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Interview Transcript
Topic: Dan Gilbert's creative process involves a lot of puzzling and puzzling and puzzling.
Transcript: I think my creative process is probably as mundane as most of them are. You know, we … we … I think we glamorize creativity. We imagine that somebody is sleeping and wakes up and says, “Eureka!” Most of the time, creative solutions are a product of time untasked. It’s a lot of people spending a lot of time puzzling and puzzling and puzzling together. I think the best ideas I’ve ever had are a result of banging my head together with my collaborator, Tim Wilson, or my graduate students for months on end, and finally arriving at a … what looks like a creative solution from the outside, but for us seems like a pretty hard one and natural progression from ignorance and knowledge.
Recorded on: 6/12/2007
Do you have a creative process?
Professor of Psychology, Harvard University
Dan Gilbert's creative process involves a lot of puzzling and puzzling and puzzling.
November 14, 2007 | In Inspiration & Wisdom
Discuss
Tony Blake on January 7, 2008, 9:13 AM
Interesting. Thank you. I really liked the analogy with Haiku. I immediately understood the reference and understood what you meant by creativity within a rule set.
Tyler Pewarski on January 13, 2008, 11:20 PM
I agree with the creativity within the rules comment but it seems that some scientists blur this distinction and take creativity too far. Science deals with facts and scientists should go where the facts lead them, so creativity can in a sense be counterproductive to the scientific process and scientists should be wary of being too creative
nancy mathews on January 17, 2008, 8:12 AM
just because this guy doesn’t feel creativity doesn’t mean he knows what it is or isn’t. in fact it is a pretty strong argument for precluding his authority on the matter. as one who believes in creativity as something more than banging my head against others, i’m pretty uncomfortable with the idea that scientific rigor is synonymous with being creative within the rules. it doesn’t seem his answers are well-thought.
ILYA PONOMAREV on January 18, 2008, 6:43 PM
Very creative answer, and a very interesting process. I would say that the creative process is above all situational, constant and infinite; with knowledge/experience being the only restraint.
Travis Frord on February 1, 2008, 5:32 PM
Completely agree… I can’t sit down right now and come up with creative ideas or processes for building a computer system, because I don’t work with it… but constantly come up with new and innovative ways to better marketing practices and website designs because that is what I’m involved in.
It’s like miniature bolts of lightning that pop up during the processes… and once in a while it’s a huge blast.
Ferlysha Junique on June 10, 2008, 5:05 AM
Actually, creative is something that can be made by ourself. So, there’s nothing to say if we don’t understand our creativity. I think the prosess already have a neutral answer from others.
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