Bingo was his name-o!
Bingo didn’t have a solo inventor; it was created by group genius.… Read More Bingo was his name-o!
Category: Everyday life
Creativity happens when you least expect it.
“The Creativity Code” in TIME Magazine
My niece Sarah was in CVS and, for some reading material, she bought the TIME special issue The Power of Personality. While reading it, she discovered that I’m quoted at length in the article “The Creativity Code.” I didn’t even know about it! Thanks for texting me, Sarah! You made my day. The article quotes… Read More “The Creativity Code” in TIME Magazine
Keep Creativity Alive in Children
I just stumbled on a fascinating essay about creativity in schools. It could have been written yesterday! Read to the end to find out who the famous author is, and what year it was written: How can we keep creativity alive in children? Creative children are likely to be unusual children. They get bored with the… Read More Keep Creativity Alive in Children
Teaching is an Art (John Dewey)
I’m re-reading John Dewey’s 1934 book Art as experience in connection with an article I’m writing. This passage, near the end (p. 347), jumped out at me: It is by way of communication that art becomes the incomparable organ of instruction, but the way is so remote from that usually associated with the idea of education,… Read More Teaching is an Art (John Dewey)
The Brick Test: The Most Unusual Use EVER
One of the oldest tests for creativity is the “brick test.” It originated in the 1950s, and it’s pretty simple: Take five minutes, and write down as many uses as you can think of for a brick. It’s called a divergent thinking test, which means it measures your ability to generate lots of ideas. And, you… Read More The Brick Test: The Most Unusual Use EVER
ZIG ZAG Creativity Cards Now Available!
December 15, 2015 I’m excited to announce the release of the ZIG ZAG Creativity Cards! The card deck has 48 cards, and each one has a different creativity exercise. There are also four cards that describe how to use the cards alone, in groups, and when you’re facilitating a workshop. The cards are perfect for everyday use. You… Read More ZIG ZAG Creativity Cards Now Available!
Inventing a Language
Here’s a topic that’s ripe for creativity research: constructed languages, or “conlang” for short. This week I read two articles about conlangs. The first was a book review in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, of David Peterson’s new book The Art of Language Invention. The second was a book chapter, “Constructed Languages,” by Douglas Ball, in… Read More Inventing a Language
What Criminals Can Teach Us About Creativity
A few weeks ago, I posed the question “Is Creativity Research Elitist?”. I pointed out that creativity researchers have studied high-class Western European creativity, but they’ve neglected working class creativity–like custom motorcycle mechanics, or small-town preachers writing sermons. Right on cue, a new book’s just been published making basically the same point. The Misfit Economy argues that criminals… Read More What Criminals Can Teach Us About Creativity
The Invisible Creativity You See Every Day
Typeface design: Decades ago, it was a little-known part of the printing industry. Then starting with the Apple Macintosh in 1984, we’re all now intimate with typefaces like Palatino, Verdano, and Times New Roman. We all know what serifs are; we know the difference between a typeface and a font. On June 9, 2015, The New… Read More The Invisible Creativity You See Every Day
Is Creativity Research Elitist?
I’m beginning to think that creativity research is elitist. Exhibit A: The most prominent historical studies of creativity focus on high-status individuals: top art schools, Nobel-prize winning scientists; corporate CEOs. Howard Gardner’s book on creativity studied Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Ghandi. Exhibit B: Simon Kyaga’s highly publicized studies (2011, 2012) about creativity and… Read More Is Creativity Research Elitist?
The Creativity Guru 