Philosophy of Creativity

The subject of creativity is a small but frisky player in the current academic landscape; and many creative people over the years have been inspired to describe the process of creativity itself, in their own work and in the abstract.

After a couple of navel-gazing recent blogs, let's raise our eyes heavenward (or at least to eye level) by acknowledging some of the provocative statements about creativity that artists, scholars, and philosophers have made.

Here in Midland, Michigan, we are proud of the architect Alden B. Dow, who in his later years wrote extensively about the creative process and the benefits of creativity to humanity, and even made valiant efforts to capture in words the nature of creativity in the abstract. His writings include an elaborate and colorful 8-part visual representation of a process that constantly renews itself, which he named "A Way of Life Cycle." In this cycle, he links creativity to innovation, observing that creativity is "our unique abilities" which, "when put together, naturally create comething new." The actor Alan Alda was on the same wavelength when he said, "The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself." To view the complete Way of Life cycle envisioned by Alden B. Dow, visit http://www.northwood.edu/abd/aldenbdow/awayoflifecycle/.

The July 28 issue of The New Yorker carries an article by Jonah Lehrer, "The Eureka Hunt," reporting on studies in brain science that seek to identify the process of arriving at an insight. Lehrer quotes researcher Earl Miller, an MIT neuroscientist: "An insight is a restructuring of information--it's seeing the same old thing in a completely new way." Miller's studies of the operations of the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain that bulges behind the forehead) suggest that many times our brain has arrived at the answer to a problem before our conscious mind knows about it. This is why we have the "Eureka!" experience, an instant recognition that we have found a long-sought answer. Miller says, "Your consciousness is very limited in capacity and that's why your prefrontal cortex makes all these plans without telling you about it."

Sometimes we can only "invite the Muse," or experience creativity, by sneaking up on it.
Intense focus and concentration can lead to diminished creativity. "If you want to encourage insights, then you've got to encourage people to relax," advises scientist John Kounios of Drexel University, quoted in Lehrer's article. A.A. Milne, children's author and creator of the beloved character Winnie the Pooh, would agree. He said, "One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."

Speaking of Winnie the Pooh, I love the words of Pablo Picasso, "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." Many adults seek to recapture the feeling of play in order to create. Pressure, deadlines, evaluations, judgments can deaden the atmosphere for innovation, whether in business, in artistic work, or in research. The only option to finding something new is to continue to make do with the old. And, as Alden B. Dow advised, it is creativity that "provides the human expressions that can aid the progress and welfare of mankind. The products of creativity help satisfy man's ever-increasing needs."

If it does not seem as though human desires are going to disappear, then we need creativity.