Creativity Concept
All creative
persons transform the ordinary things into something of great charm and beauty.
Creativity is the capacity or ability of an individual to create, produce and
discover a new idea or object including the rearrangement or reshaping of what
is already known. As it involves a process, it is called as creative process.
This creative process involves creative thinking i.e., divergent thinking.
Creative thinking is always fresh and innovative. Creativity is personal,
imaginative thinking which produces a new, novel and useful solution. Unlike
ordinary solution to problems, creative solutions are the new one to the effect
that other people have not thought before.
Creativity refers to the production of the individual which
is new, original, unusual, ingenious and useful to the society.
This is also a controlled thinking in which the creative
thinker whether artist, writer or a scientist is trying to create something
new. It involves characteristics of both reasoning and imagination. Creative
thinking is a process in which the individual generates an original, unusual
and productive solution to a problem.
The product of creative thinking
may be a new and unique way of conceptualizing the world around us. The
emphasis in creative thinking is on the word ‘new’. In human beings we find two
kinds of productive abilities – the convergent and divergent abilities.
Convergent abilities are used
to bring together otherwise divergent things. Divergent production abilities
are those which are not guided by rules or conventions, but capable of
generating new solutions to a problem. Divergent production abilities are
particularly important in creative thinking.
The Components of Creativity:
Two of the primary components
of creativity are originality and functionality.
Originality:
The idea should be something new that is not simply an extension of something
else that already exists.
Functionality:
The idea needs to actually work or possess some degree of usefulness.
Creativity involves the creative process. The
creative process needs creative thinking. Creative thinking is said to involve
some specific and definite dimensions or steps or stages. Graham Wallas (1926)
has emphasised that creative thinking involves four stages, namely:
Preparation:
Problem
solving becomes so easy and familiar with the various features of the problem.
In preparation we begin to define, analyse and thus the stage is set for its
solution. The plan of action is formulated by means of collecting and analysing
the information. In between, if it’s necessary, the plan of action is modified.
If there is any failure then we can switch on to other method. At some point,
we find that solving the problem is a great problem and we keep it away for the
time being. Such a deliberate turning away the issues is the beginning of the
second stage- Incubation.
In short, the thinker
formulates the problem and collects the facts and materials considered
necessary for finding new solutions. Many times the problem cannot be solved
even after days, weeks or months of concentrated efforts. Failing to solve the
problem, the thinker turns away from it initiating next stage.
Incubation:
In this stage, there is an
absence of creative thinking about the problem. We take rest and keep the
problem away by being busy with some interesting activities. The problem is
allowed to soak in our unconscious mind where the process of finding out a
solution for it starts. During this period some of the ideas that were
interfering with the solution will tend to fade. The overt activity and
sometimes even thinking about the problem is absent in this stage. But the
unconscious thought process involved in creative thinking is at work during
this period. Apparently the thinker will be busy in other activities like
reading literature or playing games, etc. In spite of these activities the
contemplation about finding a solution to problem will be going on in the mind.
Meanwhile the new direction
may allow the individual in promoting the solution. This leads to the stage of illumination
or insight.
Intimation:
This is one of
the sub stages and is considered important. Before moving on to the
illumination or insight, the creative person gets a ‘feeling’ that a solution
is on its way.
Illumination or Insight:
In this stage a person comes
across a sudden insight or a solution or idea and it proves to be the good
solution to the problem. A creative person or thinker gets an insightful
solution. Such a change can occur at any point of time in this stage of
illumination. The third stage is what most of the public think is a classic
signal or sign of a creative person, what is called the insight stage or
the insight step. With insight it is really the idea of the ‘Aha’ moment, the
‘Eureka’ moment. Although it is probably the smallest part of the five steps,
it is possible one of the most important parts.
This is because your sub consciousness in the previous stages
is bubbling away and this insight stage really allows the mind to work on
something else. And then bring these ideas to the forefront of your mind. So
that’s the third stage, the insight’s or the illumination stage. This leads to the
final stage of verification or revision.
Verification:
This is the final step in the creative
process or creative thinking. By this stage illumination is tried out and the
solution is revised to or verified to know whether it is effective to solve the
problem. Though the solution is found in
illumination stage, it is necessary to verify whether that solution is correct
or not. Hence in this last stage evaluation of the solution is done. If the
solution is not satisfactory the thinker will go back to creative process from
the beginning. In order to take these kinds of steps it
needs to be analysed and administered.
If it is satisfactory, the same will
be accepted and if necessary, minor modifications may also be made to the solution.
Thus, these are the steps of scientific and
systematic way of analysing higher creative process.
Types of Creativity:
Experts also tend to
distinguish between different types of creativity. The “four c” model of
creativity suggests that there are four different types:
- “Mini-c” creativity involves personally meaningful ideas and insights that are known only to the self.
- “Little-c” creativity involves mostly everyday thinking and problem-solving. This type of creativity helps people solve everyday problems they face and adapt to changing environments.
- “Pro-C” creativity takes place among professionals who are skilled and creative in their respective fields. These individuals are creative in their vocation or profession but do not achieve eminence for their works.
- “Big-C” creativity involves creating works and ideas that are considered great in a particular field. This type of creativity leads to eminence and acclaim and often leads to world-changing creations such as medical innovations, technological advances, and artistic achievements.
What Does It Take to Be Creative?
The Hungarian-American
psychologist Csikszentmihalyi, suggests that creative people tend to
possess a variety of traits that contribute to their innovative
thinking. Some of these key traits include:
1. Energy: Creative people tend to
possess a great deal of both physical and mental energy. However, they also
tend to spend a great deal of time quietly thinking and reflecting.
2. Intelligence: Intelligence is the quality of being very smart and well-informed. Creativity is the ability to cause or to exist. It is a subjective value. Both, intelligence and creativity are mental abilities. Psychologists have long believed that intelligence plays a critical role in
creativity. In Terman’s famous longitudinal study of gifted children, researchers
found that while high IQ was necessary for great creativity, not all people
with high IQs are creative. Csikszentmihalyi believes that creative people must
be smart, but they must be capable of looking at things in fresh, even naive ways.
3. Discipline: Creative people do not
just sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. They are playful, yet they are also
disciplined in the pursuit of their work and passions.
While some people seem to come by creativity naturally, there
are things that can be done to increase own creativity. As Csikszentmihalyi has
noted, creativity requires both a fresh perspective combined with discipline.
As Thomas Edison famously suggested, genius is 1% inspiration
and 99% perspiration.
The late American Poet Maya Angelou also suggested that
thinking creativity helps foster even greater creativity:
"Creativity or talent, like electricity, is something I
don’t understand but something I’m able to harness and use. While electricity
remains a mystery, I know I can plug into it and light up a cathedral or a
synagogue or an operating room and use it to help save a life. Or I can use it
to electrocute someone. Like electricity, creativity makes no judgment. I can
use it productively or destructively. The important thing is to use it. You
can’t use up creativity. The more you use it, the more you have."
