There are a thousand different explanations and avenues into the concept of creativity, which I've written about previously. But let's think about it. What does being 'creative' involve? Chiefly, it's about the meeting of diverse concepts - preexisting concepts - and their meld into a new form.
New research from the world of neuroscience casts light on how creativity physically manifests in the brain - and beautifully reflects our intuitive understanding of what's going on.
Apparently, highly creative individuals have multiple highways in their brains: more connections between the right and left hemispheres.
The left side of the brain is responsible for tasks that have to do with logic. These are tasks broadly associated with science and mathematics but can be broken down to a more granular level to everyday activities - for example, counting and map reading - that adhere to previously laid-down structures. The right side of the brain performs tasks that are more broadly associated with artistic pursuits and the arts as a whole.
Creative outputs are no use in entirely anarchic form, without order and presentation. Highly creative individuals can typically package and present seemly disparate ideas and concepts as new, intelligible ideas - ideas that reference, if not entirely follow, the rules and accepted ideas of the status quo. The referencing bit is essential, and that's where the logic comes in.
A technique known as diffuser sensor imaging, which maps the paths of axons by following the movement of water along them, was used in the study to provide visibility into white matter brain connections. People who scored high on creativity tests (e.g. divergent thinking) were found to have significantly more connections between the right and left hemispheres.
I've voiced skepticism as to the profundity of some of the findings of cognitive neuroscience. But what I love about this research is that it echos the metaphors that surround creativity. It gives credence to the indispensable mushrooming of ideas, voluminous cul-de-sacs, and global, illogical, yet ordered, process that leads to brilliant new ideas.
But hang on. There's more in terms of recent research that can shed light on creativity. For example, it's clear that resource constraints can aid the creative process. Less to work with drives new ideas? This may be because the mushrooming of ideas naturally requires reigning in. Also, ambivalence is the friend of creativity - ie. "Being extremely firm in our opinions is an enemy of creativity." Makes sense. If you're not open to the opposite view, then your idea seedbed is limited. In fact, humility naturally foments creativity.
The brain wiring researchers say their methods could also be used to predict the likelihood that a person will be highly creative. Will recruitment of the future involve head scans? Perhaps - but not necessarily to ensure a more creative workforce. There's evidence to suggest companies don't really want to hire creative thinkers, and that people are generally biased against creative thinking:
"As much as we celebrate independence in Western cultures, there is an awful lot of pressure to conform."
However, great ideas are what every company desperately needs. Not for obvious reasons, but the bottom line: to unlock productivity.
What do you think? What makes you creative? Are you feeling the creative squeeze?
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