Two models of creativity
Fragments from imaginary dialogues
“What is creativity?”
“To quote Steve Jobs,
Creativity is just connecting things.
I call this the Connections model of creativity.
Creativity is Connecting.
I must say, I love this model. I love it so much that I have the word ‘Connections’ tattooed on my right forearm.”
“I like to pair it with another model.
I call it the Patterns model of creativity.
Creativity is Patterning.
By Pattering I mean two things:
– Pattern-Recognition
– Pattern-Restructuring
As concerns pattern-recognition, there’s a quote that’s been stuck on my mind for a very long time:
Genius is only a superior power of seeing. (John Ruskin)
In a flash of insight, I realized that Ruskin’s ‘superior power of seeing‘ is pattern-recognition. The creative genius looks at the same things everyone else looks and consistently sees something different. It’s like he lives in a different reality.”
“Maybe genius is often a polymath because different disciplines give you different ways of seeing reality.
