Creativity
We need to distinguish between creativity and composition. Creativity is best thought of as a trait and practice that applies to many domains and activities. Composition is a specific creative domain, or practice.
Creativity can be learned. If one doesn’t believe that, then the teaching and studying of composition is somewhat pointless. For our purposes, then, the idea of the inherent genius is not useful.
Creative Process
Far from being mystical, most researchers have identified a consistent method to the creative process:
- Preparation
- Incubation
- Illumination
- Verification or revision
Most creative people stress the amount of actual work that goes into creativity, rather than the a-ha (illumination) moment. “Chance favors the prepared mind.”
Diversity and Experience
“Creativity is multidimensional and experiential.” (Richard Florida) It requires diverse experiences and perspectives. Because of this requirement, researchers find that creative people usually have a broad array of interests. For purposes of study, you should understand that creative people working in different domains share a common thought process, rather than looking at different forms of creativity (entrepreneurship, invention, art) as independent activities.
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