Sunday, August 14, 2005
Storing Thoughts
I've been doing some pre-reading for my Ph.D. I read this book about creativity a few months back. They title was "Creativity" by Csikszentimihalyi. He has done quite a bit in the field and I'm sure I will run into his work again. I wanted, though, to make sure I captured my thoughts that I wrote down while reading his book before I lost my little paper. Well, see if blogging helps Ph.D. work.
I was surprised by his very stict definition of creativity.
- I can see the requirement for having a domain
- The field seems important but the flux of opinion and majority vote does not appeal to me.
* Even if I don't like something I may find it creative.
Interested in the incubation period he seems to show as a requirement.
- The Creativity Forum at RHV found several creative (may just good) solutions to problems without incubation
* We used a forced divergent process with people not versed in the domain
- I would be interested in testing the need for incubation
* Give problem -> solve using a forced divergent technique immediately
* Give problem -> allow for incubation -> solve using a forced divergent technique
Hypothesis: the "play" involved when applying a divergent technique moderates the incubation requirement
Expected Result: increase quantity of creative outcomes in a given time span over no technique.
Creativity defined by man is a group process according to Csikszentimihaly: without man's consent, an original idea is not advanced or creative. Creativity, therefore, has a limit! This limit is based upon man's current judgment of what is or is not acceptable. How can man's acceptance bind creativity? If this is true a result would be that advancing creativity requires a change in culture. Interesting that those working inside the cultural limits are likely considered creative but those working outside of the cultural limits are likely considered crazy.
Csikszentimihaly then confirms that culture issue, "[s]urvival no longer depends on biological equipment alone but on the social and cultural tools we choose to use."
In my view, forced divergent creativity techniques work because they:
* Moderate the need for incubation
* Help put together things that normally would not be associated
* Provide an opportunity for perspective shift (and, by my notes, I may get some of this from Csikszentimihaly (on page 362).
I was surprised by his very stict definition of creativity.
- I can see the requirement for having a domain
- The field seems important but the flux of opinion and majority vote does not appeal to me.
* Even if I don't like something I may find it creative.
Interested in the incubation period he seems to show as a requirement.
- The Creativity Forum at RHV found several creative (may just good) solutions to problems without incubation
* We used a forced divergent process with people not versed in the domain
- I would be interested in testing the need for incubation
* Give problem -> solve using a forced divergent technique immediately
* Give problem -> allow for incubation -> solve using a forced divergent technique
Hypothesis: the "play" involved when applying a divergent technique moderates the incubation requirement
Expected Result: increase quantity of creative outcomes in a given time span over no technique.
Creativity defined by man is a group process according to Csikszentimihaly: without man's consent, an original idea is not advanced or creative. Creativity, therefore, has a limit! This limit is based upon man's current judgment of what is or is not acceptable. How can man's acceptance bind creativity? If this is true a result would be that advancing creativity requires a change in culture. Interesting that those working inside the cultural limits are likely considered creative but those working outside of the cultural limits are likely considered crazy.
Csikszentimihaly then confirms that culture issue, "[s]urvival no longer depends on biological equipment alone but on the social and cultural tools we choose to use."
In my view, forced divergent creativity techniques work because they:
* Moderate the need for incubation
* Help put together things that normally would not be associated
* Provide an opportunity for perspective shift (and, by my notes, I may get some of this from Csikszentimihaly (on page 362).
# posted by chilort @ 2:44 PM 
