Review

Two Ways to Think about Creativity

There is a right way to think about creativity and a wrong way.

The wrong way is simple and obvious: Creativity is about getting a great idea. Is a team involved? OK: then use some idea-generation software and brain-storming and choose the best new idea from what emerges. After that…well it's just implementing, isn't it?

The right way is fascinating and stimulating: Creativity brings something of value into social existence i.e. it is an endeavour of yours that is triggered by the sense of challenge. It often involves or affects others and requires you to deal with numerous difficulties over time.

The picture of creativity discovered and developed here depends on intensifying the higher transcendental levels in the framework of personal endeavour and keeping them in continuous operation. This is typically enabled within THEE by the Structural Hierarchy form.

The Components of Creativity

Personal creativity involves many components that operate independently, simultaneously and interactively. The use of the framework is spontaneous and may be barely conscious for someone functioning naturally. The full picture is shown below: Better viewing: Use browser zoom if needed.

To properly understand each of the components (i.e. Groups), specific qualities have been provisionally assigned to the internal Levels. These qualities characterize each particular Grouping.

Read more on identifying these qualities.

Click to see details in a matrix.Better viewing: Use browser zoom if needed.

Recap on the Story

The components of creativity were identified as we progressed up the Groupings. This recapitulation of the creative conditions, forces and states is described by working our way downwards.

RsH-G7: Creativity starts with courageously accepting a challenge.

The function of a challenge is to propel you to embark on a worthwhile task (or project or venture) despite its evident difficulties for you and uncertainties that might lead to failure.

The natural fears associated with any challenge, are mastered through the evocation of courage. This does not remove fear, but rather enables a positivity that keeps your head in the right place as you address the challenge.

However, nothing significant happens until you address uncertainties and get to grips with whatever makes the challenge feel like a challenge.

RsH-G6: Allowing immersion in the challenge enables breakthroughs.

The function of breakthroughs is to resolve blocks.

Conventional creativity theory focused on preoccupation, emphasizing preparation and incubation as the prelude to the needed inspiration. However, breakthroughs can also occur through deliberate experimentation. These trials focus more on seeing what happens than on expecting a definitively success.

However, your breakthroughs depend on their integration and contribution to the continuing progress of your project, even if this is sometimes slow and painful.

RsH-G5: You can gain vantage through perseverance.

The function of vantage is to put you in a position that maximizes your chances to overcome the certain difficulties and inevitable obstacles for your project, whether these are internal (e.g. doubts, negativity) or external (e.g. set-backs, failures).

Perseverance requires the establishment of regimens to which you adhere regardless of eventualities. You must be determined to make progress, even if the steps are tiny, continually justify your activities to remain rational and avoid blind alleys or sacrifice traps, and ensure motivation to sustain your energetic participation.

However, perseverance is only as effective as the personal strengths you can bring to bear.

RsH-G4: You commit yourself and all your capabilities to the project.

The function of capability is to handle any demands of the challenge. However your full capabilities are only released if you inject commitment and identify yourself with the project. You usually discover strengths that you never knew you had.

Commitment is injected by a surrender to your project, becoming passionate about progress, playing with ideas, and learning through experience.

However, commitment does not provide everything needed: you must stimulate inputs from yourself and others.

RsH-G3: Generate support through focusing your enthusiasm.

The function of support is to confirm the value of your efforts as well as to access willing appropriate input.

Enthusiasm is based on activating, appreciating, sharing, interesting and engaging yourself in relation to the many activities demanded by your challenging project. You may need to handle others similarly.

However, enthusiasm must rest on a growing credibility in regard to what you intend.

RsH-G2: Express confidence by deepening your conviction.

The function of confidence is to provide reassurance and enable credibility in your approach to the challenge.

Conviction is deepened when you dedicate yourself, become involved, generate useful conceptions, take ownership of your project, reach conclusions that allow movement, and interate tasks.

However, confidence and conviction depend on unleashing your inner drive so as to move forward freely and powerfully.

RsH-G1: Autonomy enables the fullest use of your willpower.

The function of autonomy is to release personal energies for your own purposes. Willpower flows through the conduits of autonomy (which are the same elements as the Levels in the hierarchy of endeavour) and gets direction from your integrity.

Integrity in your use of willpower requires that the higher Transcendental Levels are enhanced. So your willingness-RL7 must be full and complete, purpose-RL6 must never be forgotten, while communication-RL5 and experiencing-RL4 require continual intensification.

The Actualization Levels are more simply directed: change-RL3 should be targeted, inquiry-RL2 focused, and action-RL1 taken.

Your reserves of willpower await the experience of a worthy challenge—which takes us back to where we started:  RsH-G7.

See the Matrix

RG	State requiring Force	Quality of the Creative Process	Group Numbers Structure
7	Courage requiring Challenge	To take on a worthwhile project despite its obvious difficulties and the risk of failure.	1 Heptadic Mindset
6	Breakthroughs requiring Immersion	To deal directly with profound uncertainty and seemingly insuperable difficulties.	2 Hexadic Planes
5	Vantage requiring Perseverance	To maximize the likelihood of overcoming difficulties, both inner and outer.	3 Pentadic Regimens
4	Capability requiring Commitment	To discover, develop and apply your relevant inner strengths.	4 Tetradic Amplifiers
3	Support requiring Enthusiasm	To energize yourself and others to pursue relevant activities.	5 Triadic Generators
2	Confidence requiring Conviction	To specify your position so as to gain assurance and deserve credibility.	6 Dyadic Expressions
1	Autonomy requiring Willpower	To release your personal energies so as to open possibilities.	7 Monadic Conduits

Next Steps

• Consider the catalysts for creativity.
• Notice the different orientations, inner v outer, of the various Groupings.
• Are there degrees of creativity?
• How to view blocks to creativity.
• What does failure mean?
• What happens to creativity in organizations?
• Look behind the curtain to see how qualities of the internal levels are identified.

Originally posted: 31-Jan-2012