A Philosophyof Creativity

By Gregory S. WaddellMid-South Christian College

February 2006

Creativity Smashers• Fear• Criticism• Risk Avoidance• Tone of Voice• Confrontation• Competition• Insecurity

Building a Creative Environment• Define Creativity.• Communicate Why Creativity is Important.• Develop a Creativity Mindset.• Formulate a Theology of Creativity.• Build an Environment of Creativity

Defining Creativity“An ability to see things in a new way, to put familiar things together into new and unfamiliar forms that nobody has ever put together this way.”

Source: Katharine Weber, Cited in Patrick, 2006, p. 31.

Defining Creativity

“The strange human compulsion to give

physical expression to mystery.”

Source: Michael Card, Cited in Zoba, 2000, p. 63.

The Importance of CreativityGod-hungry people are “looking for a bold fellowship, and what they [often] find is a complacent society concerned to an absurd degree with its own internal politics or so unimaginative as to suggest that the world can be saved by three hymns and a sermon.”

Source: Trueblood, 1980, pp. 8-9.

Mindset

A preservation mindset denies the Church’s true nature.

A Theology of Creativity“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”─Genesis 1:26, NASB

A Theology of CreativityFar from being the enemy of the faith, creativity may in fact be a core manifestation of the Spirit of God working in His people.

An Environment of Creativity• Set up a creativity team.• Acknowledge those who contribute ideas.• Provide special recognition.• Tell the stories of successful new ideas.• Make creativity a core value.

─ Paige Leavitt, American Productivity & Quality Center

Creative Assumptions• Within three years, at least a third of the

things we are currently doing will go away.

• Everything has a shelf life of fewer than four years.

• Allow new members to contribute to your brainstorming potential.

Allow the Holy Spirit to Speak

“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials.”

─The Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem, Acts 15:28

ResourcesAnderson, J. V. (1993) Mindset: An obstacle to creativity. The Mid-Atlantic Journal of Business 29(2), 251-

264. Retrieved January 26, 2006, from ABI/INFORM CompleteAndrejev, V. (2004) Creativity & the meaning of 'image' from the perspective of the Orthodox icon. Theology

Today 61(1), 53-66. Retrieved January 30, 2006, from eLibraryDe Cagna, J. (2004) Innovation: Thinking it through for your association. Association Management 56(8),

38-39. Retrieved January 30, 2006, from OmniFile Full Text MegaMarsh, N., McAllum, M. & Purcell, D. (2002). Why Strategic Foresight? In The Power of Standing in the

Future. Victoria, Australia: Crown Content.Morgan, G. (1997). Imaginization: New mindsets for seeing, organizing, & managing. Thousand Oaks, CA:

Sage.Patrick, B. K. (2006) When your creativity takes a hike: How give novelists have found ways to get it back.

The Writer 119(1), 28-31. Retrieved January 30, 2006, from OmniFiles Full Text MegaRosenberry, K. (2005) Essay: Organizational barriers to creativity in law schools and the legal profession.

California Western Law Review 39(12), 423-457. Retrieved January 30, 2006, from OmniFile Full Text Mega

Schweitzer, C. (2004) Light-bulb leadership: Creating a culture where innovation is in. Association Management 56(8), 31-42. Retrieved January 30, 2006, from OmniFile Full Text Mega

Trueblood, E. (1980). The company of the committed. San Francisco: Harper & Row. (Original work published 1961)

Zoba, W. M. (2000) Incarnating mystery: Michael Card argues that a proper view of Christ is a key to creativity. Christianity Today 44(8), 63-64. Retrieved January 30, 2006, from OmniFile Full Text Mega