Defining Creativity

        Years ago, I went with a group of high school students on a field trip to the studio of Bennie Bufano, one of the San Francisco Bay area's most beloved sculptors. Bufano's statues of St. Francis and "cuddly" stone animals can be seen throughout the Bay Area. Many of his large animal sculptures were designed so that children could easily climb on them without hurting themselves.

     During the field trip, Bufano talked about art in a thick Sicilian accent. When asked how he decided what to carve from the stone, he answered, "I just keep chipping away it until I find what animal is locked up inside."

     I remember thinking to myself at the time that although bufano's statement wasn't literally true, it was a nice metaphor. Years later, however, I realized that the sculptor believed their really was an animal locked within the stone. It was his inner vision that allowed him to picture the potential beauty within what most people would see as a simple lump of granite.

    The basis of creativity remains largely a mystery within the scientific community.  Although it has been studied for many years, and highly creative people have been observed and interviewed extensively, scientists are unable to draw any definite conclusions as to why one person is more creative than another. Highly creative people do not follow any set pattern, nor share any particular quality or characteristic. They represent all races and socioeconomic backgrounds. Their creativity may first manifest itself in early childhood or not until adulthood.

    Scientists are also divided on the origins of creativity. Some believe it stems from hereditary traits; others believe it is a combination of hereditary and environment.

    Scientists also disagree on how to define creativity. Is it better to focus on the process-the thoughts and feelings that lead to a creative end result-or the product, the end result itself? Or it is best to consider both as one and the same?

    Despite all the books that have been written on creativity (one major university has more than two thousand works listed under the heading "creative ability"), there is very little material about what the childhoods of highly creative adults were like. Fortunately, a few patterns emerge from the existing literature, and in my own work with families and children, I've discovered certain principles that parents can use to help their children develop their creativity. These principles are the subject of this site.result
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