Reading the section on our society’s general collapse of creativity in Dr. Jesse Martin’s book, “Learning and Education” was albeit, somewhat disheartening; and while I can definitively see that the high value placed on and subsequent rise in conformity has systematically diminished creativity (Martin, 2016), the optimist in me wants to believe that as a society we can find a way to rise out of this creative stagnation. This begs the question: is creativity something that we can cultivate and learn? Or is it something much more like charisma – you either have it or you don’t?
While there is plenty of research and evidence supporting the theory that creativity can be lost, there is very little on whether or not it is something we can learn. Two studies I found, however, suggest that creativity is closely linked with both neurological and personality traits. The implication is that creativity can be learned, but only to a certain extent. In order to be the next great; the next Pablo Picasso or inventor of the internet – a perfect storm of experience, openness and the right neurology need to coalesce.
“Openness to Experience” as an Improvable Personality Trait
The first study, published by Wenfu Li, a Psychology professor at Southwest University, discovered that highly creative individuals have more activity and a greater volume of grey matter in the pMTG area of the brain, responsible for the ability to make original associations, to blend information from various scenarios and experiences (known as “conceptual integration”), and to understand complex metaphors and comparisons (Li et al, 2014). They did so by administering the Williams Scale creativity aptitude test, which assesses individual’s curiosity, imagination, complexity of ideas, and risk-taking behaviors in order to determine their level of creativity. However, in an attempt to answer the question of whether creativity can be learned, Li and researchers also looked at personality traits that contribute to creativity and found that “openness to experience” (one of the “Big Five” personality traits) is by far the most important, as it matched up with both high grey matter in the pMTG and creativity as tested by the Williams Scale.
What’s important is that openness to experience is a trait that individual’s can willingly improve, for example by trying new foods, learning different languages, meeting new people, considering and thinking critically about issues and other viewpoints, etc. What’s implied then, is that although deeply dependent on individual neurology, creativity can at least be partially learned and improved upon via openness to experience.
Creativity Linked to Brain Processing Speed
The second study, put together by Frederick Travis & Yvonne Lagrosen, found that those who are able to process information faster can also make more diverse connections and original associations – a creativity trademark. Neurological processing speed however is not something that can be improved upon, or “learned”.
Final Thoughts
Both of these studies found that creativity is linked to the ability to quickly process and reorganize diverse information, meaning that the most creative individuals have a variety of experiences from which to build on. The studies also found that people must be open to new ideas in order to transpose these experiences into a unique and original thought or product. So in order to become the next Pablo Picasso or J.K. Rowling – I guess we need to a) hope that we have the ideal neural processing speed, and b) maybe try a new restaurant or take a trip someplace new.
References:
Li, W., Xueting, L., Huang, L., Kong, X., Yang, W., Li, J., Cheng, H., Zhang, Q., Qiu, J. & Liu, J. (2014). Brain structure links trait creativity to openness to experience. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Retrieved from http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/04/07/scan.nsu041.short
Martin, J. (2016). Learning and Education. Academy for the Scholarship of Learning. Charlseton, SC.
Travis, F. & Lagrosen, Y. (2014). Creativity and Brain-Functioning in Product Development Engineers: A Canonical Correlation Analysis. Creativity Research Journal. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10400419.2014.901096
mgdrummo 
I actually took a Liberal Education class related to creativity last semester! In this class I we were taught that creativity can be learned. The author Roberta Ness presents a formula for creativity that is organized into the acronym PIG IN MUD.
According to her, these steps can help people who have trouble innovating start creating ideas.
Phrase a question based on interest, observation and knowledge
Identify your usual frames and find alternatives
Generate all possible solutions
Incubate
Meld your single best idea back into usual work processes
Disseminate
I think these steps are helpful when trying to be creative. I personally like the part that says we need to “identify frames”. Essentially this means we need to realize that our way of thinking is often a result of how we were taught to think. The key to creativity is to begin to think in new ways- this is when ideas start to generate as we are not confined.
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Sounds like a really interesting class; I would have loved to have taken it! I like this idea of having a creativity formula – I think that implies that creativity is a process, and not just about having a single, insightful “a-ha” moment. Really it’s about setting ourselves up for that moment and then knowing what to do with it when it comes, which is a lot more encouraging than thinking of creativity as an innate, fixed entity you either have or don’t have. The part about identifying frames and finding alternatives I think also speaks to the “openness to experience” section, as part of that personality trait implies you can build upon this by considering or learning to think in different ways which I fully agree is a key to creativity.
After reading about your class I was curious to see if there were other educational programs centered around creativity, and it turns out there are actual creative studies and creative training programs popping up in many educational institutes. Research shows that the programs that focus on providing learners with cognitive strategies are most effective; for example, the International Center for Studies in Creativity uses a model called “Creative Problem Solving”. The main premise here is to separate idea generation from idea evaluation – so not only how to generate original ideas, but also how to further implement those ideas (innovation). While many of us might have unique and original ideas, we may not have the skills (yet) to manifest those ideas in some form or another – something I believe can definitely be learned.
References:
Alling, M. (2014 August 28). Can you learn creativity? The answer might surprise you [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://blog.generalassemb.ly/can-you-learn-creativity/
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This was quite an interesting topic! I think creativity can help individuals become more successful, especially in our society today. Usually the ones that have something different to offer are the ones that get noticed for their creative outlook. I think that everyone is creative, and it’s just that some individuals have already found their creative intelligence. Just like how Galbraith and Jones (2003) mentioned, a conducive and inviting environment is essential to generate creative and innovative ideas, projects, or products. Even risk-takers are demonstrated as being creative individuals because they are viewing things differently. The authors even stated how important it is when selecting faculty and instructors as well as admitting learners to various programs, because it would be wise to promote for acceptance those individuals who have questioning minds and a sense for nurturing change. Creativity allows individuals to express themselves and even influence the people around them. Albert Einstein even suggested that creativity is far more significant than knowledge in the advancement of humankind (Galbraith & Jones, 2003)!
Galbraith, M. W., Jones, J. D. (2003). Promotion and benefits of enhancing creativity in higher and adult education. Journal of Adult Education, 32(1), 18-28.
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Hi,
I really liked the topic for your blog this week and I think the evidence that you provided was substantial. I think creativity can definitely be learned and taught but opens is very important, I also really vouch for the idea that creativity can be taught, to an extent. In a study by Ebru Çubukcu & Sebnem Gökçen Dündar called “Can creativity be taught? An empirical study on benefits of visual analogy in basic design education.” In this study they tested 52 first year design students, some students were given visual clues before beginning a design project that needed to include a few things used on creativity and the other students were not given visual clues before starting the same project. What they found was interesting because students that were in the group presented with visual cues from the instructor had far more creative outcomes in their projects, partly because they could be inspired by other projects and encouraged development of creative ideas. I think obviously building on your own experiences is beneficial for creativity but others experiences can also encourage creative thinking. I really enjoyed your blog, here is the study if you would like to read it.
References
Çubukcu. E. & Gökçen Dündar. S. (2008). Can creativity be taught? An empirical study on benefits of visual analogy in basic design education. Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Architecture. Retrieved February 1, 2016 from: http://www.az.itu.edu.tr/downloads/papers/vol04-02/pdf/08-cubukcu-dundar-04-02.pdf
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I love your post (and Laiken’s as well), but are astounded by the conformity in your (and the commenter’s) views of creativity. I read your posts (and have done so for years), and am overwhelmed by the amount of creativity that emerges in this class. Think about what creativity really is (and not just the conformist’s definition of creativity) and you will see that creativity is easy to foster. Just set people free, and their innate desire to create will emerge. At least that’s my view.
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Interesting topic!
I must say that i’m pretty skeptical on this idea. I don’t want to flat out deny that creativity can be taught, but i’m not sure how you would go about teaching someone to be creative. There is a very mixed debate in the literature about personality traits and if they actually hold merit. I took a class last semester that had a strong stance on the fact that your personality traits don’t actually determine your behaviour in any given situation. There are a lot of factors that come into play. If you want to be someone else, the best way to go about it is to start abiding, consciously, by certain behaviours and it will eventually become a habit. Maybe creativity can be taught in the sense that we take things from our personal experiences and hold on to lessons we learned from them. That knowledge can be applied to difference contexts of course. But how can you teach someone to think outside the box or to push the boundaries of social norms? I think a lot of that is out of our control.
Then again, who are we to say that one thing is creative and another is not? What are we defining as creativity? ability to think outside the box or ability to draw/paint? Coming up with a new way of doing something or adding on to someone else’s idea? Galbraith and Jones (2003) says that even risk-takers are demonstrated as being creative because they are viewing things differently than the average person. It would be wise to promote acceptance of individuals who have questioning minds. Creativity allows individuals to express themselves and even influence the people around them. I think the focus should be promoting and supporting growth in an individual, in whatever way that looks like to them. That’s the most important thing.
Galbraith, M. W., Jones, J. D. (2003). Promotion and benefits of enhancing creativity in higher and adult education. Journal of Adult Education, 32(1), 18-28.
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