Everyday Creativity

Discussions of creativity often invoke images of artistic masterpieces, trendsetting musical accomplishments and scientific and technological breakthroughs. Yet, such images can cast a shadow on everyday expressions of creativity. Indeed, a student's creation of an original and personally meaningful iMovie or a parent's unique and engaging nighttime tales can seem quite insignificant when compared with the master works of Martin Scorsese or the classic tales anthologized by the Brothers Grimm. However, the concept of everyday creativity asserts that the student's iMovie and the parent's bedtime stories are still important and meaningful forms of creative expression. Moreover, such everyday creative expressions can imbue life with meaning, joy, and personal or even social transformation. This entry discusses the nature and history of everyday creativity, everyday creativity in ...