165&tbnw=108&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0
To understand creativity, one must understand human needs and ability to develop the creative ideas into fruition.
Gerard J. Puccio
Some Creativity Basics
Creativity is fundamental to life. Though we may not give it much conscience thought, the very world we live in has been shaped by human creativity. Look around. We are surrounded by tangible representations of human creativity. Almost all that we see originated through the imaginative powers of some individual or group of individuals. The pervasive nature of creativity was captured well when Robert Fritz – author, filmmaker, and composer – observed, “The creative process has had more impact, power, influence, and success than any other process in history. All of the arts, many of the sciences, architecture, popular culture, and the entire technological age we live in exists because of the creative process” (1991, p. 5).
Museums have served as repositories of the creative products described by Fritz. Through their collections museums draw explicit attention to creativity and thus play an important role in helping communities to recognize and celebrate the achievements brought about in a variety of human endeavors. Indeed, if it were not for museums society would retain very little memory of the best that human creativity has to offer.
What is creativity? The word is often invoked but not well understood. Certainly creativity refers to an outcome or product, but it is much more. The product, the tangible representation of an idea, serves only as the tip of the iceberg. And as with the iceberg much of the phenomenon of creativity is hidden from view. More than 40 years ago a researcher named Mel Rhodes attempted to define creativity. After analyzing some 50 published definitions of creativity and imagination, Rhodes discovered that creativity defied a single definition; rather he referred to creativity as a multifaceted concept. That is, it is the interaction of at least three facets that yields a creative product. These facets are referred to as person, process, and environment. The person facet refers to the skills, traits, abilities, and motivation that predispose an individual to be creative. Process relates to the mental activities a person or group goes through to achieve some Paper prepared for the Indo-US workshop on Design Engineering, Bangalore, India,
January, 2006
2
creative end. Finally, the environment, an individual’s physical and psychological surroundings, can serve to either facilitate or undermine creative thought. Like a chemical reaction, the right qualities of all three facets must be present to bring about change.
The most commonly held definition of creativity in the academic literature is “the production of a novel idea that serves some purpose.” Creativity represents a balance between originality and usefulness. To be original means to be the first, to be unique, or phrased in operational terms “to be a statistically infrequent or uncommon idea.” To be useful means to solve some problem, resolve some difficulty, or fulfill some desire or wish.
We can certainly take a retrospective look at creativity and identify how it has shaped our world, but what is the value of creativity in the present moment and for the future? The importance of creativity can be felt at many levels, from the individual, to an organization, to an entire society. For individuals our ability to think creatively enables us to cope with life’s challenges and to resolve complex problems. We often face problems, both in our professional and personal lives, that are ambiguous and for which there is no apparent solution. In such situations we must employ creative thinking to discover effective solutions. In fact, so common is the need for creative problem solving in the workplace, that a study sponsored by the US Labor Department identified Creative Thinking and Problem Solving as one of seven basic skill sets required for professional success (see Carnevale, Gainer and Meltzer 1990). It has also been argued that creative thinking skills promote good mental health1 and can stave off the decline in mental activity associated with aging2.
Never has the need for creative thinking been more important in organizations, both profit and non-profit. The global economic competition faced by today’s organizations makes creativity imperative; the degree to which companies can transform creative ideas into innovative products and services is often the difference between success and failure3. As Andy VanGundy noted, “organizational growth and survival can be tied directly to an
Paper prepared for the Indo-US workshop on Design Engineering, Bangalore, India,
January, 2006
3
organization’s ability to produce (or adopt) and implement new services, products, and processes” (1987, 358). The need for creative thinking is not limited to for profit ventures. Non-profits are also being challenged to use their creative talents, i.e., to do more with less, to reinvent themselves, to continue to grow, to find new sources of funding, to develop fresh programs and activities,etc.
Historian Arnold Toynbee argued that creativity was essential for societies to thrive. He argued, “to give a fair chance to potential creativity is a matter of life and death for any society” (1964, 4). Toynbee suggested that nations that support and nurture the creative talents of its citizens are destined to make history, while those that ignore the creative talents of its people will soon be surpassed by other nations. As a greater number of jobs are outsourced to other countries, it becomes increasingly apparent that the economic engine for America is its ability to produce new ideas, service, products, and industries. In other words, to use the talents of our workforce to not reproduce products, but to harness the creative talents of our citizens and lead the world in innovation across all industries and sectors, from manufacturing to education, from technology to the arts, from health sciences to architecture, from energy to museum design, etc.
source from:http://tsf.njit.edu/2006/fall/puccio-creativity-101.pdf
TOPIC 1:FINDING CREATIVITY
source from:http://www.google.com.my/imgres?q=FINDING+CREATIVITY&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&biw=1366&bih=543&tbm=isch&tbnid=4aWwY6X5KPndxM:&imgrefurl=http://the99percent.com/articles/5993/Reel-Back-Finding-Creativity-in-Constraints&docid=--9vVigf-ShEjM&imgurl=http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/e2/99/img/posts/c3/81e67536ae27e7e6a16aab9b009422dc.jpg&w=572&h=429&ei=1I0BT6-UNcLprQe-mJH9Dw&zoom=1There are many ways to find creativity.According to Dr.Yeoh Kam Keong,a creativity teacher,people tend to find creativity the most during a crisis or been challenged to the maximum.Archimedes found the "Displacement Theory" when his life is at stake.According to Dr.Yeoh Kam Keong to find ones creativity ,one must have knowledge,needs,idea generating and idea development
TOPIC 2:INTERPRETATION OF CREATIVITY
source from:http://www.google.com.my/imgres?q=INTERPRETATION+OF+CREATIVITY&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&biw=1366&bih=543&tbm=isch&tbnid=Q6Z8muu9JKvxKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.brothers-brick.com/2009/09/09/what-is-creativity/&docid=HItFQA06JLZxRM&imgurl=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2552/3903987595_2ed4f27944.jpg&w=500&h=389&ei=Mo0BT9SyIojIrQftvM27CA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=635&vpy=160&dur=1634&hovh=198&hovw=255&tx=156&ty=92&sig=116160830998725248671&page=1&tbnh=160&tbnw=206&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0Creativity can be interpret as a person ability to collectively use ideas to create new ideas treat benefits mankind.We should not interpret creativity as creating something new but should be interpreted as a person ability to create ideas to resolve daily problems
TOPIC 3:UNDERSTANDING OF CREATIVITY
source from:http://www.google.com.my/imgres?q=understanding+of+creativity&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&biw=1366&bih=543&tbm=isch&tbnid=w9HXMI5i06BIIM:&imgrefurl=http://personal.ashland.edu/jpiirto/BOOKS.html&docid=zNn2dZnlVEn2AM&imgurl=http://personal.ashland.edu/jpiirto/images/Understanding%252520Creativity%252520cover.jpg&w=1210&h=1812&ei=iYsBT_nWOoLnrAe53Kj5Dw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=183&vpy=124&dur=406&hovh=275&hovw=183&tx=91&ty=136&sig=116160830998725248671&page=1&tbnh=165&tbnw=108&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0To understand creativity, one must understand human needs and ability to develop the creative ideas into fruition.
i very agree about that and feel useful for this book.I strongly believe that we have to think wisely and creatively to develop an idea.
ReplyDeleteYes,we also have to understand human needs and invent or develop something useful for the society from our creativity.
DeleteI still remember what our lecturer had tell us in the class and when he ask :"Your are a good thinker or you think you are intelligent or both??". I found this is really a interesting topic, i will always ask myself about this question but i have no answer for now. I think i will get know to it after the subject of Creative Studies and I believe what the article wrote about is just the start of our journal and it start to teach us how to be a good thinker and the book also.
ReplyDeleteThe whole concept of creative is under this book. It is to understand the creativity, and I think it should be worth. Since lecturer teach a lot about being a good thinker or an intelligent person, this 2 are actually almost similar yet different; and it makes me interest on the word "creativity".
ReplyDelete