5 takeaways from 'Creativity'
The educationist Sir Ken Robinson calls it 'applied imagination'. But creativity has been studied a lot, mythologized about, and even misunderstood! Human creativity is responsible for much that is good and bad about our world. But we don't seem to be able to understand what it really is, or when it springs forward.
Author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous theory of flow to give shape to this otherwise abstract concept. We recently read about Csikszentmihalyi's book 'Creativity' and we've got 5 takeaways for you. (Listen to our discussion in this CTQ Smartcast).
1. Our surroundings play a major role
Whether it be the likes of Nalanda in ancient times, Florence during the Renaissance, or Silicon Valley in the 21st century, creative people tend to congregate and feed off each other. The books, ideas, and environment around us can influence us. Today, Twitter & Reddit can do the same.
2. Creative people are often complex
They could be contradictory, and even dysfunctional. It's a feature, and sometimes a bug.
3. There are 5 phases to creativity
These are Preparation, Incubation, Insight, Evaluation, and Elaboration. Good creatives (individuals or teams) are able to do all five.
4. Creativity and Flow goes together
Creative people experience flow while working, which aids their creativity and also makes it a rewarding feeling.
5. Age is not always a factor
There are enough examples of creativity at all kinds of age. Over time, the nature of our intelligence may move from fixed to crystallised, but that doesn't mean older people can't be creative. You don't have to be a prodigy to be prodigious.
The book is an interesting read and there was more food for thought. Listen to our discussion in this CTQ Smartcast and find out what the CTQ team took away from it.