Creativity Loses Value

May 5, 2008 by Leave a Comment

The appeal of creativity has exploded during the last several years, with everyone from schools to CEOs proclaiming its importance. So does this eliminate the value of true creativity if everyone is seen as a creative thinker?

Possibly. Thinking creatively is a skill that should be taught and learned by everyone, but are we also learning how to apply that thinking for every day solutions? Probably not. Most creativity books and classes preach expressing our creativity but few help us to use it constructively.

The Arts Column in the Telegraph (via the Applied Imagination blog) recently explored this topic emphasizing the need to learn more skilled crafts or at least a practical use for creativity as this, not solely ideas has sustained humankind.

  • Agree or disagree?
Filed Under: Creativity, Ideas, Innovation

Creativity Quote

April 17, 2008 by 2 Comments

This is one of my favorite quotes about creativity:

When I can no longer create anything, I’ll be done for. Coco Chanel

  • What’s your favorite creativity quote?
Filed Under: Creativity, Quotes

Bean Mosaic

March 20, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Spring is finally here, or so the calendar says. After a long winter, this time of the year is a good time to refresh our creativity and maybe explore some of the ideas that have been germinating during those long cold months.

Here is a fun project I did while volunteering at an elementary school’s Cultural Arts Day. It’s a flower mosaic created with, well beans and other assorted dried foods, including rice and pasta glued onto cardboard.

 

  • Unleash your inner artist and play like a child using finger paints, chalk, or beans!
Filed Under: Art Education, Creativity, Imagination

World Community Arts Day is February 17

February 12, 2008 by 1 Comment

With the theme “art as a catalyst for caring and sharing,” World Community Arts Day promotes creativity and personal expression. Celebrated on February 17, the organizers simply ask you to do an arts project, in any medium, that promotes the theme of “caring and sharing.” They then ask you to post it online and send them a link, so it can be included in their worldwide effort to promote the arts.

To share your art: Artists can add their work to Flickr And if you are like me, who created a collage to represent the green circle that symbolizes World Community Arts Day, then you can join the Green Circle Flickr Group and post it.

  • Whatever you decide, just do something creative on February 17

Image World Community Arts Day

Filed Under: Artists, Creativity, Inspiration

Do the Arts Have an Age Limit?

February 7, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Not according to a recent article promoting the arts for people over 60. Authors, like David Galenson, have examined the concept of Old Masters, and now studies are verifying the claim that the arts enrich the lives of older adults.

Aging artists rank higher in life satisfaction and self-esteem, according to a Needs Assessment of Aging Artists in New York City. They also are resilient and have an ongoing engagement with both their life and art, which translates to quality of life.

But you don’t even have to consider yourself an artist to reap the creative benefits of the arts.

The results of another study shows the positive impact of community-based cultural programs on those over 65, according to Gene Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., of George Washington University. During a National Endowment for the Arts conference he said, “community-based cultural programs for older adults appear to be reducing risk factors that drive the need for long-term care.” It also showed an improvement on the depression, loneliness and morale scales.

Filed Under: Artists, Creativity

Creative Retreats

January 18, 2008 by 2 Comments

I know many people have made a resolution this year to spend more time on creative projects. Ok, I am one of them! So, now is the time to clear your schedule and sign up for a creativity or arts retreat in 2008.

It’s a great opportunity to focus solely on creating without the distractions of every day life. There are retreats held in a variety of national and international locations.

Creativity Retreats

Creativity Workshop features creative writing, drawing, storytelling and memoir

Arts Retreats

ShawGuides lists arts and crafts workshops in the US and abroad

Art and Soul retreats offer instruction in paper, fabric, jewelry and fiber arts

Arcangelo Productions hosts art and life workshops focusing on collage, assemblage and photography

  • Or create your own retreat by designating an hour, a day or a weekend to creating.
Filed Under: Art Education, Creativity, Ideas

It’s Our Blogaversary!

December 15, 2007 by Leave a Comment


(Image Graciously Provided by KAR)

Today is Dose of CREATIVITY‘s first birthday. I am happy to celebrate with all of my devoted readers, who have been super supportive these past 12 months.

To keep providing you with the content you crave, I’ve created a short (it’s less than 15 questions!) survey to help improve this blog in the upcoming year.

As a ‘thank you’ for completing the survey, I’ll email you a copy of Dose of CREATVITY’s Top 10 Creative Cures, including a never before posted bonus one.

  • The survey is now closed. Please email me comments and suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you!
Filed Under: Creativity

Group Genius

December 4, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Do you believe becoming a creative genius is an isolated and individual process? Most people would agree with you but not Keith Sawyer.

In Group Genius: the Creative Power of Collaboration he dispels this myth by using improv and jazz as successful examples of group creativity. In both processes, a small spark is created when group members interact with one another by building on previous sparks.

Sawyer goes into more depth about these sparks, even explaining that they occur in all stages of the collaborative creative process:

  1. Preparation
  2. Time off
  3. The spark
  4. Selection
  5. Elaboration

What makes this different from most theories of group creativity is that you don’t have to participate in a traditional brainstorming session to get results. In fact, the most fascinating part of the book is when Sawyer debunks the myths of Morse, Edison and Darwin as individual geniuses. Instead, he explains how they developed their ideas during years of exploration, outside influences, and previous inventions.

This theory appeals to what I’ve always believed about creativity and that is that you can’t create in a bubble. You need to embrace random experiences and diverse opinions and blend them with your personal style.

  • Who has shaped your creative spark?
Filed Under: Books, Business Creativity, Creativity, Innovation

Creative Process

November 30, 2007 by 1 Comment

I recently finished a creative project for a friend and presented it to her last weekend. Letting go of this creation was difficult, as I’d spent the last several weeks working on it.

This all got me to thinking about the creative process and how each of us has our own style for completing projects.

Typically, the creative process is defined as follows:

  1. Preparation (defining what you will create, researching and studying possibilities)

  2. Incubation (stepping away from your project and letting your mind rest)

  3. Illumination (when the idea explosion occurs)

  4. Verification (testing the final product)

But like so many prescriptions for creativity, there is no set way that the process must flow. Some of us may spend all of our time on the preparation while others may still be waiting for illumination.

  • What’s your creative process?
Filed Under: Creativity, Ideas

Are You the Office Flake?

November 18, 2007 by Leave a Comment

This is the question posed in an article about creatives in the workplace. But are all creative people flaky? The article assumes that if you excelled in the arts as a student then you must not be able to prioritize or meet deadlines as an adult, ultimately hurting your career and future success.

On the flip side, this post from Applied Imagination points to research that those who studied music while growing up were more likely to pursue advanced degrees and even succeed as college presidents and CEOs. That doesn’t sound flaky to me.

  • What do you think?
Filed Under: Art Education, Creativity, Music
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