Creativity: Past Present and Future

International Conference:Integrating Enquiry and Action, Buffalo, NY, (May 28th - 30th, 2008)

Tudor RickardsThe University of Manchester

Creative Treats Ahead

Our Journey Together

Recollections

Today’s perspectives

Future possibilities

The Female Essence of Creativity can be found in the Earliest

Creation Myths

Later, Creativity became the Preserve of (Male) Genius …

…Associated with

• Madness• Mystery• Muses• Magic

Creativity, the Individual and Cosmology

Early mythologies assumed creativity was a gift to ‘chosen ones’, individuals who were destined to use the gift to celebrate the ultimate creator of the Universe

Historically, Creativity operated within a Patronage System

Science, Modernism, and Rationality rejected Earlier Beliefs

But ‘Gifted’ Individuals are still Highly Respected today ..

…in many walks of life

Although sometimes, Genius is not Recognized …

Edison was among many great scientific pioneers rated stupid at school.

Would he have been dismissed today as having too low an IQ to amount to anything in life?

In the 20th Century, attempts were made to ‘tame’ Creativity..

Guilford

Wallas

Sid and Bea Parnes KoestlerEysenck

Structures to Assist Creativity were Developed

Paul Torrance Alex Osborn

Tony Buzan EdwardDe Bono

GenrichAltshuller

Studies of Creativity in Teams and Organizations were carried out

Creative Leaders were identified

Creative Industries Emerged

Today, creative industries, through their organizations are the fastest-growing economic sectors around the world.

They include Architecture; Arts & antiques; Design; Performing arts; Electronic games; and Multi- Media

Creativity is found in many and diverse Walks of Life

‘…But does it Work in Theory?’

So Many Theories …

Insight theories Self-actualization Transcendence Cognitive reframingDarwinismInformation processingProblem-solvingExperiential learningIntrinsic motivation

Today’s Knowledge Guides come from around the World

Michael Kirton[Innovation styles]

Teresa Amabile[Intrinsic motivation;contextual modelling]

Ikujiro Nonaka[Knowledge creation]

Modernity itself has changed …

How Modernity forced yet more Creativity

“Painting is washed up. Who will ever do anything better than that propeller?”

Marcel du Champs [at an early exhibition of aviationTechnology]

A Triumph of Serendipity

“I was modelling heat storage (wind power) …Intuition: One more stored quantityInsight: But heat leaks!Serendipity: Ignore boundary conditions …mix the deterministic and stochastic in a single equation”

Dr Syd Howell, University of Manchester (2008)

A Triumph of Creative Hope …

“So hope for a great sea-changeOn the far side of revenge.Believe that further shoreIs reachable from here.”

Seamas Heaney

Beyond the frontiers …

Creative Imperatives

Creativity will be even More vital as we address 21st century imperatives of human and environmentalWell-being

Creativity in the Future

Buffalo, May 2008

TheEEC

Year of CreativityAnd Innovation2009

The Global Creativity Network, 20…??