Creativity and the Arts
Understanding the creative process through experiencing the arts.
Art has always played an important role in civilization. It stands at the threshold between individual and culture. It is one of the ways in which the culture shapes the individual, but also the way in which the individual shapes the culture. Whether in the form of dance, music, drama, literature, architecture, or painting, a successful work of art is transformative, allowing audience to participate in the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual vision and experience of the artist.
By definition, the creative process includes the exploration of uncharted territory as one strives to bring into existence something which never existed before. The artist must be willing to take risks, be open to the unexpected, and make both intuitive and critical choices regarding the way elements of form function to make a unified whole.
To understand the creative process through experiencing the arts brings us closer to an understanding of ourselves and our relation to the world we live in. Art helps us define who we are as we attempt to make meaning from experience by giving our experience a shape and form. Art and the creative process provoke us to make unexpected associations, to explore hidden layers and to derive joy from the expression of original vision. In this way, we are able to connect the private with the universal and share our common humanity.
As you address this outcome, you can approach your consideration of creativity in either of two ways. You may reflect on your experience of a work of art (of music, drama, visual arts, of the written or spoken word). Or you may present a reflection on your personal engagement with the creative process. The questions below suggest various aspects of creativity as you consider this outcome.
Reflection on a work of Art
- What is the work of art you have experienced?
- What was your response to this work of art?
- What is the language of the art form or creative endeavor you experienced, e.g. verbal, non-verbal, both?
- Has familiarity with the elements of that language enabled you to perceive more?
- What was the setting/context in which you experienced the work and how did that affect your perception of the work?
- What is your understanding of the relation of the parts to the whole or the form to the content?
- How has attention to detail affected your experience of this work?
- What role has repeated exposure played in your response to this work?
- What do you believe is the meaning or value of the work?
- What have you learned about the author’s or creator’s motivation in making the work you have examined?
- What have you learned about the author’s or artist’s creative process?
- What was your experience of the interplay between audience, author or creator, and interpreter/performer?
- How has your experience of this work transformed you or made you experience things differently?
Reflecting on your own creative process
- Describe the technique(s) you used.
- Describe the process of discovery in the creative process.
- How did imagination and intuition impact the process?
- How did accident or trial and error alter your original intent?
- What is the impact of material and technique on the final product?
- Were you willing to take risks in the creative process?
- How did you respond to challenges along the way?
- What feedback or criticism did you receive along the way? How did it alter your original intent?
- Did you consider the response of your audience?
- What is the relationship between your original idea and the final product?
- What is the relationship between your creativity and someone else’s?
- How have you been transformed by the creative process?
Criteria for evaluating reflections on Creativity
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Exemplary |
Satisfactory |
Needs Improvement |
Not Acceptable |
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Considers a broader application of this experience: to another realm of art, to another discipline, or to life Generalizes on the elements of this experience in a discussion of the role of the aesthetic experience in culture, or in a discussion of the creative process in general Analyzes how one has changed or been transformed by the experience of a work of art, or through the process of its creation |
Discusses the relationship of form to content in a work of art or the rationale for choices made in the process of its creation Addresses the meaning, feeling, mood or intent of a work of art, and assesses the artwork’s effectiveness in expressing these qualities |
Describes the subject-matter of a work of art or the sequence of steps taken in its production |
Inadequate reflection or missing an artifact |