Creativity

Creativity

Creativity is a special kind of thinking that involves originality and fluency, that breaks away from existing patterns and introduces something new. Creativity may be applied to problem solving, in which case it facilitates the generation of a range of possible solutions, in particular to problems which have no single right answer. Alternatively, and most productively, it may be applied to the process of creating - this means the realising of a held vision, empowered by a tension-resolution system which is put in place by the existing reality being differentiated from a desired vision. So creativity is obviously something that happens frequently in everyday life, rather than something confined to poets, painters and musicians.The creative process appears typically to follow four stages: Preparation - considering the situation is a telic and paratelic process, playing around with ideas and deliberating on their feasibility; then, identifying the problem, issue, theme or vision, finding out what one really wants to achieve, causes a reversal to paratelic excitement (or sometimes telic anxiety, particularly if this is an other-determined should or must). Incubation - the matter sinks into the unconscious; if access to the unconscious is blocked (such as by anxiety) this resource (the processing power of whole brain) may be limited or slow to emerge. Also, within consciousness, current reality is further compared to the envisionedoutcome, to energise the incubation and provide more data. Illumination - imaginative ideas emerge spontaneously into consciousness and in the paratelic state the individual gets to work making them a reality.

Cultivating Creativity

Many of us are creative in our daily lives, in ways that impac us and those around us. Occasionally, someone makes a discovery or creates a work of art that changes our culture. Children from about age 4 to 7 are usually at a developmental stage where they are bursting with creativity. What makes some of us more creative than others?

All human brains are very much alike. However, some of us choose to use our resources, such as free time, in more creative ways. How your creativity manifests itself is based on your personality and life experience, your knowledge, the environment you work and play in, and your culture. You can influence or change these variables to increase yourcreativity. Everyone has creative potential. The following are suggestions for developing creativity in your life.

a. Read - read anything that sparks your interest. If you have access to a library, use it. There are books on practically every topic you can imagine.

b. Become more curious - look at the world around you with an open mind. Have you ever closely examined the leaves on a tree? Or taken apart on old radio or clock?

c. Try something new - often people assume that they could never participate in certain activities - "I could never do that!" If you think you can't draw, but haven't tried since you were 10, or have never been taught how to draw, how do you really know?

d.