Understanding Creativity

In this highly readable yet comprehensive book, parents and teachers will find many suggestions for enhancing creativity. Understanding Creativity offers advice on how to plan adventures, value work without ?evaluation?, set a creative tone, and incorporate creativity values into one's own family or classroom culture. Readers will learn how to spot talent through a child's behaviors and how to encourage practice. Real-life examples of artists, musicians, dancers, entrepreneurs, architects, and authors are included.

"Remarkable. This profound volume informs and inspires." —PW, STARRED review From the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times science reporter acclaimed for “bring[ing] scientific concepts to life” (Bill Gates), a pathbreaking new investigation into the mysteries of human creativity How does creativity work? Where does inspiration come from? What are the secrets of our most revered creators? How can we maximize our creative potential? THIS IS THE STORY OF HOW WE CREATE. Creativity defines the human experience. It sparks achievement and innovation in art, science, technology, business, sports, and virtually every activity. It has fueled human progress on a global level, but it equally is the source of profound personal satisfaction for individual creators. And yet the origins of creative inspiration and the methods by which great creators tap into it have long been a source of mystery, spoken of in esoteric terms, our rational understanding shrouded in complex jargon. Until now. Inspired is a book about the science of creativity, distilling an explosion of exciting new research from across the world. Through narrative storytelling, Richtel marries these findings with timeless insight from some of the world’s great creators as he deconstructs the authentic nature of creativity, its biological and evolutionary origins, its deep connection to religion and spirituality, the way it bubbles in each of us, urgent and essential, waiting to be tapped. Many of the questions Richtel addresses are practical: What are the traits of successful creators? Under which conditions does creativity thrive? How can we move past creative blocks? The ultimate message of Inspired is that creativity is more accessible than many might imagine, as necessary, beautiful, and fulfilling as any essential part of human nature.

“Any ideas?” How often have you heard or said something like that? Most of the problems that we face force us to think about new ways of solving problems. Be it complicated design solutions, or simple riddles that we encounter in our free time, the world requires us to use our creativity. It is what has taken us so far. But creativity is very often not well understood. People often talk about it with an aura of mysticism; as if it were some sort of magical property; as if ideas “came from” somewhere; as if you would not be able to understand it, but that by applying some almost superstitious practices, you would gain access to it. Some say that magic is the explanation we use when we do not understand something. Instead of that, we want to make you understand creativity. By knowing a bit more about how your brain works, you will be able to enhance your creativity, and that of those around you. Not because you will be applying some trick, but because you will be understanding what is happening. We take pride in basing this book on scientific evidence. The authors have carried out research in this area, but have also read extensively the works of other authors. We will be sharing with you the most modern theories - and the older ones that have stood the test of time. In some books, you will find authors that shared what has worked for them, without understanding why. We will make sure you know what is behind the curtain all the time. In other words: we will not be talking about magic remedies, we will not give you any unexplained tricks, and we will not ask you to just take our word for it. We want to make sure you understand creativity.

In Understanding Creativity, authors John S. Dacey and Kathleen H. Lennon offer a thorough examination of the three factors - biological, psychological, and social - that contribute to the creative process. In clear and lively language, this book explores a breadth of topics on creativity including: how creative people operate as successful and imaginative problem solvers, the essential role self-control plays in realizing creative potential, and the most current discoveries about how the brain works on the neuronal and chemical levels. Most important, the book presents an innovative model that integrates the biological, psychological, and social elements and reflects the most significant advances in current creativity research.

Creativity is a key theme in early childhood studies at the moment & is increasingly highlighted in all manner of early childhood academic courses. This book will form the link between creativity & literacy with concrete examples of children's meaning making, as well as offering a protocol for students to follow.

Do you want to understand young children′s development in greater depth? Would you like to see how they view the world around them, and what they think the future might look like? Creativity in early childhood is an area of fascination for all those working with young children, and this book investigates why children create, and what their creations mean. Chapters describe the processes and depict the outcomes of meaning-making, and of making room for children′s voices through the open-ended activity of drawing. Issues examined include: - the increasingly popular use of multi-modal texts; - links between creativity and literacy; - the importance of art in early childhood; - concrete examples of children′s meaning-making, from the author′s research. We see how non-verbal and verbal communication is used to convey meaning, and how children′s voices emerge; the important role imagination and narrative play in the early and continuing development of children is emphasized throughout the book. Ideal for students of early childhood, and for anyone working with young children, this book is a revelatory guide to the mind of the young child.

What makes you have a good idea? Many people have their personal tricks, but most do not really understand why those tricks work. Time to change that!This book will show you the different mechanisms, enablers and blocks, through which new ideas come to life. And it is all backed by solid science! Learn to understand and hack your creativity.The book you are holding is: - Understandable: we explain creativity in a simple way - Reliable: everything we present is based on science - Practical: Discover why some methods work for your case

"Genius. Invention. Talent. And, of course, creativity. These words describe the highest levels of human performance. When we're engaged in the act of being creative, we feel we are performing at the peak of our abilities. Creative works give us insight and enrich our lives. Creativity is part of what makes us human. Our nearest relatives, chimpanzees and other primates, are often quite intelligent but never reach these high levels of performance"--