Researchers are getting closer to understanding the functional underpinnings of creativity, and now believe it’s intimately tied to an individual’s drive to explore and discover new things. In their new book, Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire reveal that openness to new experience is the… Read More
“It is in fact the discovery and creation of problems rather than any superior knowledge, technical skill, or craftsmanship that often sets the creative person apart.” —Jacob Getzels, social scientist I know a handful of people who are natural problem-solvers—skilled at identifying the root of an issue and taking keenly selected, highly efficient steps to… Read More
Creativity can seem mythical to us. It’s apparent even in the language we use to talk about it. When we refer to creativity, it’s most often in the context of how fleeting, unknowable, and impossible to harness it appears. When a great idea hits, it seems like a chance occurrence never to be replicated, because… Read More
“Truly creative people don’t just ‘let it all hang out.’ They are meticulous and picky and fussy. They work hard to produce something harmonious and aesthetically satisfying.” –Joseph S. Salemi The old notion of the intellectually liberated creative genius, guided by intuition and strokes of inspiration rather than careful calculation, is, as it turns out,… Read More
In early December, seven teachers in New York were recognised by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for their creative approaches to instruction. One teacher helps students at University Heights High School in the Bronx conduct scientific investigations into the intersection of science and social justice, urging them to tackle challenges in their own communities such… Read More
At the most basic level, new ideas are about making connections. Steve Jobs said, “Creativity is just connecting things,” and the inner workings of the brain confirm this: When we learn something new, the antennae-like spines on one neuron swell and reach toward the spines of another neuron, forming networks of understanding. The difference between… Read More