Be Creative Series {Launch}

Every since finishing a masters degree at Johns Hopkins University several years ago, I have been in love with creativity.  Let me be more exact.  I am in love with creativity research.  I had no idea, before my degree, that people made it their life's work to study creativity.  What?  I could have majored in Creativity?  Are you kidding me?


Thus, today starts a series to share my favorite research, tidbits, tricks, hints, and strategies to nurture creativity.  After all, a person's creative thinking ability can be improved.  Yep, isn't that awesome?  See below.....



  • Creativity has been identified as the #1 leadership competency of the future (Bronson and Merryman, 2010).
  • Highly creative people tend to be flexible in their thinking, original, persistent, and open to new ideas (Torrance and Safter, 1999).
  • Highly creative people tend to have higher self-confidence and higher school & adult creative achievement (Torrance and Safter, 1999; Torrance and Sisk, 2001).
  • The highest gains in creativity development happen in childhood or through training in creative thinking strategies (Torrance and Safter, 1999).  Thank goodness, there is hope for me.
  • Creativity measures in the US are on the decline for children and adults. (Kim, 2010). Boo!  Time to rally the creative troops.
  • The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking is considered the "gold standard" in creativity assessment for children (ages four years and older) and adults (Staff, New York Times, 2010).  I just finished my training to adminster and score this!
  • Research shows creativity can be improved (Torrance and Safter, 1999).  I am sooo on this for me, Mr. UpCyclist, Lil O, and my college students.
  • There are five main attributes that contribute to creative thinking:  fluency, originality, elaboration, abstractness and resistance to closure (in other words, keeping an open mind) (Torrance and Safter, 1999).
What do you think, Upcyclists?  Shall we dedicate a blog post to each? 
Indeed!  And so is born, the newest Upcycled Education series, B.CR8TIV.


(I want my license plate to look just like that).

Yay!
Jen
 
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