Comments on: Creativity: a scientific viewpoint

By: Academic Career Links

Academic Career Links — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:59:30 +0000

Great post! Thank you very much!

By: Phil Wilson

Phil Wilson — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:15:24 +0000

Thanks, Larry, I hope that this post was of some help. Good luck in deciding what you would like to major in. I understand that it is a tough decision.

By: Larry Lima

Larry Lima — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:54:45 +0000

This is a very interesting talk. I’m an undergrad at UCLA at the moment, and I am at the verge of collapse for not knowing what I want to do as a major. I’m a transfer, Junior standing, and working on a degree in Space Physics. But the Math involved in my classes (fluid dynamics, analytical mechanics) is slowly discouraging me. It doesn’t help either being a transfer student, as the level of math I learned in the junior college is quite different than how they taught it here at the university.
It has come to the point that I am thinking of changing majors. I am on this odd stage where I am getting fed up by the theory and slowly inclining towards the arts and creative pursuit. I’m thinking of architecture, but am still very confused. This talk has somehow given light on my problem, and I wish I might find the answers soon. A very interesting read! Thank you!
(PS: I stumbled on your website trying to find a solution for my fluid dynamics homework xD)

By: Sprigley Keys Allan

Sprigley Keys Allan — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:54:44 +0000

I read this post about creativity and absolutely LOVED it. The speaker’s three requirements for creativity were right on. She said that to be creative it had to be NEW, SUPRISING AND VALUABLE. I thought that was really interesting. However in my opinion the most thought provoking aspect of the entire conversation was the comment on how people, particularly in mathematics, are at their most creative up until the age of thirty. I think this is true as well because people shut down their creative minds to blend in and become on of the mass. Very few people don’t follow this path but those few, at least in business, usually end up very rich, very famous or both. Some example some people who have not shut down their creativity are, Richard Bronson, Steve Jobs and my father. My father owns a tea company as well as being a venture capitalist, which if you want to succeed requires great amounts of creativity.

By: The science of creativity « Heroes Not Zombies

The science of creativity « Heroes Not Zombies — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:43:10 +0000

[...] 19, 2008 by bobleckridge Phil Wilson, has a superb post on his blog about a lecture he recently attended in Brighton. It was a lecture about creativity and was [...]

By: bobleckridge

bobleckridge — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:47:21 +0000

Brilliant post, Phil. Inspiring!
For me, I’ve really no doubt that combinatorial creativity is my dominant one. I’ve often had such feedback from people. Others say I have a “synthetic” mind because I seem to see the links between diverse things or ideas and then something new emerges from the bringing of them together. I was lucky to attend a multidisciplinary seminar in Oxford a few years back (on the meaning of health, illness and disease) and it was a completely stimulating experience. I really wish there were more opportunities for multidisciplinary work (maybe there are and I’ve just been too lazy to find them!) For example, in Medicine, it’s a crying shame that there’s such a hard division between science and art that undergraduate training almost completely ignores the contributions of the humanities to our understandings of health and illness.
The exploratory creativity I recognise too, and over the years, I’d claim my consulting skills have improved tremendously exactly in that way – practice, practice, practice. But I’m also aware that some combinatorial creativity has fed into my explorations! The one area I’m struggling to see transformational creativity in my life, but maybe I need to read a bit more about it to grasp it more clearly.
Finally, the bit about rest really resonates with me. Although, I’d say change of context/environment is equally important. What I mean is that maybe its more than rest as in non-doing, or non-thinking. Maybe its rest as in “a change is as good as a rest for the brain” (who said that? Goodness! Where did that come from? I’ve SURE I’ve heard that many times before) For example, some of my most creative breakthroughs have come from my times teaching in Japan where my whole pace of teaching changes due to the interpretation process but where I am challenged by whole other set of concepts culturally, physically and psychologically. And some come from the times I spend in France – which is EXACTLY why I rent a place in France through the year and spend regular “creative” breaks here – again a combination of time away and different cultural and physical influences. Cripes! I’d better stop! What a long comment! See, you got me going again, Phil! Thankyou so much
Bob

By: Phil Wilson

Phil Wilson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:30:43 +0000

Here's another article outlining similar steps to improving one's creativity which I think support Boden's ideas.

By: Phil Wilson

Phil Wilson — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:26:53 +0000

Thanks Hayden and shapesandcolours for your kind comments.

Thanks also to Jay and loslonelyboy, and I think your comments highlight something interesting. Boden would probably be the first to agree that there is something undefinable and ineffable about creativity. But her main point is that much of the process of creativity, the coming up with ideas which are new, surprising, and valuable is amenable to rational scientific inquiry.

Another important point is that creativity can be nurtured, can be increased and promoted in a person. This is done by providing a varied environment, and one in which ideas can be freely explored without scorn or taboo, and finally by many years of committment and practice in an area.

By: Creativity: a scientific viewpoint « Phil Wilson’s Mathematics Weblog « Creativity

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:37:53 +0000

[...] Creativity: a scientific viewpoint « Phil Wilson’s Mathematics Weblog Creativity: a scientific viewpoint « Phil Wilson’s Mathematics Weblog [...]

By: loslonelyboy

loslonelyboy — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:57:39 +0000

Hello,

My view is that creativity is really the externalising of something (art ,music etc) from an internal start point. Things don’t create themselves. We as human beings are almost re-enacting the creation process everytime we create.