Product Description
What is creativity? Is it an ability, a way of thinking,something innate or something learned? Does it have to do with certainbrain structures or processes? Does education help or hurt creativity?These are some of the issues explored in this book by psychologist andpoet George Swede. It provides an excellent overview of thisfascinating topic for both psychologists and creative artists in allfields. ... Read more

Product Description
What factors affect creativity and the generation of creative images? What factors affect the ability to reinterpret those images? Research described in this book indicates that expectations constrain both of these attributes of creativity. Characteristics of the imagined pattern, such as cohesiveness or its psychological goodness, also affect image generation and reinterpretation. Other evidence indicates that images can be combined mentally to yield new, manipulable composites. Cognitive models encompass the research and extend it to fields as diverse as architecture, music, and problem solving. ... Read more

Product Description
Artists, writers, scientists, managers, psychologists,educators, or anyone who creates. Are you looking for inspiration,words, a way to express yourself? Would you like to destroy the myththat creativity is a mysterious gift for only a chosen few? Would youlike to know exactly what to do and sooner rather than later? Wouldyou like to find yourself by losing yourself in your art form ratherthan be derailed by distractions to your real purpose in life? If sothis is the book for you.

This is a textbook. It was written for any student who might sign upfor the course entitled Psychology of Creativity. However, anyone whowanted to study it on their own could also find the book useful. It isfor artists, leaders, managers, musicians and writers. It willdescribe the creative process for artist as well as writers or peoplefrom other disciplines. It allows the reader to find similarities anddifferences depending upon the creative process that each individualis exploring. It may de-mystify rituals of inspiration. Hemingwaydrank. Picasso used women in the same way that Hemingway used alcohol;he consumed them. This book may eliminate the mythology that you musthave a gift in order to create. It never hurts to be gifted, buttechniques do not have to be mysterious. Changing the world is aninside job.

Knowledge of the creative process cannot substitute for creativityitself. Some people seem unable to start. Those people should rememberthat a journey of one thousand miles starts with a first step. Itseems easy to get stuck. Writers get writer’s block. Managers andexecutives sometimes plateau and as a result fail to continue to growand prosper. Dr. Larry Liberty used to say that people are likeplants. If you aren’t growing, you are already dead. Sometimeschallenges seem too overwhelming, seem too intimidating and freeinspiration seems blocked. There always seem to be setbacks andfrustrations. It helps to know that these are phases of the naturalcycle of creative processes. Perseverance is one component of thecreative process. Long-term goals can be achieved. Sometimes there aremilestones to be celebrated or even recognized because they aretelling people that they are on the right track. Some struggles cantake a lifetime. Frank Lloyd Wright was 72 before his work began tobe recognized. Colonel Sanders was nearly bankrupt at 65 and died amultimillionaire more than two decades later. It was a struggle thatgenerated incredible pleasure and joy. A lot of the things happen inlife: false starts, mistakes, sometimes life itself gets in theway. Many attempts people make are imperfect; yet each one of thoseimperfect attempts is an occasion for growth. As Thomas Edison put it,"I haven’t failed; I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work."

The creative process is like a religious quest or odyssey that takes a person down a spiritual trail. Prisig would say that the motorcycle that you are working on is yourself. Nietzsche would probably say that a creative act is the only way to eliminate despair and alienation. The Zen monk might say that you can find yourself by losing yourself in your art form. There is a meaningful, original, authentic self inside of you waiting to be discovered and expressed.

How talented are you? What do Einstein, Picasso, and Bill Gates have in common? What are inspiration, insight, and improvisation? Do we need to wait for the Muses to come or is there another way to develop our imagination? Readers can get answers to these and other questions in this book. Discover the genius inside of you. This book provides a historical review of a variety of approaches to creativity. The material covered emphasizes psychological components of the creative process, the application of creativity in the writing process, the visual arts as well as music, leadership, problem solving and science, the preconditions for creativity, and the general characteristics of creative people. Hundreds techniques for creativity stimulation are organized into 15 workshops. 540 pages, 60 color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Typos, bad grammar and a bad index.
I had this book for a Creative Psychology of Creativity class with Ms. Hughson as the instructor and had multiple complications using the textbook. As a textbook, there should be a working index. Almost every single keyword or subject in the index refers to a page that is simply not there. Some subjects were chapters away from their pages mentioned in the index.

There are multiple typos and grammar errors in the textbook, which can be overlooked for the most part, but still not a plus.

If you ever see this book as a requirement for your class, you may want to recommend something else to the faculty.

There is also a CD included with some of the newer versions of this book. It may make it easier to ctrl+f your keywords in the digital version of the book rather than refer to the index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An outstanding book on process of great discoveries
This book is a rare and excellent description of on charachers needed and processes used by worldclass scientists making great discovereis. There are so few books like this. College students and scientists who aspire to make majore contributions to science should read this book carefully!

look for pyschology for science and how did that person disc
look for pyscholoy for science and how did dicovery i ... Read more

Product Description
This book challenges traditional notions of creativity as a trait, and brings forward ideas of multiple types of creativity, along with the possibility of development of creativity. ... Read more

Product Description
The author employs psychoanalytic self psychology to analyze the creative process, emphasizing the self-world relationship and its transformative possibilities. This analysis is applied to the work of modern dance choreography, with special attention to the life and work of Paul Taylor. Drawing on this analysis, the implications of her theory of the creative process for the enrichment of the individual in his or her daily aesthetic, are examined. ... Read more

Product Description
Today, perhaps more than at any other time in history, the pressure is on us all to be more creative. This extends into our private lives, the design of our homes and interiors, our methods of painting, the way we look and dress, how we handle our finances and market ourselves, right down to what's in our garden and what we serve at the dining table. But rest assured, the creativity we seek, the creativity that is needed, is within us all and there for the taking. Whether an individual, a small business, or a global enterprise, the rules and philosophy of creativity are the same. Within these pages are a thousand little motivational keys with which to wind your creative mechanism and get things running as smoothly as clockwork. Wow yourself, and wow the world, with your creativity.  ... Read more

Product Description
This book combines the wonder and awe of human creativity with the complexity of its study. The authors advance the ?biopsychosocial' perspective as a model of the creative process. . . . This new perspective promises to further our understanding of the ?intricacies of the creative mind.' In the process of studying this book, readers may increase the probability of enhancing their own creativity.
--Richard E. Ripple, professor, educational and developmental psychology, Cornell University

In Understanding Creativity John S. Dacey and Kathleen H. Lennon offer a thorough examination of the three factors--biological, psychological, and social--that contribute to the creative process. This compelling book explores a breadth of topics on creativity including: how creative people operate as successful and imaginative problem solvers, the essential role self-control plays in realizing creative potential, and the most current discoveries about how the brain works on the neuronal and chemical levels. Most important, the book presents an innovative model that integrates the biological, psychological, and social elements and reflects the most significant advances in current creativity research.

Understanding Creativity beautifully reveals the intricacies of the creative process and advances an innovative new view that can help anyone interested in the creative process to not only better understand it?but to enhance it.

Table of Contents

Part One: Introduction

1. The Many Components of Creativity

2. A Brief History of the Concept of Creativity

Part Two: Social Factors

3. The Role of the Family

4. The Role of the Social Context

Part Three: Psychological Factors

5. Ten Traits that Contribute to the Creative Personality

6. The Special Contribution of Self-Control

7. The Formation of Creative Personality Traits

8. Creative Cognitive Processes

9. Creative Problem Solving

Part Four: Biological Factors

10. The Brain at the Cellular Level

11. The Hemispheres of the Brain

Part Five: Integration

12. A New Biopsychosocial Explanation of Creativity

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Thick
Dacey did a superb job of connecting various facets of creativity in this one book, hence the thickness of the provided information.There was a great deal of overlap between the sections - bio, psycho, and social. ... Read more

Product Description
Releasing the Creative Spirit : Unleashing the Creativity in Your Life

Come awake to a more creative life--By realizing clarity of mind, body and spirit.

Creativity is basic to the very fiber of our being, and not--as many suspect--solely the privilege of a gifted few. When we silence the voice of creativity that lives within us, we confine our spirit. Award-winning author Dan Wakefield helps us to examine our reasons for not creating--debunking the myths--and shows us the path to a fulfilling, creative life.

Drawing on examples from religion, philosophy, and literature, Wakefield teaches us that the key to unleashing our own inner creativity is in clarity of mind, body and spirit. Releasing the Creative Spirit gives us practical guidance to demystify the creative process and to help each of us achieve this clarity by:

* Breaking the Myths--Explode the myths that creativity is only for the artistic elite, that creators must suffer, and that science and business can not be creative pursuits.
* Emptying--Learn ways to recognize and move beyond the tired routines in your life that deaden the senses and soul.
* Filling Up--Experience new sensations through simple practices that revive natural perceptions and unlock hidden creative resources.
* Creating--Try hands-on, practical exercises to explore the mystery of creativity in your life from a spiritual perspective.

This passionate, personal guide draws on examples from the experiences of many creative people--Elaine Pagels (professor), Tom Wolfe (novelist), John Coltrane (jazz musician), Harold Kushner (rabbi), Danielle Levi-Alvares (yoga teacher), Stephen Hawking (physicist), and Phil Jackson (basketball coach), just to name a few--who each demonstrate one or more of the characteristics of someone who creates from the spirit. Creative People...

* Develop clarity as the source of creativity
* Take responsibility for their lives and work
* Regard age as an opportunity
* See obstacles as an invitation to create new solutions, techniques, and skills
* Recognize the body/mind/spirit connection
* Find surprising new ways to perform routine tasks
...and much more

This fresh exploration of the creative spirit includes hands-on exercises to help you unlock your creative powers, inviting you to experience the artistic grace and pleasure that can exist in our everyday lives. You may discover, as many others have, that with creativity comes more joy, more laughter, and more accomplishment than you previously thought possible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not bad
Years ago I read Wakefield's Returning and enjoyed the book.

Wakefield's book is a coaching guide on tapping into and using the creative process. I believe the exercises are valuable and interesting. Along the way, Wakefield interjects various stories by celebrities that offer various insights on the creative process; mostly however, I think this book operates in the 'support' category for those who are interested in accessing their creative spirit and then making it happen.Several of the stories Wakefield alludes demonstrate how aspiring artists are dissuaded from their craft by a negative experience or review. The author argues against letting this destroy the creative process and offers support to move beyond and through it. In other words, don't accept a life of mediocrity because some one else does not like your creation. Keep working at it until the breakthrough happens.

Overall, I think the book is worth the read if you are looking for tips to access your creative birthright.

Hey...haven't I read this before???? (a word of warning...)
I am a great admirer of Dan Wakefield's work, both as a novelist, and as a spiritual/self help writer - his bare-knuckle honesty easily makes him one of my favorite authors in that latter catagory. I have actually met Wakefield on a few different occassions when he has done book signings and talks around the Indianapolis area, and I have found that in addition to being a fine writer, he is quite a nice guy too! When I saw that a new Wakefiled book called "Releasing the Creative Spirit" was being released, I was eager to get my hands on a copy. However, once I DID get my hands on a copy...I realised that I'd had my hands on a copy all along!!! What on Earth am I talking about??? Well, this supposedly "new" book is actually a word-for-word reprinting on an earlier Wakefield book, 1996's "Creating From the Spirit"! A new publisher (the original was published through Random House) has simply given the book a new title, slapped on some more "modern" looking cover art - and marketed the book as if it were an all-new product! Even in the credits/copyright page for the "new version" it gives the copyright date as being 2001, with no clue given that this is actually a previoulsy-published work from seven years earlier! I mean, this is not even an updated or newly-revised edition of "Creating From the Spirit" - I have compared the two books side by side, and it is the EXACT same text from the 1996 edition! (funnily enough, Wakefield even makes reference at the end of Chapter One that the book is called "Creating From the Spirit"...and that's even in the "new" version!) How does this rate as an actual book? Quite well I must say - this book is an excellent resource for creative artists (writers, musicians, poets, actors, painters, dancers), particularly the more spiritually-minded artist. On the positive side; this reprinting/repackaging is at least of a very high qulaity, with easy-to-read print, strong binding, and better quality paper than the original paperback edition. Please read my review of the original book ("Creating From the Spirit") for a more in-depth view of the actual text (I remember that I rated it at 4 stars). While I remain an admirer of Wakefield and his work, this book seems like not much more than a scam to sell Wakefield fans the same book twice! (What's next? A new title and cover for his popular novel, "Going All the Way"?) Why else was the title AND cover art (not to mention the copyright/publishing date!) changed, if not to give the false appearance of a "new" and different book? Well, that's what happened to me folks, I bought the same book twice thinking that I was recieving a new Dan Wakefield book - and just to make matters worse...the new edition is more expensive than the original! Well, my advise would be to buy this if you have not previously read "Creating From the Spirit" - it really is a fine book! But, if you already have "Creating" in your collection, there is no reason to purchase it all over again...like I did! ... Read more

Product Description
For many of us, the return of Zen conjures up images of rock gardens and gently flowing waterfalls. We think of mindfulness and meditation, immersion in a state of being where meaning is found through simplicity. Zen lore has been absorbed by Western practitioners and pop culture alike, yet there is a specific area of this ancient tradition that hasn’t been fully explored in the West. Now, in The Zen of Creativity, American Zen master John Daido Loori presents a book that taps the principles of the Zen arts and aesthetic as a means to unlock creativity and find freedom in the various dimensions of our existence. Loori dissolves the barriers between art and spirituality, opening up the possibility of meeting life with spontaneity, grace, and peace.

Zen Buddhism is steeped in the arts. In spiritual ways, calligraphy, poetry, painting, the tea ceremony, and flower arranging can point us toward our essential, boundless nature. Brilliantly interpreting the teachings of the artless arts, Loori illuminates various elements that awaken our creativity, among them still point, the center of each moment that focuses on the tranquility within; simplicity, in which the creative process is uncluttered and unlimited, like a cloudless sky; spontaneity, a way to navigate through life without preconceptions, with a freshness in which everything becomes new; mystery, a sense of trust in the unknown; creative feedback, the systematic use of an audience to receive noncritical input about our art; art koans, exercises based on paradoxical questions that can be resolved only through artistic expression. Loori shows how these elements interpenetrate and function not only in art, but in all our endeavors.

Beautifully illustrated and punctuated with poems and reflections from Loori’s own spiritual journey, The Zen of Creativity presents a multilayered, bottomless source of insight into our creativity. Appealing equally to spiritual seekers, artists, and veteran Buddhist practitioners, this book is perfect for those wishing to discover new means of self-awareness and expression—and to restore equanimity and freedom amid the vicissitudes of our lives.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Touch Your Creative Soul
This book touched me! The poetry and art is exquisite. Follow the author's journey as his art leads him to his spiritual quest, and back into his art. For the Artist this book is a wonderful read from a fellow artist. For the Searcher this book has many insights and life lessons. For anyone looking for a good read that will touch you and leave you wanting more- this book has it!

Creating art with heart
It is virtually impossible to write the definitive review of "The Zen of Creativity" because, like the koans it contains, this book will elicit no single, uniform response from those who read it.I hesitate even to use the word "read" because the book asks for a response well beyond simply reading it.The quotes and koans alone require unhurried contemplation.One way to treat this book is to take a contemplative walk through it over a number of months, experimenting here and there with the practices John Daido Loori describes.You may be surprised at the new depth you achieve in your chosen art medium as a result, whether it is photography, painting, writing or music making.

I once owned two copies of Mozart's concerto for flute and orchestra No 1 (K313).One version had perfect technique and the passages were as smooth as cream, but it left me unmoved.I gave it away.The recording I kept has a rough texture in places, but it dances with joy. It demonstrates the essence of what Loori is talking about.

"The Zen of Creativity" is not just a play on the word "zen."It IS zen. Neither does it mimic the popular format of "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance" as so many other authors have done.Loori draws the reader into the very nature of the creative process itself, giving far less importance to technical skills.In fact, if you are looking for ways to improve your artistic competence, you will need to look further afield. Loori's focus is on making a work of art real rather than on making it commercial. His quote from Leonardo Da Vinci is apt; "Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art."

There are many useful books on art techniques out now that teach how to apply your art medium in a skilful way. But none of these provide what "The Zen of Creativity" does in helping the artist recreate the essence of what he or she sees.

If "The Zen of Creativity" seems too great a leap into the philosophy of art, a simple introduction to these concepts can be found in a book produced by the Society of Layerists in Multi-Media (SLMM.) It is "The Art of Layering: Making Connection."Short excerpts from the book are available on their website.For photographers, "The Tao of Photography" by Tom Ang has much the same philosophy of putting heart into one's art.

Not just a read through, but a journey.
I must say that this book spoke to me on a very deep level. I read a couple of lines from it while browsing and was stopped cold. In those few words Mr Loori had summed up much of what my life was about. This touched me so profoundly that I knew the book was for me, tears actually began to well in my eyes. One does not merely read this book, one enters it, as a practice, as a journey, one of great personal discovery. In a section titled "Jeweled Mirror" the author covers feedback groups and how to view art, not from the standpoint of criticism, but from the feelings evoked. He has a photograph and instruction for quieting the mind and viewing the image in a specific way. It is an amazing exercise! This book opens ones eyes to more than creative possibilities, but to deep personal insights as well. You cannot enter it and leave unchanged, unless you are already a Buddha.

The Zen of Creativity
This book takes you on a gentle and insightful journey. Whether you're a practicing Zen Buddhist or not, John Daido Loori expands your mind and opens new ways of tapping into our creative spirit. The Zen of Creativity is the first of many books I've read that explains Buddhist concepts in everyday, American language and thought. It also provides a very clear explanation of how creativity and human nature mysteriously blend together to create our natural being.

Spirituality and creativity
The Zen of Creativity is not only an artist's guide to enhance your creativity. It is also a journey into the Zen philosophy with the guidance of a great master. In reading the book you will be encouraged to find the reason why you take a camera and choose to shoot a certain subject. After reading the book you will probably start looking inside yourself before releasing the shutter. ... Read more