CREATIVITY, summary of a New Scientist special featu Options

[Guest_Toumai_*]

CREATIVITY

What happens in our minds as we write? Why are some people more creative than others? New Scientist (29th October, 2005) had a special section on creativity in the arts and science. It is very well worth reading the full section if you can find it in the library (you don’t have to be a scientist to follow the discussion! ). I have picked a few of the most relevant ideas to summarise here. The original articles cite sources for the most recent and/or accepted research into creative processes.

Looking for Inspiration

Inspiration is hard to explain. We may be aware of the moment of insight, but the ideas may have been incubating for a long time.

Creativity is not the same as intelligence, though intelligence can channel the ideas to good use; creativity is more linked to personality. There are also links to mental illness; changes in mood state may spark a creative burst and some features of schizophrenia are more common in creative types with high scores in lateral, divergent and open thinking. The brains of creative people may be more open to incoming stimuli; not as much information is screened and blocked.

Creativity has two stages: inspiration and elaboration. In the first, while people are dreaming up an idea (a story, for example), the conscious mind is relaxed while the subconscious is making connections. The alpha brain wave activity is similar to that seen in some stages of sleep and relaxation. Once the story has been discovered the conscious brain activity increases to develop it. It seems that creativity depends on the ability to switch between these two states as required.

The brain’s frontal lobes become very active in a situation where complex creative processes are occurring. It is thought that this brain area co-ordinates activity and the flow of ideas. Where there are many possibilities for a story, it helps select the most promising lines: a conscious evaluation of ideas.

The most creative people are aware of their creative potential and make the most of it by using the rhythms of the day, the weekend and holidays to focus. They may work at their desk for a while then go for a walk, because they know that works for them.

Finally, for creativity you need at least one other person in your life who doesn’t think you are completely nuts.

MUSic

In an interview Alex Kapranos (of Franz Ferdinand) explained that there are two different stages of writing a song: an initial creative splurge and then a stage of chopping it about and arranging it. “The best songs come straight out …. You’re trying to control something but you’re not quite sure which direction it’s going … The actual writing …is fairly easy. It feels really exciting. You loose your sense of where you are. But the second process is very ruthless and cold because you have to cut away things that you’re attached to.”

“The Midnight Disease”: hypergraphia

Alice Flaherty, a neurologist, lost premature twins and started writing compulsively. If she were deprived of paper she would write on her own body – anything, so long as she could write.

Such compulsive creativity may be linked to unusual activity in the brain’s temporal lobes. There are links with temporal lobe epilepsy (Dostoevsky syndrome), front-temporal dementia and mood disorders. The behaviour of blocked/depressed people is often similar to those who have frontal lobe injuries. Frontal lobe activity increases in creative people who are actively seeking a creative idea.

“There is mounting evidence that the front-to-back communication between the frontal and the temporal lobes is more important for creativity than the left brain-right brain model of the 1970s.”

Fran

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Fran,

Thanks for posting this. I wonder if an old scientist would agree with its thesis?

>F> Inspiration is hard to explain. We may be aware of the moment of insight, but the ideas may have been incubating for a long time.

Rather like death. All those declines starting from birth until one day - bang we're either dead or have a novel.

>F> Creativity is not the same as intelligence, though intelligence can channel the ideas to good use; creativity is more linked to personality.

I'm not sure why anyone should think creativity and intelligence are anything other than potential opposites? Intelligence (at least as we tend to measure it and mean it) is the ability to solve problems. That may be by zeroing-in on a problem (conversion) or by approaching it laterally (diversion - more creative, perhaps). But creativity is starting from "Here" and going in all sorts of new and unexpected directions.

>F> There are also links to mental illness; changes in mood state may spark a creative burst and some features of schizophrenia are more common in creative types with high scores in lateral, divergent and open thinking. The brains of creative people may be more open to incoming stimuli; not as much information is screened and blocked.

Yes. But, conversely, creative people find it harder to zero-in on things. I have heart palpitations when presented with a form to fill in and become very tetchy and panic. (One major reason why I left teaching - all the new bureaucracy).

>F> Creativity has two stages: inspiration and elaboration. In the first, while people are dreaming up an idea (a story, for example), the conscious mind is relaxed while the subconscious is making connections. The alpha brain wave activity is similar to that seen in some stages of sleep and relaxation. Once the story has been discovered the conscious brain activity increases to develop it. It seems that creativity depends on the ability to switch between these two states as required.

I disagree. Of course I can't disagree about Greek brain waves - no idea. But I do disagree that "when people are dreaming-up an idea… the conscious mind is relaxed." I often go through great angst thinking of story lines. I pace up and down, hit the desk, destroy keyboards, throw things out of the window, become very worried etc. my conscious is in big overdrive, struggling. Now, you may say I'm not creative, then - but I am creating so…

However, sometimes ideas do creep-up from the sub-conscious without one trying - I do agree there - but the "professional" writers need to originate ideas deliberately, too.

>F> The brain’s frontal lobes become very active in a situation where complex creative processes are occurring. It is thought that this brain area co-ordinates activity and the flow of ideas. Where there are many possibilities for a story, it helps select the most promising lines: a conscious evaluation of ideas.

OK. Lobes get walking! (cue Nancy Sinatra).

>F> The most creative people are aware of their creative potential and make the most of it by using the rhythms of the day, the weekend and holidays to focus. They may work at their desk for a while then go for a walk, because they know that works for them.

"The most creative people" - woe there! That is a value judgement which I can't let pass. Who decides? I  am suspecting scientists say "this happens - so these are the most creative people." when scientists are the last people who should be deciding. Anyway, too subjective for anyone to proclaim. This is value-judgement passed as fact (one of my major gripes about Science - another being I don't understand it).

I strongly disagree with the rest of the analysis, too. You are talking about disciplined, professional writers - NOT the most creative people. I'm sure people like Geoffrey Archer work that way - and good luck to them. Dylan Thomas (and many more) became / become rat-arsed all day and fall over in bars then try to write a bit. There is much evidence to say the Beatles wrote some of their most original material whilst on drugs. You could, I suppose, argue that is them knowing what works best for them - but it is anything but the tidy, disciplined approach you (the article, of course) suggests.

>F> Finally, for creativity you need at least one other person in your life who doesn’t think you are completely nuts.

Not true at all. Many creative people are "nuts" by ordinary standards. John Clare (the poet) maybe - or Stevie Smith (another poet) or Salvador Dali (painter). All these people were "nuts" by the perverse standards of ordinary society (and you did mention mental illness earlier). Personally, I have given up hoping everyone won't think I am nuts and have decided I am. (Macadamia I think - I like them best) Loving support (no comments about the Jock with a heart, please) is what works best - being accepted. But being thought sane? Who cares about that? No one is really sane - as I told Freddie my Bush Fruit Bat, the other day (He's still in rehab after being shrieked at! :) )

MUSiC

>F>> In an interview Alex Kapranos (of Franz Ferdinand) explained that there are two different stages of writing a song: an initial creative splurge and then a stage of chopping it about and arranging it. “The best songs come straight out …. You’re trying to control something but you’re not quite sure which direction it’s going … The actual writing …is fairly easy. It feels really exciting. You loose your sense of where you are. But the second process is very ruthless and cold because you have to cut away things that you’re attached to.”

FF are a modern British pop band - I only found out recently; I thought it was someone's name.

But that in his approach. Others may vary.

“The Midnight Disease”: hypergraphia

>F> Alice Flaherty, a neurologist, lost premature twins and started writing compulsively. If she were deprived of paper she would write on her own body – anything, so long as she could write.

emm the she was "nuts" also? How could anyone not think that?

>F> Such compulsive creativity may be linked to unusual activity in the brain’s temporal lobes. There are links with temporal lobe epilepsy (Dostoevsky syndrome), front-temporal dementia and mood disorders.

What links?

>F> The behaviour of blocked/depressed people is often similar to those who have frontal lobe injuries. Frontal lobe activity increases in creative people who are actively seeking a creative idea.

What about creative people who are depressed? (Good card players, maybe? ("Fawlty Towers"))

>F> “There is mounting evidence that the front-to-back communication between the frontal and the temporal lobes is more important for creativity than the left brain-right brain model of the 1970s.”

Thank goodness! I haven't even caught up with that.

Thanks for posting this interesting piece Fran (and re-writing it for Science dummies - such as I). However, it fails to address the important question of what creativity is or of how it works in a human sense (I.e. non brain chemical). The quote from Mr Ferdinhand is ok but is very much anecdotal.

Maybe we can all add to this tile by saying how ideas come to us and how we process them into writing - or other arts?

Thanks Fran - great work!

J.