Get With the Flow

Mihaly's chapter about the the flow of creativity was very intriguing to me..He says one thing all creative people have in common is that they take pleasure in what they do.They don't do it for the money or for the fame, but genuinely love their job whether it is being an advertisement agent, a painter, writer, musician, or architect. I would have to agree with Mihaly If you don't love what you do, then how can you be creative. If you hated your job, you wouldn't try and come up with new ideas. Mihaly also elaborates on what is enjoyment, how do you know you are enjoying it? Mihaly noticed when talking with people who have been creative, that "it was clear from talking to them that what kept them motivated was the quality of experience they felt when they were relaxing" (110). Mihaly goes on to say, "this optimal experience is what I have called flow, because many of the respondents described the feeling when things were going well as an almost automatic, effortless, yet highly focused state of consciousness"(110). I have experienced this flow many times in my life. In track, while I stand at th starting line on the track, I am very nervous and scared. But, once the gun fires, my mind just goes in to state of total concentration. I have one goal in my and that is to win. I don't think that i;m going to lose, but only that I can win. Nothing else matters except crossing the finish line. This flow powers creativity.I believe that to be a creative person, you have to get with the flow sometimes. Only then, will creativity fully blossom.

Can Children Show Creativity?

Can children show creativity? Csikszentmihaly  says " Children cannot be creative, but all creative adults were once children". In a way, Mihaly is right, but I believe there are some untruths to this statement. Maybe children are just learning to be creative in "little c" ways not "big c" ways. The definition of creativity is original and useful. Csikszentmihalyi says "Children can show tremendous talent, but they cannot be creative because creativity involves changing a way of doing things, or a way of thinking, and that in turn requires having mastered the old ways of doing or thinking" (155). Children may not be capable of "big c" creativity,changing society or the world,but they are more than capable of "little c" creativity. Saying children cannot be creative at all is an understatement. The little has the potential to become big one day.

Michelle's Creativity

Well... when i first started this class, my definition of creativity was TOTALLY different from that of Sawyer's book, Explaining Creativity.I always thought of creativity as something that is innate within everyone. Some people are able to communicate their creativity better than others. Everyone has the potential to be creative, but not everyone uses or knows how to use that potential. Creativity to me was thinking outside the box, coming up with an idea that's unique, original. An idea that is different from another's.


However, after taking this class,I have begun to form a new definition for creativity. To be creative something has to not only be original or novel, but is also has to be useful or acceptable. When you talk about creativity, there are two types you are talking about. "Big c" is solutions to difficult problems or significant works of genius, whereas you have "little C" which is creativity in activities you do every day.I also do believe though, that creativity cannot be defined and that is one of the greatest things about creativity. It cannot be  ENTIRELY defined.