What people think creativity is…

What creativity often is…

My background in comedy and education… What is improvisational (or improv) comedy? Each scene is developed entirely through audience suggestions. There is no prior rehearsal. I have taught improvisational comedy to corporations, taught college courses in speech and theatre and now serve as Dean of Students at SFA.

My background…

How can we demystify creative processes for the creative and non-creative alike?

Five Recipes for Creativity

Cultivation

Why do you make the choices you make? part sociological part biological

Sociology We share a common culture. We’ve seen the same TV shows, movies and have been exposed to other popular culture. We’ve had many of the same experiences. We’ve been exposed to the same kind of education. We’ve all experienced similar rewards for “good” decisions, and punishment for “bad” decisions. We’ve learned how to make choices that are valued by our culture.

Biology We have approximately 100 billion neurons in our brain. These communicate with each other through the release of electro-chemical stimuli via our nerve endings. This communication creates neuro-pathways in the brain. This forms physical “grooves” in the brain. When you learn something new, this pathway is weak. The more proficiency you gain, the stronger and more ingrained this connection becomes.

Creativity is a habit of the mind. We must cultivate creativity the same way we cultivate reasoning.

Can creativity be learned? A major oil company once commissioned a study to determine why some of their engineers were more creative than others The company studied the engineers’ educational backgrounds, where they grew up, even what their favorite colors were. The company determined that the most consistent factor among the creative engineers was that they thought of themselves as creative. The engineers who were less creative did not see themselves as creative. Von Oech, 1998

Creativity is “…looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different.” -Nobel Prize-winning Physician Albert Szent-Gyorgyi from “A Whack on the Side of the Head.”

Randomization

Make the river run backwards.

Seek bad ideas first.

Do the “wrong” thing. “Sacred cows make great steaks!” – Richard Nicolosi Go beyond the “right” answer to find a second or third right answer. Think back to the “red hammer” exercise. Red hammer was definitely a correct answer, but other equally correct and more creative answers lie beyond it.

Combination

Creativity can often be accomplished by putting two unlike concepts together. When you pre-think, you tend to fall into previous patterns. Let others participate before you reach a decision…and really listen. People tend to think that the most important skill in comedy is speaking, but it’s really listening.

Liberation

Why are kids more creative? Kids are encouraged to be creative. No one tells them they are not creative. Kids don’t know the rules, so they aren’t worried about breaking them. The stakes are low, people expect kids to say funny things, or not know what they are talking about. Kids haven’t received all of the socialization that we each get about what is right, wrong or socially accepted.

“Children enter school as question marks and come out as periods.” - Neil Postman, Educator

Ask someone who knows nothing about the issue that you are dealing with. We usually ask knowledgeable people what to do, and they often tell us the same things we came up with ourselves. When collaborating with others, we usually don’t want new ideas; we want buy-in for our own ideas. By asking someone who doesn’t know anything about the topic, you will discover things you might have never considered. Remember, if you think you are a perfectionist – since perfection isn’t an attainable goal – chances are you are actually a control freak.

10 Paradoxical Traits of Creativity 1.Creative people have a great deal of physical energy, but they’re also often quiet and at rest. 2.Creative people tend to be smart yet naïve at the same time. 3.Creative people combine playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility. 4.Creative people alternate between imagination and fantasy, and a rooted sense of reality. 5.Creative people tend to be both extraverted and introverted. - FAISAL HOQUE (FAST COMPANY, SEPTEMBER 2013)

10 Paradoxical Traits of Creativity 6.Creative people are humble and proud at the same time. 7.Creative people, to an extent, escape rigid gender role stereotyping. 8.Creative people are both rebellious and conservative. 9.Most creative people are very passionate about their work and yet, can be very objective about it as well. 10.Creative people’s openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment. - FAISAL HOQUE (FAST COMPANY, SEPTEMBER 2013)

Imagination

Our dreams are where our minds are least inhibited by reality.

Portals of inspiration are usually pretty unexceptional.

Demonstration

Create a NEW superhero.

Qualities of a Superhero What is their superpower? What tools are on their utility belt? What is their kryptonite? Who is their nemesis? Who is their sidekick? What does their costume look like?

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” – Yogi Berra

IMAGINATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWLEDGE - Albert Einstein

ROME IS BEING BUILT – PLEASE COME BACK TOMORROW.