Quartz: What makes highly creative people different from the rest of us? In the 1960s, psychologist and creativity researcher Frank X. Barron set about finding out. Barron conducted a series of experiments on some of his generation’s most renowned thinkers in an attempt to isolate the unique spark of creative genius.
10 comments:
So I really like this article, as it gets to the heart of what promotes creativity and innovation in one’s self, at from what I’ve seen in the people I’ve witnessed to it well, as well as what I feel has helped me grow creatively. The article talks about a creative person being a ‘multitude’, and I’d like to focus on that term because it encapsulates what I think is awesome about creativity, and it also happens (by no accident, I assume) to be some thing that is really strongly enforced by the curriculum here. I have a bit of a lengthy anecdote regarding that concept, but I think it’s a good one, so bare with me.
When I read this article, I kept thinking about a conversation I had with one of the TDs regarding the load in of one of the Chosky shows. They had explained to me that he masonite was being tacked to the show deck with a type of nail that, although a little trickier to install than a screw, allowed for the masonite to be easily struck without a thousand brads sticking up from the stock show deck when all was said and done. This in turn ended up saving time in the long run, even though it frontloaded it slightly. When they were done explaining it to me, I asked why it hadn’t always been done like that, and the reply was something along the lines of “most people don’t think that much about fasteners”.
But that isn’t really what it was, I think. Yeah, it might be true that most people don’t think about fasteners, but a degree in Technical Direction is pretty much the closest thing you can get to a degree in fasteners. I’m sure that many, if not all, TDs spend more time than the average person thinking about fasteners. What I think happened is that a lot of people had the knowledge to implement that approach if they saw that it was an option to them. Most things that are hard, at least the little things, are hard because nobody has put in that time and effort to make that thing easy. Creativity, at least when it comes to finding solutions to problems, comes most often when a person is able to see the problem and is able to access the proper knowledge to find a solution.
People who are multifaceted, who are ‘multitudes’ as opposed to individuals, they are the people who will have the most diverse experiences, and therefore they see more problems with a wider array of knowledge to begin finding solutions. It’s people who can have the different parts of their brain talk to each other really well who tend to be viewed as the most creative, not necessarily the smartest people.
This is the most scientifically thorough article on creativity that I have ever read. I think the idea of being so self-aware that you both understand your own mind better but also go into darker places mentally is the biggest conundrum behind creativity. So much of creating things is bringing your own heart (or mind) to the surface and being able to express it in a communicative way, requiring somewhat of an understanding of yourself. I imagine this must ring especially true for authors, because they have to be able to convey themselves through words instead of images that evoke feeling. However, I think that creativity can manifest itself in any profession or hobby. Even problem-solving is creative, because it can require throwing out what you already know in order to approach a new situation. Complete knowledge of self is always important regardless of your profession because it enables you to operate at 100% all the time, which is why creative people tested as having high mental health.
I think it's interesting that the article describes extreme creativity as just a heightened mental complexity, because I had never thought about something like that before but now that I know it, it makes so much sense. From the people that I have met, and worked with who are super creative, one thing that they all have in common is that their ideas are so complex that they have a hard time explaining them to other people. Because for someone who doesn't have that inherent complexity, it is hard to wrap their head around what is going on in the "more creative" persons mind. I also loved that they debunked the myth that people who use one side of the brain are better at one thing or the other than people who use the other side of the brain. I also think that this article does a wonderful job at not putting creativity in too tight of a definition. I think what makes art, and very successful artists so good at what they do, is their ability to disconnect from their brains (either side) and just feel whats going on inside of them. People who create, or are very creative undoubtedly have incredible brains, but they also must know how to feel what they are creating in order to do solid and well received work.
I really love this article and the way it explains where creativity really comes from. First, I'm very glad that it totally threw the "right-brain" myth out the window. I completely agree that creativity in any form derives from multiple parts of the brain because of the fact that your personal intellectual insight is definitely necessary. I also agree that imagination comes from personal experience. I agree with Lucy in that "creativity can manifest itself in any profession or hobby". Coming up with a new solution to a problem or issue definitely requires creativity and coming up with practical solutions. This applies very well to us DP's. TDs have to be creative in how to approach a build and if something doesn't add up, more creativity comes into play. Designers have to obviously use their imagination(personal experience) and whole mind(creativity) to create an environment for an audience. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this article and it's analysis on creativity and its origin.
This is a really interesting article about what makes someone creative. On one hand, an article this long that is relatively uncertain about that it’s saying makes me wonder why it’s important to know what makes people creative. But at the same time it’s interesting to think about. I’m glad they are doing away with the left-brain, right-brain way of thinking because that always confused me because I was creative and artsy while I also loving math and science. It made it seem like I had uber brain power because both sides of my brain were apparently developed, but that never actually made any sense. I like how they think of creativity in terms of a life-long process that deals a lot with introspection. A lot of being good at art and being creative has to deal with hours and hours and hours of practice, which is a lot of time alone thinking of ideas and making sketches or trials or whatever it is you are learning to be creative in. All that thinking changes you and how you approach life on the daily.
I really like that this article actually takes the time to explain how creativity works and way it affects our brains. Normally it feels like people either treat it as this ephemeral thing that can’t be understood that some people just magically have or they take the right brain left brain approach. Both of those approaches never really felt right, they’ve always seemed like a way to doge the issue rather than actually try and figure out creativity, much easier to just treat it like something mystical. Instead of that kind of approach this article actually did a study and their findings make sense. Especially the part about creativity and introspectiveness going hand in hand. That part at least seems to be fairly accurate to me, most of the highly creative people I know are more introspective than the less creative people I know. I can also see what they said about that leading to better mental health being true although I not sure that’s as wide spread as the first part.
When I saw the article's title I knew I wanted to read it, because it talks about the brain and how creativity effects a humans brain, which is just an interesting subject to me, but also I currently have a concussion. So as I do consider myself a creative person I thought that this article may explain why my concussion has been progressing differently from normal, maybe it is just because I have a so called "creative" brain. However, the author kept the medical language to a minimum. So my hope to find a cure to my seemly forever concussion was a bust, however I did find some of the research very interesting. I've always thought that the whole idea of an artsy type of person did tend to use the right side of their brain more. It seems that that statement is not correct, and that the interactions between parts of brain are the real indicator of a creative person.
The human brain is constantly proving to be more complex than we had ever imagined before having the technology, even in its current unrefined form, to observe it’s activity. Creativity seems to be no different, it makes perfect sense to me that creativity stems from the linking of different parts of the brain. Some of the most creative ideas often start with a combination of things rather than as simple inspiration from nothing. I think this can partially explain our exponential progress as time passes and we understand more we are able to link different parts of this knowledge and our training to create something innovative. This skill just like any other is apparently something that you can actually be good or bad at, I’m now curious if we could actually train people to be more creative and what the implications to that training might be.
Now more than ever we are at a time in history where science can explain so much of what and why we do the things that we do. This article articulates the special qualities that everyone in theatre, the arts, and anyone in a creative field possesses.
I love that this article touches on the fact that everyone is not "right" or "left" brained. Creativity, like the article states, sparks from all parts of the brain. Sort of like inspiration, it can come from anywhere. I love that this article speaks to creatives as being interested in both sides of every spectrum. I think what makes people creative is something that comes from within us. Everyone has the ability to be creative, and has bursts of creativity. Problem solving, taking a new path to school today, really anything can be broken down into its essence, creativity. Making a choice makes you a creative. The extent of that creativity may only take one to a certain place, however, if we continue to question our world now, we will continue to thrive as a creative species.
“Both more primitive and more cultured, more destructive and more constructive, occasionally crazier and yet adamantly saner, than the average person.” This sentiment explains so many of the creative people that I know and surround myself with. One of my very dear mentors and friend, Luke Delalio, is a man who comes to mind when I read that sentence. He was a big creative influence on my life and guided me in the direction that pointed towards theater. He is also one of the most disorganized people I knew-- his office always looked like a tornado ripped through it seconds before. However, he is also one of the most multi-faceted visual and performing artist that I know. I think that this article does an extremely interesting job on discussing how the left brain and right brain don't dominate individually, but how they work together like perfect cogs in order to create the utmost creative flow. I also believe that to an extent, only creative individuals can relate to other creative individuals. The means by which we exist thrive in a realm of slight insanity, absence of fear and bold creative optimism.
Post a Comment