Creativity and the Arts: Traditional and New Media

Abstract

AbstractThere are numerous theories of creativity from different academic fields, but an overarching unifying theory is almost impossible. Such theories may be specific to a particular context, or they attempt to generalize, with differences in particular disciplines. For example, in psychology the focus is on a micro level with the study of individuals; whereas in the field of innovation research it is on a macro level and often disregards the individual by focusing more on the context. Creativity on a micro level is examined through revealing the process of an individual artist. It introduces ‘material thinking’; an intellectual pursuit specific to the making process and reflects on what may be learned from the process of making art. Art can create knowledge that constructs environments and changes lives. This personal knowledge and the work of the hand is sometimes at odds with the technological world, but a study of artistic practices enables us to see and think differently. Artworks have impact beyond the esthetic to influence social, political, and economic spheres.