How creativity became the reigning value of our time

Given the amount of what we consume, the concept of creativity can feel that something that has always existed, which philosophers and artists think and discuss them throughout the ages. Although it is a reasonable assumption, it is supposed to be very wrong. Samuel Franklin also explains in his last book, Creativity worshipThe first known written use for creativity It did not actually happen until 1875, “made it as a baby as much as the words go.” What’s more, as he writes, before about 1950, “there was nearly zero articles, books, articles, theses, ors, ors for encyclopedia articles, or anything of the type that explicitly deals with the topic of” creativity “.

This raises some clear questions. How do we go exactly who we are talking about creativity to always talk about it? What, if there is anything, distinguishes creativity from other old words, such as clevernessand intelligenceand ImaginationAnd Technology? Perhaps the most important: How everyone came from kindergarten teachers to municipal heads, executive director, designers, engineers, activists and hungry artists that creativity is not good – personal, social and economically – but they are economically – but Answer For all the problems of life?

Fortunately, Franklin provides some possible answers in his book. He is a historian and researcher in design at Delpht University of Technology in the Netherlands, argues that the concept of creativity as we know that it has now appeared during the post -World War II era in America as a kind of cultural ointment – a way to alleviate tensions and anxiety from the increasing compatibility, talisman, and pressure.

“It is usually defined as a kind of vibrant feature or process associated with artists and geniuses, but they theoretically possessed by anyone and applicable to any field, [creativity] He also presented a way to unleash individual unleasibility in the system, “and writes,” and reviving the spirit of the only inventor within the maze of the modern company. “

I talked to Franklin about the reason we continue to be fascinated by creativity, and how Silicon Valley has become the center of the supposed tendency, and what is the role, if any, like AI in reshaping our relationship with it.

I feel curious about what your personal relationship with creativity was growing up. What made you want to write a book about it?

Like a lot of children, I grew up and I was thinking that this creativity was this good thing in nature. For me – and I imagine that many other people, like me, were not especially sports or good in mathematics and science – creativity means that you have at least some future in this world, even if it is not clear what this future will follow. By the time when the college entered and beyond, the traditional wisdom between the TED TALK record for thinkers – people like Daniel Pink and Richard Florida – was that creativity was actually. More An important feature to have the future. Basically, the creative people inherited the earth, and society needed them if we would solve all these double problems in the world.

On the one hand, as a person he liked to think of himself as creative, it was difficult not to be fun than this. On the other hand, everything looked lucky to me. What was sold as the victory of the creative layer was not in fact leading to a more comprehensive or creative global system. Moreover, some of the values ​​included in what I call the worship of creativity seemed to be an increasing problem-specifically, focusing on self-realization, doing what you love, and following your passion. Don’t understand me wrong – it’s a beautiful vision, and I saw it working for some people. But I also started to feel that it was just a cover for what was, economically, a very bad turning point for many people.