PREVIOUS : Stress & Body Parts + Relaxation

SITEs : • Several Creativity CHARTS
• “How can we see images in our minds?”
• GOD’S View of CREATIVITY – why it matters to Christ

DEF : “The use of imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.”
ALSO, from California State U : “The tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities —> that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, & entertaining oneself & others.”

TYPES 
Neuropsychologist Arne Dietrich’s research paper on creativity in 2004  ▶︎ indicated that the creative process is not always linear – it can go back & forth between different stages, as needed.  ▲

🍃 Deliberate & Cognitive
This type comes from hard work in a specific area.
The key aspect of this creativity is having an already formed body of knowledge that can be combined in new, innovative ways.
Gathering a wide range of in-depth information obviously takes time.  So, for these people it’s essential to have lots of opportunities for research & learning. Then, to have enough time to develop a creative solution.

☞ ☛ The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is home to this type of creativity, one of 3 cortex regions, the space right behind your forehead. It’s the source of language, memory, reflexion & superior executive functioning. The 2 main things it provides : ➣ Focusing your attention and ➣ Making connections among stored info in the brain.
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EXP : Edison, the inventor of the telegraph & the electric light bulb (improved from the invention of Joseph Swan). He repeated & repeated his experiments, making tweaks along the way, until something finally worked. This process followed him throughout his brilliant career, as he continued to contribute to the modern world.

🌷 Deliberate & Emotional
For others, creativity comes from sitting quietly & reflecting on their situation. These types likely have “a-ha” moments where they seem to pull a solution out of thin air. However, the clever idea doesn’t actually come from nowhere, but rather from time spent pondering & asking questions, instead of research & studying.
☞ ☛ This type of creativity comes from the cingulate cortex – an area of the brain that connects our emotions to the PFC.

To help such people, it’s important they have time to think. Asking “Why & How”questions will not produce immediate solutions. Instead, it develops insights, then allow them to come back later to share their thoughts.
EXP : If something bad happened to you or a loved one, you ponder, trying to understand the decisions & events that led to this situation. You naturally want to figure it out so you can cope with the stressor, learn what can be gathered from the situation, & be able to move on.

🗼Spontaneous & Cognitive
Someone who falls into this category needs time to be doing something else – away from the project or problem – allowing their subconscious to keep working in the background. This style of creativity also requires an existing body of knowledge, but used indirectly.
Solutions may come while washing dishes, driving, taking a shower, walking the dog…. EXP : how Isaac Newton thought of gravity while watching a falling apple.

For these people, it’s essential to develop stages of creativity over time. EXP : on day 1 they may think up the problem, then come back sometime later (a week, a month….) to solve it.
☞ ☛ This style uses the brain’s basal ganglia – a part of the brain where dopamine is stored, & operates outside conscious awareness. It’s also the part that’s primarily involved in processing movement-related input.

❣️Spontaneous & Emotional
It’s what’s considered the most elusive form of creativity ——> something you either “have or don’t have“.
EXP : Great artists & musicians such as Mozart, Baudelaire, or rap singers like Eminem….
They often experience powerful emotional moments (☞ ☛ from the amygdala) that seem like an epiphany, even a religious experience. It’s much harder to deliberately inject these moments into our regular life, because a high degree of native skill is often required.

IN BIZ – When dealing with team members of this type, it’s essential to create an environment that helps to collect their creative ideas & hone their specific skills, even if the applications aren’t immediately obvious.
« CHART explained ⬇️

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NEXT : Creativity – Components