Customer Reviews

Understanding Creativity

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In my opinion the author uses anecdotal information to support sweeping, and oten stunningly cliche, generalizations. Too poorly supported to be considered a scientific text, and two scattered to be a good overview of creativity, this book is largely a stew of factoids. If I had not read a few texts on creativity prior to this one, I would have had a hard time picking out the germain points in the book. A much better overview of creativity can be found in R. Keith Sawyer's 'Explaining Creativity.'

Understanding Creativity is an examination of the psychological impulses that drive the quality in human beings broadly labeled as "creativity," which also covers how parents and teachers can enhance creativity, as well as the cognitive aspect of creative writers, scientists, musicians, and physical performers, as well as ways to assess and train creativity. Author Jane Piirto, a teacher of the College of Education and the Director of Talent Development Education in Ashland University, offers a wealth of research, theory, and a guideline around the Seven I's - Inspiration, Imagery, Imagination, Intuition, Insight, Incubation and Improvisation - to form the foundation of a solid creative process. Understanding Creativity needs to be carefully read by anyone charged with the responsibility of recognizing talent in children, setting a creative tone with children, and encouraging children to utilize their creativity in their personal lives.

With extensive scholarship, Dr. Piirto relates a fascinating overview of approaches to creativity, from the mystical to the pragmatic, the psychodynamic and psychometric to the cognitive. She notes that psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi makes a distinction of "Big C" creativity (eminent people making significant contributions to a domain), and "little c" creativity "by which human beings lead their everyday lives."

She cites the work of social psychologist Dean Keith Simonton showing that "creativity is the work of a life... from birth to grave" and "a form of leadership... the creator is a persuader."

For anyone wanting to enhance their creative lives and talents, the book provides a wealth of concrete and practical ideas from experts, such as divergent thinking exercises of the Odyssey of the Mind program, and strategies used by Dr. Piirto in her own classes.

The first two chapters are difficult reading, because there are so many studies, theories, and names presented. My mind went numb trying to process all this information. However, there is a lot of good information in this book.

Dr. Jane Piirto has put together one of the best resources for anyone interested in creativity. The biographic examples of highly creative people are fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed this comprehenvie text.