Creativity by Design

Can creativity be taught?  Yes, it can be, as the developers of the field of Design Thinking have shown.  Now, the applied study of creativity is becoming an academic discipline as Lauren Pappano reports in Learning to Think Outside the Box:  Creativity Becomes an Academic Discipline in the New York Times on February 5, 2014.  In addition to the d. school at Stanford, several universities are beginning to add studies in creativity to curricula.  Many of these courses are not just which traditional academic courses defining the concept, recounting the history of thought on creativity, and examining the impact of creativity on economies or the lives of highly creative people.  These course teach their students methods for being more creative themselves.

Buffalo State College in upstate New York may have the oldest program in creative studies, which were first offered in 1967.  Whereas critical thinking was once regarded as the highest level interdisciplinary skill and the hallmark of an excellent liberal arts graduate, creative thinking is now jostling for position in the pantheon of intellectual attainment.  Gerard J. Puccio, chairman of the International Center for Studies in Creativity, asserts that universities are offering it because the marketplace is demanding it.  Most businesses understand that creativity is required to survive and thrive in our ever-faster changing world.

Critical thinking focuses on analysis, synthesis, and then evaluation.  The critical thinker dissects an idea, looks at the parts and pieces to see how the idea works, as you might a piece of machinery.  Then the critical thinker puts the pieces back together, perhaps in a better configuration, and then makes a judgment on the worth or applicability of the idea.  This is a tremendously valuable skill.  Creative thinking, however, goes beyond this to focus on human problems, human needs, and drawing from a wide and, perhaps a bit wild, trove of ideas to design a new and better solution.  The goal is to help us all apply new ideas to our everyday life, both at home and at work.