thinking about the box reconsidering creativity

What we typically teach in art courses elements and principles disciplinary studio skills problem solving creativity work ethic studio citizenship perception/acuity critical self reflection social production/collaboration aesthetic theory communication skills art historical context social context/ visual culture

What we typically teach in art courses elements and principles disciplinary studio skills problem solving creativity work ethic studio citizenship perception/acuity critical self reflection social production/collaboration aesthetic theory communication skills art historical context social context/ visual culture As important as all of these knowledges and skills may be, this long list can be reduced to 4 traits that predict whether or not a student will be successful in their art/ design degree

predictors of student success

work ethic predictors of student success curiosity

critical self reflection predictors of student success work ethic curiosity

creativity predictors of student success critical self reflection work ethic curiosity

predictors of student success curiosity work ethic critical self reflection creativity Any one of these is not sufficient. While not causally dependant, these traits are entailed & entangled with each other.

predictors of student success We will address them as a single complex we will call Creativity

creativity is a complex creativity clinical behavioral developmental economic educational evolutionary historical organizational social cognitive No less than eleven creativity perspectives identified by Runco, 2006 Creativity is studied in several fields using numerous perspectives.

creativity is a complex Creativity is: A kind of intelligence ClinicalBehavioral Development al EconomicEducationalEvolutionaryHistorical Organization al Socialcognitive

creativity is a complex Creativity is: Innate cognitive style ClinicalBehavioral Development al EconomicEducationalEvolutionaryHistorical Organization al Socialcognitive

creativity is a complex Creativity is: An acquired set of behaviors ClinicalBehavioral Development al EconomicEducationalEvolutionaryHistorical Organization al Socialcognitive

creativity is a complex Creativity is: A set of learned techniques, tactics or strategies ClinicalBehavioral Development al EconomicEducationalEvolutionaryHistorical Organization al Socialcognitive

creativity is a complex Creativity is: Developmental— A product of childhood experiences and environment ClinicalBehavioral Development al EconomicEducationalEvolutionaryHistorical Organization al Socialcognitive

creativity is a complex Creativity is: Adaptive— A product of current organizational structures and environment ClinicalBehavioral Development al EconomicEducationalEvolutionaryHistorical Organization al SocialCognitive

can creativity be learned? The degree to which an individual believes that creativity is learnable depends upon their perspective and understanding of creativity.

two primary approaches In order to make students more creative, instructors can use two approaches: Teach cognitive Use adaptive strategies creativity behaviors techniques tactics strategies mental habits permission safety encouragement modeling expectations

Adaptive strategies I will provide & you should take advantage of a learning environment that promotes creative thinking. creativity Adaptive strategies: permission values experimentation & a variety of solutions safety freedom to fumble & fail & look “stupid” along the way encouragement supportive of real effort and accomplishment modeling instructor demonstrates creative values and techniques expectations sets & communicates clear and constant goals

Cognative stratagies creativity Cognitive strategies: mental habits recognize conventional thinking, creativity blocks behaviors think with process strategies shift paradigms, synaesthesia tactics x-ternalize thinking, visual research, role play, x-ray vision techniques divergent, convergent

creativity mental habits

conventional thinking creativity mental habits age unconventionality based on Piaget, 1970,1976; Kohlberg,1987; Johnson 1985 Numerous studies over the years have established a strong correlation between age and conventional thinking. Your cohort is currently near the bottom of the “creative valley”. Your thinking tends to be highly conventional.

conventional thinking creativity mental habits based on Piaget, 1970,1976; Kohlberg,1987; Johnson 1985 but take heart: the studies were randomized. as art students you have already “skewed” the sample” so this is less predictive for this group. also, there are, of course, individual variations. your results may vary. this is not meant to impugn your creativity, rather it is meant as a challenge and a check: suspecting that your thinking is not as original as it may at first seem to you is key to unlocking your creativity.

creativity blocks creativity mental habits stress Stress is not only a distraction which drains energy which could otherwise be used creatively. It is bad for one's health. Creativity is Play! routines Routines or set ways of performing tasks have their uses, but they can limit the range of responses available and can lead to the development of the anathema of creativity, the "bureaucratic mind”. "The will to a system is a lack of integrity." –Nietzsche goal directed behavior Overly focusing on goals rather than process limits perception and blinds us to possibility. A straight line is the scalpel with which we excise opportunity. beliefs Having a strong belief in something not only limits our response options, but causes us to limit the way in which we perceive and process information from the outside world. We may "filter out" information which contradicts our belief, and end up in our own "reality tunnel", blissfully unaware of much that occurs in front of our very eyes. ego One must be humble before one's subject. Having a strong ego identity with a particular belief exacerbates the realty tunnel. This is not to imply that one must have no beliefs, merely that one needs to be very aware of one's beliefs and consequent limitations. fear Fear of self expression and of the judgment of others can severely limit one's creativity. self criticism Negative thinking and self criticism are also limiting factors of an individual's creativity.

creativity behaviors

think with process creativity behaviors I hear: I forget. I see: I remember. I do: I understand. Chinese proverb i hear: i forget. i see: i remember. i do: i understand. chinese proverb

think with process creativity behaviors I hear: I forget. I see: I remember. I do: I understand. Chinese proverb the 500ms. delay even for simple volitional acts consciousness lags half of a second behind readiness potential. we have made our decisions and have initiated our actions before we consciously decide to act. readiness potential 1 -1 s. conscious wish -0.2 s. readiness potential s. act based on Libet, 1979; Keller and Heckhausen, 1990 "the role of consciousness in our decisions is greatly overestimated" -tor norretranders

think with process creativity behaviors I hear: I forget. I see: I remember. I do: I understand. Chinese proverb rapid cognition malcolm gladwell's blink, (2005) makes the case for "thinking without thinking" citing numerous studies and examples that reveal how subconscious processes that he calls "thin slicing" allow us to make better decisions and more accurate predictions for problems involving several variables or multiple dimensions with little conscious decision making.

think with process creativity behaviors rapid cognition 500 ms. delay preconscious perceptivity & creativity are reactive. try to put put consciousness in charge of planning the strategy and allow the preconscious to evaluate progress, readjust tactics and resolve the problem. thinking with process = preconscious "thinking" = visual thinking

think with process creativity behaviors I hear: I forget. I see: I remember. I do: I understand. Chinese proverb rapid cognition 500 ms. delay when in doubt do something the point is not to think less, rather to think differently. avoid a "plan and execute" division of process the journey is the destination. in creative works problem finding is more critical than problem solving. process is a collaborator– "our actions think louder than words"

creativity techniques

creativity techniques attribute listing bug listing (seinfeld whine) problem reversal force-field analysis change perspective convergent thinking

creativity techniques lateral thinking associative thinking bisociation (forced analogy) divergent thinking