Orientations: Inward & Outward

Remember: Creativity is about Productivity
That is: producing (i.e. bringing into existence) something new or original which is of value.

Creativity immediately sets up a psychosocial parallelism typical of THEE phenomena i.e. it exists within and without:

• Creativity is distinguished by experiences that develop within a person,

  and

• Creativity is distinguished by products that are social and shareable.

Both specific experiences and specific products involve inner and outer attention:

• Inner processes require that you pay attention to practicalities as well as to your imagination.
• Being productive requires that you produce changes within yourself as well as producing results in the outer world.

In examining the handling of attention, a natural oscillation can be discerned in both of these dimensions. Think through each creative state/force separately, and then click in each cell to see.

Note: All items in the Matrix can be simultaneously opened by clicking on the expand all icon in the TOP Toolbar, and simultaneously closed by clicking on the collapse all icon.

RG	Creative State requiring Creative Force	Experiential Orientation	Product Orientation
7	Challenge requiring Courage	Inner-mental-personal because that is where the «challenge» quality is determined.	Outer-practical-social because that is where something new must come into existence.
6	Breakthroughs requiring Immersion	Outer-practical-social because a solution to an impersonal obstacle or difficulty is being sought.	Inner-mental-personal because the breakthroughs are based on seeing something new via imagination or experiments.
5	Vantage requiring Perseverance	Inner-mental-personal because that is where the regimens must be activated and sustained.	Outer-practical-social because that is where the regimens must operate effectively.
4	Capability requiring Commitment	Outer-practical-social because these are the factors that demand more capability.	Inner-mental-personal because it is your personal commitment and capabilities that must develop.
3	Support requiring Enthusiasm	Inner-mental-personal because that is where enthusiasm is generated and sustained.	Outer-practical-social because that is where your activities occur and other supporters are to be found.
2	Confidence requiring Conviction	Outer-practical-social because that is where your credibility in handling the challenge is developed and tested.	Inner-mental-personal because that is where you create the new psychosocial reality, and where confidence resides.
1	Autonomy requiring Willpower	Inner-mental-personal because that is where the will must be found and harnessed.	Outer-practical-social because that is where possibilities have to be found or invented.

The oscillating duality will be viewed as a combination of these two phenomena: 

• Odd levels use an inner-focus for experiences + an outer-focus for products.
• Even levels use an outer-focus for experiences + an inner-focus for products.

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Now:

• Consider how creativity unfolds through confronting optimism.

Originally posted: 17-Feb-2012