Ingredients of Creativity
Choice-Driven Creativity
I would like to share a framework for evaluating creative endeavors called Choice-Driven Creativity. This is intended to serve as a framework for determining the kinds of activities we would want to see to maximize creativity.
Choice-Driven Creativity
The most important—and only required—activity for creativity is choice-making. If an activity involves enough choices, it is a creative activity. If an activity has no choices, it is not creative.
Other key ingredients of creativity include:
Experimentation and Curiosity – The “fuel” of creativity.
Remixing and Cross-Pollination – Building on or combining existing ideas.
Collaboration – Bringing multiple perspectives together.
Risk-Taking – Stepping into the unknown.
Iteration and Reflection – Testing, refining, and learning.
Storytelling – Sharing ideas and giving them context.
Choice-Making – Ultimately deciding which direction to take.
The more of these elements that are present in an activity, the more creative the activity is likely to be.
Using this framework
When evaluating an activity to maximize creative participation, consider if the activity encourages these behaviors. An activity need not involve all ingredients to be creative, but the more ingredients, the more creative the activity is likely to be. The one required activity is making choices. If the participant is not making any choices, they are not being creative.