Creativity

The Adaptiveness Criterion

Creativity researchers have demonstrated—in case studies of eminent creators and investigations of everyday forms of creative expression—the importance of including the criterion of adaptiveness in definitions of creativity. The adaptiveness criterion distinguishes creativity from novelty and provides a context for [Page 195]evaluating particular contributions. Consider the everyday creativity of developing a new recipe. No matter how novel the combination of ingredients (e.g., oxtail, dandelion stem, maple syrup) or the technique (flambé)—if the resulting meal is inedible, then the recipe would hardly be considered creative. Rather, in order for the meal to be considered a form of creative expression, it would need to be original and useful.

The importance of adaptiveness is also illustrated in eminent forms of creative expression. Creativity scholars have documented that the highest forms of creativity typically require a deep understanding of the conventions and traditions of a particular domain: usually 10 or more years of formal study or apprenticeship. For example, eminent, creative jazz musicians (e.g., John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis) not only had an amazing ability to create highly original compositions, arrangements, and improvisations, but they were able to do so because of their deep knowledge and mastery of musical standards and instrumental techniques.

Sociocultural Context

In addition to recognizing the combined importance of originality and adaptiveness, creativity scholars also have stressed the importance of the sociocultural context in their definitions of creativity. This emphasis on the role of context has moved conceptions of creativity beyond traditional individualistic perspectives, which represent creativity as a static, genetically predetermined trait. Rather, most contemporary definitions of creativity emphasize the role that the socio-cultural (and, at times, historical) context plays in determining what is considered original and adaptive. This is particularly the case with the most eminent creators. For example, case studies of great creators (e.g., Johann Sebastian Bach) highlight the role that the sociocultural context (e.g., the judgment of historians, critics, connoisseurs, and subsequent musicians) has played in determining the originality and adaptiveness of some creative body of work (e.g., Bach's musical compositions posthumously deemed highly creative).

The sociocultural context also plays a key role in more ubiquitous examples of creative expression. For example, in order for an architectural design to be considered creative, it must be judged to be not only original by the gatekeepers of the domain of architecture (i.e., professors of architecture, professional architectural societies and associations, historians, fellow architects), but also adaptive (i.e., fit in with the standards and conventions of that domain, be structurally sound). Similarly, although a high school student's spoken-word poem may not be considered sufficiently original or adaptive to be included in the Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, the student's poem might very well be considered creative within the context of her high school classroom, after-school poetry club, or local poetry event.

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