theoretical context
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But to be clear: expertise is not the enemy of creativity. Rather, the problem is the mental entrenchment that arises when experts don’t make an effort to see the problem from different perspectives. Notably, adopting a naïve perspective often requires some courage, particularly for experts. Stages of the Creative Process One remarkable feature of creativity is that it consistently emerges as the result of a distinct cognitive pattern. Perhaps this is because divergent thinking is counter-logical and only reached by a circuitous sequence. Csikszentmihalyi defined five stages of creative achievement: Immersion in the ideas and context of a particular challenge, often ending in frustration that the solution remains elusive Incubation, when ideas churn unconsciously, often a seemingly inactive stage Insight, when a possible solution is suddenly reached; the eureka moment Evaluation, when one must decide whether to pursue the solution, and how Elaboration, when the solution is developed and fully realized.→
The final stage, elaboration — often the most difficult and time-consuming of all — is when the act of creation itself actually occurs. And with more complex problems, these stages are less likely to be linear than recursive. However, not all creative processes set out to solve a unique problem (such as the formula for calculating the volume of irregular solids; see next page). Many creative people, including designers, look to the creative process to generate lots of ideas rather than seek a single highquality insight. In this case, an ideation/brainstorming stage usually follows immersion, and incubation may not be necessary for them to occur. That said, the eureka moment — when an insight presents itself seemingly out of the blue and “solves” the design challenge — is often quite palpable. The ideation/brainstorming stage is followed by iteration/ prototyping, when multiple ideas are developed and tested. The most mysterious stage in the creative process, theoretically and practically, is incubation. Incubation is the seemingly passive fallow period that occurs after the diligent and effortful mental activity of immersion, the learning stage. That suspension of effort makes sense, however, when one considers that creativity relies on divergent associations. The immersion stage depends on convergent associations that allow us to construct a logical understanding of the problem and its context. That thinking is rarely a useful stage-setting for insight.→ Only incubation, which suspends convergent thinking, lowers the barriers between realms, making leaps across realms possible.
Csikszentmihalyi, 79-81.
Pharmaceutical attentionenhancers such as Adderall, widely prescribed to children, induce strong outward concentration, thereby dampening the capacity for divergent thinking and insight. Margaret Talbot, “Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs.” The New Yorker, April 27, 2009. http://www.newyorker.com/ reporting/2009/04/27/ 090427fa_fact_talbot.