My top 3 favorite books about Creativity:
- Mihalyi Csikzentmihalyi’s Creativity
- Arthur Koestler’s The Act of Creation
- Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit.
I recently discovered Jonah Lehrer (my favorite pop-science writer) is writing a book about this pet topic of mine. I’m very excited about this– Imagine: How Creativity Works hits bookstores next Spring. I mentioned the good news to a friend.
My friend said, “Oh, yeah. I attended a talk of his (about Creativity) a few months ago in L.A. He told the story of how a guy came up with this thing called The Swiffer . This guy came up with the idea by…”
“The Swiffer?” I asked.
“Yeah,” my friend said, “it’s this mop thing that…“
I said, “I know what The Swiffer is. I just can’t believe Jonah Lehrer linked The Swiffer to Creativity.”
Coming up with The Swiffer may have something to do with innovation– making something better or more effective. It may also provide a slightly interesting example of how some person’s brain worked to produce the insight/idea that made this little gizmo a bestseller among housewives. But, The Swiffer is not a direct product of Creativity. Nope. No way.
I don’t know if Lehrer will include the Swiffer story in his book. At least I hope he does not. Creativity, innovation, discovery, insight and success are all hot concepts in popular literature right now. But they are not interchangeable. Why? Because discovery, innovation, insight and success are parts of a process not the whole process. Creativity is the whole process. And as a whole process it generates Life– of systems and ideas.
Creativity is about battle (stay with me). It is energy exchanged between Life and Destruction in which Life (of an idea, innovation, discovery, insight) takes the upper hand and wins. Creativity is dynamic and fragile because it keeps up the fight to live on. An idea or system in the throes of reproduction, adaptation and forging ahead through Time is Creative.
Sounds a bit Darwinian doesn’t it? Convoluted? Well, I’m working on it.
Thanks for reading.
I would love to hear from you in the comments section!
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Filed under: Defining Creativity, General Theory of Creativity Tagged: | Creativity, Creativity as process, Darwinian view of creativity, Jonah Lehrer, what is creativity
Totally agree. I’d go so far as to say creativity IS the life force. Once we stop being creative in action or thought we start dying. Life is dynamic and can’t be static so if something isn’t growing in some way then it’s dying. We’re familiar with stories in which a man loses his job, or his wife, then dies of some illness shortly after – we are aware of the medical diagnosis but we say ‘he really died of a broken heart’. In fact it’s often just a slow running out of energy – creativity is passionate energy and we need it to feel fully alive.
Yes! Yes!
Thanks for commenting.
you r a marching band; a cacophony of energy and passion sounds that sweep up those of us flag wavers and cotton candy handed crowds into your non-swiffer process of life. you are. good to hear your written voice again.
Thank you!
Totally agree with you on that one, how is inventing the swiffer creative? It’s just a glorified duster with good marketing! You would be surprised how many “creative” ideas that some people think are unique have been already thought of, that’s the problem a lot of comedians have, they think their joke is new but it has already been done. Speaking of swiffers, I was actually browsing for swiffer coupons when I found your site, I found this one with some good swiffer coupons and thought I would share it with you. They have some good ones for December!
That’s hilarious! Will I get in trouble with Swiffer Co.?
Creativity alone won’t do it though. One needs other qualities to make it known, like preservation and preseverance. One can’t just be creative in a vacuum. There has to be marketing for the creative idea to become known.
Like was it the chicken or the egg? Or if someone has an idea and no one hears about it, does it really happen? Like the tree in the forest.
Yes. You do need perseverance and a host of other skills and qualities. Creativity is not a thing you possess. It’s a process you keep alive.
Thank you for commenting!
I would love to meet the creative team that gave us swiffer and personally smack them. Just what our planet needs… more garbage. If taking technology that has been around forever and making it a scourge on the environment is creative then we should just stop innovating right now. For shame.