Creativity is a Strange Beast
Creativity is a strange beast. Not only is it difficult to define, it is difficult to measure. During graduate school, I took a course called "Creativity Theories". It was a fascinating class! Several concepts stood out to me.
One is the idea that creativity is difficult to measure. For many people, identifying creativity is like identifying a good teacher: you know it when you see it, and you can describe it, but it's difficult to develop a method or rubric for evaluating that particular talent that takes all aspects into consideration. Furthermore, which aspects are more important? How much weight should each get? Difficult questions to answer, which I believe is one of the reasons we have yet to come up with an adequate way to measure either creativity or teacher effectiveness. I'll have thoughts on teacher evaluations on another day.
The other concept is the one called the flow experience. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the main proponent of this (see his TED talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow). The basic idea is that for creativity to happen, we must get into a state of flow, where we are wholly involved in what we are doing, physically, mentally, and emotionally, completely losing track of everything else- time, physical needs, etc. I have found this to be quite true in my life, which is why I find it difficult to get started on a creative task when I know there will be interruptions or distractions that will interfere with my state of immersion, or flow. Once something pulls you out of that state, it can be difficult to re-attain.
For me, I must have uninterrupted time to write- be it this blog, an email, or my hoped for novel, compose or arrange, or do drill charts for marching band. While it may not take that long, I need to carve out at least an hour, preferably 2. I also must have physical space to move around in. I often must get up and move, as I find it helps me think and be creative.
A close relation to creativity is inspiration. The difficult thing about inspiration is that you never know when it will strike. However, I find that it most often strikes when I have begun working on a project that requires creativity. To me, this is what leads into flow. As an example, when starting to chart a drill for marching band, I may have only a vague idea of what I want the end result to be. I'll begin by outlining on paper a few design ideas, then putting the opening set into the computer. After that, I may struggle trying to get my ideas to work out, or I may change them completely. At some point, inspiration will strike, and I will get into a state of flow, where the ideas come easily. I may still struggle some to realize them "on paper", but the work is challenging and rewarding. I can usually sustain this for 2-3 hours. Or until I'm interrupted by a student, a phone call, a parent, or some other distraction.
This is why it is so difficult for me to get started on creative projects. I must set aside enough time for inspiration and flow to set in so that I can do my best and most creative work. Is this true for you? I would love to hear your thoughts on creativity and inspiration in the comments below. And you really should watch the video above!
May your day and loved ones be blessed!
One is the idea that creativity is difficult to measure. For many people, identifying creativity is like identifying a good teacher: you know it when you see it, and you can describe it, but it's difficult to develop a method or rubric for evaluating that particular talent that takes all aspects into consideration. Furthermore, which aspects are more important? How much weight should each get? Difficult questions to answer, which I believe is one of the reasons we have yet to come up with an adequate way to measure either creativity or teacher effectiveness. I'll have thoughts on teacher evaluations on another day.
The other concept is the one called the flow experience. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the main proponent of this (see his TED talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow). The basic idea is that for creativity to happen, we must get into a state of flow, where we are wholly involved in what we are doing, physically, mentally, and emotionally, completely losing track of everything else- time, physical needs, etc. I have found this to be quite true in my life, which is why I find it difficult to get started on a creative task when I know there will be interruptions or distractions that will interfere with my state of immersion, or flow. Once something pulls you out of that state, it can be difficult to re-attain.
For me, I must have uninterrupted time to write- be it this blog, an email, or my hoped for novel, compose or arrange, or do drill charts for marching band. While it may not take that long, I need to carve out at least an hour, preferably 2. I also must have physical space to move around in. I often must get up and move, as I find it helps me think and be creative.
A close relation to creativity is inspiration. The difficult thing about inspiration is that you never know when it will strike. However, I find that it most often strikes when I have begun working on a project that requires creativity. To me, this is what leads into flow. As an example, when starting to chart a drill for marching band, I may have only a vague idea of what I want the end result to be. I'll begin by outlining on paper a few design ideas, then putting the opening set into the computer. After that, I may struggle trying to get my ideas to work out, or I may change them completely. At some point, inspiration will strike, and I will get into a state of flow, where the ideas come easily. I may still struggle some to realize them "on paper", but the work is challenging and rewarding. I can usually sustain this for 2-3 hours. Or until I'm interrupted by a student, a phone call, a parent, or some other distraction.
This is why it is so difficult for me to get started on creative projects. I must set aside enough time for inspiration and flow to set in so that I can do my best and most creative work. Is this true for you? I would love to hear your thoughts on creativity and inspiration in the comments below. And you really should watch the video above!
May your day and loved ones be blessed!
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