Creativity is traditionally viewed as a spectrum. A person, idea, or work lies somewhere between not creative and an unidentified “ulimately” creative. And this system works because this is how we relate with creativity; how we perceive it.
But when creativity becomes a process, when we are relating to creativity from within and not from without, creativity is no longer a spectrum, it is a set of environments. These degrees of creativity do not progress linearly. Each is distinct from the other, and cannot be reached by moving slowly along a spectrum, but instead by jumping from one degree to the next.
I think this is how creativity exists in the mind/experience of the creator. And if so, it provides a better functional understanding of how to be more creative. Instead of just trying to push the needle, we need to figure out how to get to the next degree. Yet, in order for this transition to occur, we need to become self-aware of where we are when we are in each degree.
Most of us live the vast majority of our lives in the neutral zone. We sometimes find ourselves in the degree +1, but usually believe that’s as far as we can go. But the real creativity comes when we can go from +1 to +2 and so on. Obviously, it’s hard to be creative in the neutral zone because everyone else is in the same environment. Degree +1 is better, but it’s still pretty crowded. It’s only when we start to get at least two degrees of deviation from the norm that we start seeing real creativity productivity.
Everyone has their own ways of transitioning. For some of us, we find it easier to step into +1 during a time of day, or in a certain place. I think this is also why many creative types turn to alcohol and drugs; it automatically buys them a ticket to the next degree (or two, depending on what/how much they take).
Creativity isn’t inherent to an object or occasion; it is the way in which we interact with an experience. We experience creativity differently as a consumer than as a producer. As creators it is the degrees of creativity that dictate our capacity to produce effectively.
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Does this make any sense to anyone? Do you relate to creativity in this way? Thoughts?
