Constellating The Creative Process

Chapter 1 excerpt from The Power of Thinking Differently by Javy W. Galindo

Throughout my research of the creative process I’ve come across numerous perspectives and descriptions of it. There are thousands of books on creativity, and just as many people who claim to be experts on the subject.

Often times, advocates of creative thinking, or those that claim to have techniques to cultivate it, can speak to one aspect of the term and completely neglect all others. For example, a book on creativity may address the subject within the language of business, and fail to make any translations to the language of the artist or the parent.

Conversely, others may associate creativity solely with the artist. Psychologist Abraham Maslow disagrees with this last position, noting that even a truly good soup can be as creative as a great painting or symphony.1 Likewise, dance choreographer Twyla Tharp sees creativity as an endeavor undertaken by a number of disciplines.

Creativity is not just for artists. It’s for businesspeople looking for a new way to close a sale; it’s for engineers trying to solve a problem; it’s for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way.2

The following section is a magical mystery tour of several descriptions of the creative process in their own terms. This whirlwind exploration will attempt to summarize many of the more popular notions. It is not an attempt to define creativity, but to describe different ways to perceive what is occurring when one is creative.

By no means will I be presenting a complete list of perspectives, for there are many ways to skin a cow (or is it milk a cat?). Moreover, many of the perspectives I will describe can be seen as overlapping one another, just as a knee is also part of a leg. My intent is simply to share with you a few of the views held by several creative guides I have come across in my creative travels. As I mentioned before, accessing the depth of possibilities available to us is dependent on our ability to access multiple perspectives, and reflecting on the creative process itself is no exception.

We will begin this tour by riding up to the top of the observation tower, and I will do my best to point out the highlights of the landscape. The actual journey through the terrain will come in the chapters to follow.

Please leave comments, questions, and suggestions below.