Is Creativity Encouraged?

The Art and Science ™In high school?

™In college
of Creativity ™At your job?
™In general?

Images from www.dietrite.com, Guggenheim web page,, McKim’s Experiences in visual Thinking,
www.howstuffworks.com, http://portatili.hwupgrade.it/, http://waynesword.palomar.edu/plapr98.htm 1 2

Why Does Creativity Matter? My Creativity Block

Circle’s diameter = triangle’s altitude = square’s sides = 4 in.

You must be good

at being creative
to be a good Walls of holes are perpendicular to flat face of block
engineer. Conceptualize a single, solid, non-deformable object that will
pass through each hole and, en route, block the passage of light
Bring actual, physical solution by my office (AME N513), b/n
3 3:30 and 4:30 on Wed., Sept. 25. 4
 In Search of Defining Creativity Our Creativity Definition
Novel - unique, new, innovative, different, imaginative, non-
typical, unusual.
As you can see,
Useful - responds to a need,has some utility or value,answers
a question creativity is not easily
Understandable, or at least non-mystical - defined
not the result of chance; reproducible. Though novel,
it is describable and satisfying. It is not a creature of
the unknown, but a combination of feeling and
by what it is
knowing.

5 6

The Diet-Rite Cola approach How We Block Creativity

Perceptual
Nutrition information per serving: Emotional
calories …………………… 0 Imagination Cultural
fat ……………………….... 0
Expressive Intellectual Environmental
sodium (mg) ……………… 0
carbohydrate ……………... 0
protein ……………………. 0
Not a significant source of other nutrients.
PLEASE RECYCLE
7 Adams,1979, Conceptual Blockbusting. 8
 The Diet-Rite Cola Approach Perceptual Blocks
especially strong when we first experience a
problem situation
Nutrition information per serving:
Perceptual blocks...................0 – Stereotyping: thinking conventionally
Emotional blocks...................0 – Information overload: too worried
ty Cultural blocks...................... 0 about details

ativi Imagination blocks................0 – Limiting the problem unnecessarily

Cre Environmental blocks............0

Intellectual blocks..................0 Perceptual
Expressive blocks...................0 Emotional
Imagination Cultural
Expressive Intellectual Environmental
9 10

Emotional Blocks Cultural Blocks

color and limit what we observe and how we acquired by exposure to prevailing cultural
think about problem situations patterns.

– Fear of risk taking

– Unease with chaos
– Avoidance of taboos
– Adopting a judgmental attitude
– Tradition over innovation
– Unwilling to take the time to
incubate an idea – Adults are not allowed to have fun
Perceptual Perceptual
Emotional Emotional
Imagination Cultural Imagination Cultural
Expressive Intellectual Environmental Expressive Intellectual Environmental
15 16
 Cultural Blocks
Remove the dollar bill without the
bottle falling, and without touching
anything but the dollar bill.
Perceptual
Imagination Blocks
interfere with the freedom with which we
explore and manipulate ideas.
– The realities of living too often train us
not to be naive dreamers
– And if we judge ideas too early our
Perceptual imaginations won’t have time to react.

Emotional Emotional
Imagination Cultural Imagination Cultural
Expressive Intellectual Environmental Expressive Intellectual Environmental
17 18

Early Judgment Early Judgment = NOT GOOD!

a part of nearly every “block”

19 21
 Environmental Blocks Intellectual and Expressive Blocks
imposed by our immediate social and physical when information is poorly collected, formulated
environments or processed -- or just plain missing!
– Homework where there is only one correct answer. Intellectual
– A grading system where creativity may cost a scholarship or
membership in the honor society
– Being on probation or on the dean’s list so you don’t dare take
restrict our abilities to share our thoughts with
chances. others and involve them
Expressive
Perceptual - A distracting meeting space Perceptual
Emotional Emotional
Imagination Cultural Imagination Cultural
Expressive Intellectual Environmental Expressive Intellectual Environmental
22 23

What’s Needed? Four Stages of Creation

“We do not need to teach people to
be creative, we just have to quit Preparation
interfering with their being creative”
-Ross L. Mooney
Incubation

Illumination

Wallas, G. 1926. The Art of Thought, Verification

Harcourt Brace and Company, New
24 York. 25
 Preparation Incubate & Illuminate
Develop ideas individually
™ Everyone must be familiar with the problem
Set aside for a day
™ Relaxed atmosphere
™ Diverse group of people on team
Come together for group brainstorming
Set aside for a day or two
Come back together for
more group brainstorming
™ Primary method ™Specific Techniques
¾ Brainstorming ¾Imagine-see-draw
¾Analogy
¾Literature search
26 27

Creativity Technique:
Brainstorming Basics Visual Thinking
Quantity Breeds Quality
Defer Judgment
™ Shed your “intellectual inhibitions”
¾ Avoid rejecting ideas as absurd, redundant, stupid,
impractical, etc
¾ No criticism or negative judgments
™ Start drawing out ideas and posting them for others to
see
™ Add on to or around the ideas of others
™ Designate a facilitator from within your group 28 29
Creativity Technique: Creativity Technique:
Analogies Build from Other People’s Ideas!

Search the web

Search the library

30 31

Creativity and Design

1
10 Accept 2
Need Define
Evaluate problem
Possibilitie

3
Expanding

9 Problem Search
Implement Formulation
Solution
Implementation 4
8 Criteria &
Plan Constraints
Problem
Solving 5
7 Alternative
Decision & 6 Solutions
s

Explication
Analysis
Re
du
cin
g
32