Creativity, a research project for Origins of Human Behavior

Summer 2012, Professor Regina Ritscher By Jan Herder Creativity. Sir Kenneth Robinson (1) says Schools Kill Creativity. I would have to say school certainly hampered creativity and it is very dormant in many college students who find their way to my program. How can we reignite it? What is the origin of creativity, what instills it, stimulates it? I look into myself for answers to this as well. The sense of disequilibrium that Piaget talks about, in order to gain knowledge, this rings true to me in the creative process I experience. As Bhattacharya and Han (2012) put it, disequilibrium occurs When external reality does not match with the logical internal mental structures (disequilibria), equilibration occurs as an effort to bring balance between assimilation and accommodation as the person adapts more sophisticated internal mental structures. (2) Yet this doesnt happen in a vacuum, and this is contrasted with other perspectives, like the one Simoluca (1989) suggests in The Relevance of Vygotsky's Theory of Creative Imagination for Contemporary Research on Play. (3) which emphasize the social aspect of play and creativity in development. Stephen Downes and George Siemens take it another step, in the connectivist point of view creativity is the repurposing of material and other peoples creations. In a brilliant Huffington Post blog, Stephen Downes says, But it is important to remember that creativity does not start from scratch. There is this myth that we stare at a blank sheet of paper, and that ideas then spring out of our heads. But it's just a myth. Nobody every creates something from nothing. That's why we call this section 'repurpose' instead of 'create.' We

want to emphasize that we are working with materials, that we are not starting from scratch. Addressing what the MOOC will be about, namely connectivism itself, Downes continues, This whole course will be about how to read or watch, understand, and work with the content other people create, and how to create new understandings and knowledge out of them.(4) The creation of content is a fundamental aspect of the constructivism that this process builds on. We construct a creation in a different way than when we re construct. I asked some of my college students, whom I knew had creative items to discuss, what they thought about creativity and their creative process. I had 3 replies, though only one answered all my questions. Research Theme and Questions: How much awareness of the creative process do my students have? What helps them be creative? What hinders it? What would they want to be more creative? What role does connectivism play? What role does the constructivist theory play in their creative process? Do they believe there is a relationship between creativity and leadership?

Methodology:

I will ask the students if they would like to participate in my Study. I will ask them to pick a design and tell me about it, and add this to their portfolio. One did add it to her portfolio so far. Questions for the subjects. Posted via Facebook messages: Summary of responses: Pick a piece of work that you have documented that you like and can talk about. Why did you pick it? H:I put so much of myself, my time, and my energy into it, I got to have complete creative licence on the piece. Also I love trees so getting to build one was an amazing oppertunity for me. L: I picked this because it was my first light design and the most creative of my light designs. A: Its the area Im most interested in. (set design) What worked and what did you think would be improved? H: I wanted roots for the tree but because of the way the chicken wire was done to the tree by my fellow designer they were not able to become a part of the tree. L: I could have improved the design by experimenting with other electrics for a similar effect as the booms to keep the design from being stale and predictable. A: the biggest issue is getting that picture (in my head) in to the scale floor plan and front view of the scenes What kinds of things do you do to prepare for a creative project?

H: First off I read the script and form my own mental image of how I want it to look. Then I go online and do a lot of reseach to see what others have done and to get ideas and inspiration. L: I attended Jess' choreography rehearsals and got a feel for what her piece was like. Then I also listened to the song and it's lyrics .I do a lot of thinking and picturing in my mind of an idea of what I'd like my final product to be. I think of colors .(the choreographer) didn't have any concrete ideas for lights of her own, so I was able to really be as creative as I wanted with them. Once I had some ideas, I shared them with her and she enjoyed them. Then I decided to make my actions. After "looking at the big picture", I figured out how to take my ideas out and put them on the stage. A: I googled a lot of pictures...mostly what a barely livable attic would look like What helped you realize this creation? (only H replied to this) H: Planning, budgeting, and an awesome crew What gets in the way of you creating? L: Self doubt and self consciousness are the two main things that can get in my way of creating. ...the opinion of others can greatly affect me. A: ....procrastination and difficulty drawing to scale

What do you wish you had from your tech theater classes that would help you be creative or as a designer? L: I wish that as a class, we looked at modern and even older creative projects and have a full discussion about them. And ask questions like how do you think

this look was created? If this was your project, what would you do differently? What also would work for this project? What wouldn't work? I feel that questions like these would really boost ideas and creativity. A: A class specified to the process of set designing, constructing, scale drawings, etc. Have you ever researched more about the creative process or design? How? L: I haven't researched the creative process or a lot of light design on my own, but I have observed other designs in my spare time. A: no Do you think there is a connection between creativity and leadership? Why or why not? L: I definitely do think there is a connection between creativity and leadership. To be a leader, one must be able to think on the spot and make do with what they have, but in very creative ways. Leaders are able to see things in a different light than many followers do. If a project is assigned, the follower's final project might look very average and ordinary. However, a leader's project is more likely to have unique and innovative work displayed..... now that I've designed a couple of times, I feel more confident in my abilities to create even more creative and innovative pieces. A: In creativity you need to have some sense of leadership, at least in the sense to step forward, since if you don't take ahold of that leadership position you wont get the job. With set designs I think the designers hold the place of leadership since they know how the set is supposed to look and can direct the workers.

Going back to my research questions: How much awareness of the creative process do my students have? Id have to say, its limited by image searches for H and A. L has a more multi sensory process, relates to collaborators and is highly influenced by peer pressure. Oddly there isnt any mention of the Director by H and A. Although I know from being a participant in the designs and productions that the Director's intent is behind the purpose of the design. The students are eager, almost aggressive about taking ownership. To some degree this is encouraged by my style and vision of learning, enabling students to take ownership. I find there is a balance between building confidence for a student and the risk of their slipping into arrogance, or self absorption. Without confidence and the willingness to take a risk and fail, students wont take the leadership necessary to be creative. Yet it is all too easy for a creative student to become full of ones self, becoming more egotistical. It seems to depend on how balanced the individual is in general, with the creative aspect potentially becoming obsessive in a less balanced person. Lets discuss the relationship creativity has to leadership. The students all believed that there is an essential relationship between the two. Although H doesn't answer this question explicitly, I know from observations of her work that there was a direct relationship between her ability as a leader and the fulfillment of her creative designs. Amy Frazier, in Current issues in Creativity Research, (2010) (5) says, Basadurs position is that effective leadership emerges through developing competency in creative process....leaders must understand the cognitive requirements of creative problem solving....Creative leadership, as these writings suggest, is creativity manifested by the leader while engaged in leading

creative efforts. In order to effectively lead creative people, the leadership, too, must be creative.(6) Leadership is a critical part of the connectivist and constructivist aspect of creativity. You need to be able to lead the workers, as A said it. Find a way to connect your vision, your research, your design, the vision of the Choreographer or Director and the social network of peers -- all together to achieve the design. You cant build it alone. And you dont start from scratch. Students use image searches and other research to get ideas, and in some cases listen to music, to freely imagine their design. The implementation, the actualization of the design does depend on ones ability to connect the necessary components together. There is a highly social imperative to design and creativity in this context. I was surprised how little the collaborative aspect was mentioned by my students, except by one designer. This is very helpful for me to find out. It gives me insight into how to enhance that component of my teaching. I take for granted the fact that the students are aware of collaborating, yet they resist or block it out when it comes to creativity. I didnt appreciate that until I did this research. My students work as a team toward a common goal, a production, but seem unaware of the necessity and value of collaboration in terms of creativity. Again, I attribute part of this to a question of insecurity. There is a need to over do the ownership aspect of realizing a creative project in a group environment. I think it is because of the issues of confidence and doubt. L puts it directly: Self doubt and self consciousness are the two main things that can get in my way of creating. ...the opinion of others can greatly affect me.

Knowing this student I can see the growth in confidence and an accompanying growth in creativity. She was also an excellent collaborator and researched her design using music, experiencing the dance, imagining a design. Actually L did not google it. In terms of theories of knowledge and learning, Ls comment about how she prepares for a project is very revealing, Once I had some ideas, I shared them .Then I decided to make my actions. After "looking at the big picture", I figured out how to take my ideas out and put them on the stage. The expression make my actions is very interesting. Clearly, making something, in the sense of poesis, supports the creative act. It is a very unusual turn of speech to say make my actions. The awkwardness of the expression suggests that this is a special description. For me this expression tells me that for L, the creative act anchors the design in time and place, with specific people, materials, etc. This is all very synthetic and connectivist, as well as affirming the constructivist approach to learning. This student is getting it! I wanted to comment on something else, the freedom to create within context, and the thirst for responsibility in the creative production. The opportunity to have the freedom to design, create and construct is a powerful way of learning and growing. The students need to have a production date, they take pride and ownership in achieving the deadline. It is a public process-- the construction of a design. Whereas the creation evolves from the individual and a smaller cohort-- The final product is very collaborative and very public. That is to say, it is a real event in time and place. It may not be important to the world, but for the learning community it is very important. This type

of exposure and accountability is not for everyone, but as a creative opportunity it is wonderful. Where else do you have a crew and a budget to build your design in a collaborative project? In the professional world you do; as a successful artist, designer, musician, actor, stage manager, etc. Conclusion: I embarked on this research project to learn more about the creative process among my students in the context of human behavior. I learned about my teaching, and places I need to work on. There was some discussion by one student about technical skills and the desire to focus more on that. But most importantly I learned about the dynamic in creativity and collaboration going on in my learning community. This is important to me in my exploration of design based learning and connectivism. Leadership plays a huge role, revolving around the issues of confidence and social environments. Leadership is critical for bringing the design to fruition. Collaboration is absolutely necessary. And it is here in the creative process, the ability to collaborate, where a big jump comes in terms of quality and depth. I am constantly reminded that opportunity and freedom within contexts is the greatest way to develop learning in an individual and in a group. This is the soil of the creative process, the ground that lets the collaborative vision emerge. This research affirmed the creative process and some dynamics of creativity in the learning community I facilitate. References: 1)TED Talks, (2006) Sir Kenneth Robinson: Does School Kill Creativity? http:// www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

2) Bhattacharya, K.& Han, S. (2001). Piaget and cognitive development. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 7/9/12, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/ 3) Francine Smolucha (1989) The Relevance of Vygotsky's Theory of Creative Imagination for Contemporary Research on Play. ERIC, Education Resources Information Center, ED314168 - Retrieved 7/9/12 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ ED314168.pdf 4) Stephen Downes 'Connectivism' and Connective Knowledge(2011)http:// www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-downes/connectivism-and-connecti_b_804653.html 5) Min Basadur, Leading others to think innovatively together: Creative leadership, (2004) The Leadership Quarterly Volume 15, Issue 1, February 2004, Pages 103121. Retreived 7/9/12 from, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2003.12.007 6) Amy Frazier, Current issues in Creativity Research, (2010) A project of the graduate students at the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State, retrieved 7/9/12 from http://creativityresearch.blogspot.com/2010/12/big-question-what-arenatural.html