How do intelligence and creative ability interact? Do we get more creative with more intelligence? Dean Keith Simonton, PhD thinks “Intelligence is purely a cognitive construct. Creativity on the other hand, I see as being much more complex.” Like other writers on creativity, he makes a distinction between “little c creativity” and “big C creativity.” [...]
“It was just a story I wanted to tell. Writing it was an expression of my own coming out. Getting it out there was willpower, feeling this is a universal story about identity and it has to be told.” Writer and director Dee Rees is referring to her movie “Pariah” – about a lesbian teenager [...]
What inspired me to write this post was seeing a number of large-scale prints of the work of Maggie Taylor (and other exciting images by photo artists) in the Digital Darkroom show at The Annenberg Space for Photography (Los Angeles, CA, December 17, 2011 through May 28, 2012). Her work is so evocative – rich with [...]
What are Excitabilities? One of the key concepts of Polish psychiatrist and psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski, MD, PhD (1902 – 1980) is that individuals with strong “overexcitabilities” are good candidates for higher level development. Stephanie Tolan, a writer and advocate for extremely bright children, notes the original Polish word for psychiatrist Dabrowski’s concept of overexcitabilities or [...]
Envy is an insult to oneself. Yevgeny Yevtushenko Envy is human nature. Monica Bellucci A simple dictionary definition of envy is “a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.” In this famous shot of Sophia Loren (left) and Jayne Mansfield at a Beverly Hills restaurant in 1957, Loren may [...]
In one of their Psychology Today posts, the Root-Bernsteins declare: “Teach how knowledge is made and you teach for creativity.” Here is more from their post: Creativity is not a “you have it” or “you don’t” kind of thing. It isn’t a personality trait. It’s not a “one size fits all” habit of mind. It’s [...]
“And still it is not enough to have memories. One must be able to forget them when they are many, and one must have the great patience to wait until they come again. For it is not yet the memories themselves. Not until they have turned to blood within us, to glance, to gesture, nameless [...]
“I liked him. He was kind of skinny and wiry and full of energy.” Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, about meeting Steve Jobs in 1969. “Jobs doesn’t sit through much of anything; one of the ways he dominates is through sheer movement.” Joe Nocera The bio ‘Steve Jobs’ has topped Amazon’s list of 10 best-selling books [...]
“When the player becomes stressed or fearful, the game will increase in intensity and difficulty. When the player calms himself, the game returns to its default state.” Game designer Erin Reynolds There are many different sorts of video games, and many studies on their psychological and social impacts – research that is often critical or [...]
Project Imagin8ion, was a user-generated photo contest that inspired a Hollywood short film, titled “When You Find Me” – produced by Ron Howard and directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. In collaboration with Canon and the Project Imagin8ion community, they selected winning entries out of 96,000 photos submitted from across the world to inspire the main [...]
What is catharsis? How does that relate to creative expression? Catharsis may be defined as “the first full realization and expression of emotions surrounding significant occurrences in one’s past; emotional release.” (Psych Central entry by Renée Grinnell.) On his blog Screenwriting from Iowa, Scott W. Smith includes this interesting quote on the topic: “Robert McKee, [...]
“I will eventually grow up and get a real job. Until then, will keep making things up and writing them down.” Neil Gaiman talks about being a writer, the kinds of ideas and thinking that impact his creative work, using social media, and the opportunities for others to write. In the video at the end, [...]
“An artist must actively caress wonder: for fascination, like the desire to play, can be eradicated by the rigors of living.” Eric Maisel “There is a myth, common in American culture, that work and play are entirely separate activities.” That is a quote by Laura Seargeant Richardson, a principal designer at frog design, who “specializes [...]
Like many actors and artists, Alan Rickman is a complex mix of passions and personality. He talks about his love and respect for writing, and the insecurity and self-criticism that so many creative people experience. He has portrayed many powerful and intriguing characters, including Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. In this video about [...]
“I may think in pictures, but first I write everything out in words.” Brian Selznick Brian Selznick’s 2007 novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” – the basis for the new Martin Scorsese movie “Hugo” – “introduced an innovative strategy for blending words and images, interweaving narrative and picture sequences to tell two sides of a [...]
“The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” That is a brief description of the state of flow, also called “being in the zone,” as described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced me-high chick-sent-me-high), who says we can [...]
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Site author: Douglas Eby, M.A./Psychology, is a writer and researcher on the psychology of creative expression and personal growth, especially for high ability adults. He is publisher of the Talent Development Resources series of sites.
