What creative products do you know? Creative activity: meaning, types. Creative activities of children. What promotes creativity

Creativity is a process of human activity, the result of which is the creation of new quality material and spiritual values, distinguished by uniqueness, originality and originality. It originated in ancient times. Since then, there has been an inextricable connection between him and the development of society. The creative process involves imagination and skill, which a person acquires by acquiring knowledge and putting it into practice.

Creativity is an active state and a manifestation of human freedom, the result of creative activity, it is a gift given to a person from above. You don’t have to be great and talented to create, create beauty and give people love and kindness to everything around them. Today, creative activities are available to everyone, since there are different types of arts, and everyone can choose an activity to their liking.

Who is considered a creative person?

These are not only artists, sculptors, actors, singers and musicians. Any person who uses non-standard approaches in his work is creative. Even a housewife can be like that. The main thing is to love your work and put your soul into it. Rest assured: the result will exceed all your expectations!

Decorative creativity

This is the view plastic arts, which includes decorative design of the interior (decorating a room using easel painting) and exterior (using stained glass and mosaics), design art (using industrial graphics and posters), and applied art.

These types of creativity provide a unique opportunity to get acquainted with cultural traditions their people, cultivate a sense of patriotism and great respect for human work. Creating a creative product instills a love of beauty and develops technical abilities and skills.

Applied creativity

This is a folk decorative art designed to decorate the life and everyday life of people in everyday life depending on their requirements. By creating things of a certain shape and purpose, a person always finds a use for them and tries to preserve the attractiveness and beauty seen in them. Objects of art are inherited, from ancestors to descendants. They show folk wisdom, way of life, character. In the process of creativity, a person puts his soul, feelings, and his ideas about life into works of art. This is probably why their educational value is so great.

Carrying out archaeological excavations, scientists find various things and household items. Based on them, it is determined historical era, relations in the society of that distant time, conditions in the social and natural environments, the capabilities of technology, financial situation, traditions and beliefs of the people. Types of creativity can tell us about the kind of life people led, what they did and were interested in, how they related to everything around them. Artistic Features works of applied art instill in a person respect for the culture and heritage of the nation.

Decorative and applied arts. Types of techniques

What types are there? applied creativity? There are a great many of them! Depending on the method of manufacturing a particular item and the material used, the following handicraft techniques are distinguished:

• Related to the use of paper: iris folding, or rainbow folding of paper, paper plastic, corrugated tubes, quilling, origami, papier-mâché, scrapbooking, embossing, trimming.
• Weaving techniques: ganutel, beading, macrame, bobbin weaving, tatting or knot weaving.
• Painting: Zhostovo, Khokhloma, Gorodets, etc.
• Types of painting: batik - painting on fabric; stained glass - glass painting; stamp and sponge printing; drawing with palms and leaf prints; ornament - repetition and alternation of pattern elements.
• Creating drawings and images: blowing paint through a tube; guilloche - burning a pattern onto fabric; mosaic - creating an image from small-sized elements; thread graphics - making an image with threads on a hard surface.
• Fabric embroidery techniques: simple and Bulgarian cross stitch, straight and oblique satin stitch, tapestry, carpet and ribbon embroidery, gold embroidery, cutwork, hemstitching and many others.
• Sewing on fabric: patchwork, quilting, quilting or patchwork; artichoke, kanzashi and others.
• Knitting techniques: fork; on knitting needles (simple European); Tunisian crochet; jacquard, fillet, guipure.
• Types of creativity associated with wood processing: burning, sawing, carving.

As you can see for yourself, there is huge amount various types of decorative techniques applied arts. Just a few of them are listed here.

Folk art

In works of art created by the people, the main thing is selected and carefully preserved; there is no place for unnecessary things. Items folk art endowed with the most expressive properties. This art embodies simplicity and taste. Therefore, it became understandable, loved and accessible to people.

Since ancient times, people have sought to decorate their homes with folk items. fine arts. After all, they retain the warmth of the hands of a craftsman who understands nature and skillfully selects only the most beautiful things for his objects. Failed creations are eliminated, only valuable and great ones remain alive.

Each era has its own fashion for the interior of a person’s home, which is constantly changing. Over time, strict lines and rectangular shapes become more and more preferred. But even today people draw ideas from a priceless storehouse - people's talents.

Oral folk art

This is folklore, which is reflected in artistic collective creative activity common man. His works reflect the life, ideals and worldviews created by the people. They then exist among the masses.

Types of folk art:

• Proverbs are poetic mini-works in the form of short rhythmic sayings. The basis is conclusion, teaching and generalized morality.
• Sayings are figures of speech or phrases that reflect life phenomena. There are often humorous notes.
• Folk songs - they do not have an author or he is unknown. The words and the music chosen for them were formed during the historical development of the culture of a particular ethnic group.
• Chatushki are Russian folk songs in miniature, usually in the form of quatrains, with humorous content.
• Riddles - they are found at any stage of development of society among all peoples. In ancient times they were considered a test of wisdom.
• Pestushki - short melodies of mothers and nannies in poetic form.
• Nursery rhymes are songs and sayings that accompany games with a child’s hands and feet.
• Jokes are funny short stories in poetic form.
• It is impossible to imagine types of folk art without chants, with the help of which people during the spread of paganism turned to various natural phenomena, asking them for protection, or to animals and birds.
• Counting rhymes are small rhythmic rhymes. With their help, the leader of the game is determined.
• Tongue twisters are phrases built on a combination of sounds that make them difficult to pronounce quickly.

Creativity related to literature

Literary creativity is represented by three types: epic, lyrical and dramatic. They were created in ancient times, but still exist today, as they determine ways to solve the problems posed to literature by human society.

The basis of the epic is the artistic reproduction of the external world, when the speaker (the author or narrator himself) reports events and their details as something past and remembered, simultaneously resorting to descriptions of the setting of the action and the appearance of the characters, and sometimes to reasoning. Lyrics are the direct expression of the writer's feelings and thoughts. The dramatic method combines the first two, when characters with the most different characters presented in one play with direct lyrical self-revelation.

Literary creativity, represented by epic, lyricism and drama, fully opens up limitless possibilities for deeply reflecting people's lives and their consciousness. Every literary genre has its own forms:

• Epic - fable, poem, ballad, story, story, novel, essay, artistic memoir.
• Lyrical - ode, elegy, satire, epigram.
• Dramatic - tragedy, comedy, drama, vaudeville, joke, stage.

In addition, individual forms of any kind of poetry are divided into groups or types. For example, the type of literary work is epic. The form is a novel. Types: socio-psychological, philosophical, family, adventure, satirical, historical, science fiction.

Folk art

This is a capacious concept that includes various genres and types artistic creativity. They are based on original traditions and unique methods and forms of creative activity, which are associated with human labor and develop collectively, based on the continuity of traditions.

Folk art reflects the inner world of man, his spiritual appearance, living memory of the people. There are several periods in its development:

• Pagan (until the 10th century).
• Christian (X-XVII centuries).
• Domestic history (XVII-XIX centuries).
• XX century.

undergoes a long development path folk art, as a result of which the following types of artistic creativity were determined:

• Folklore is the worldview and moral beliefs of the people, their views on man, nature and society, which are expressed in verbal, poetic, musical, choreographic, and dramatic forms.
• Decorative and applied art is designed to satisfy the aesthetic needs and everyday needs of a person.
• Household amateur creativity is artistic phenomena in the festive and everyday life of a person.
• Amateur artistic art- This is organized creativity. It is focused on teaching people artistic skills.

Creativity associated with technology

Human labor activity is constantly improving, acquiring creative nature. Many people manage to rise to the highest level in their creations and inventions. So, what is technical creativity? This is an activity whose main task is to create technical solutions that will be novel and have social significance not only in their own country, but also beyond its borders, that is, worldwide. Otherwise, this is called invention, which is equivalent to the concept of technical creativity. And it is interconnected with scientific, artistic and other types.

Great opportunities are open for our contemporaries and all conditions have been created for doing what they love. There are a huge number of specialized clubs, palaces, circles, and scientific societies. In these institutions, adults and children are engaged in aircraft and ship modeling, motorcycle sports, karting, auto design, programming, computer science, and computer technology. Such types of creativity as the development of designs for sports vehicles: mini-cars, autocars, equipment for fishermen, tourists and climbers are very popular.

Types and functions of creativity

There are different types of creativity:

• production and technical
• inventive
• scientific
• political
• organizational
• artistic
• everyday life, etc.

in other words, types of creativity correspond to types of practical and spiritual activity.

Vitaly Tepikin, a researcher of the human creative factor and the phenomenon of the intelligentsia, identifies artistic, scientific, technical, sports-tactical, as well as military-tactical creativity as independent types.

Creativity as an ability

Creativity as a process (creative thinking)

Stages of Creative Thinking

G. Wallace

The best known description today is the description of the sequence of stages (stages) of creative thinking, which was given by the Englishman Graham Wallace in 1926. He identified four stages of creative thinking:

1. Preparation- formulation of the problem; attempts to solve it.
2. Incubation- temporary distraction from the task.
3. Insight- emergence of an intuitive solution.
4. Examination- testing and/or implementation of the solution.

However, this description is not original and goes back to the classic report of A. Poincaré in 1908.

A. Poincare

They came especially willingly... during the hours of a leisurely climb through the wooded mountains, on a sunny day. The slightest amount of alcohol seemed to scare them away.

It is interesting to note that stages similar to those described by Poincaré were identified in the process of artistic creativity by B. A. Lezin at the beginning of the 20th century.

1. Work fills the sphere of consciousness with content, which will then be processed by the unconscious sphere.
2. Unconscious work represents a selection of the typical; “But how that work is done, of course, cannot be judged, it is a mystery, one of the seven world mysteries.”
3. Inspiration there is a “transfer” of a ready-made conclusion from the unconscious sphere into consciousness.

Stages of the inventive process

In the most acute form, the connection between the personal and the creative is revealed by N. A. Berdyaev. He writes:

Motivation for creativity

V. N. Druzhinin writes:

The basis of creativity is the global irrational motivation of human alienation from the world; it is directed by a tendency to overcome and functions as a “positive feedback”; a creative product only spurs the process, turning it into a pursuit of the horizon.

Thus, through creativity, a person’s connection with the world is realized. Creativity stimulates itself.

Mental health, freedom and creativity

N. A. Berdyaev adheres to the following point of view:

The creative act is always liberation and overcoming. There is an experience of power in it.

Thus, creativity is something in which a person can exercise his freedom, connection with the world, connection with his deepest essence.

See also

Notes

Literature

• Hadamard J. Study of the psychology of the invention process in the field of mathematics. M., 1970.
• Ananyev B. G. Psychology and problems of human knowledge. Moscow-Voronezh. 1996.
• Ananyev B.G. Man as an object of knowledge. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2001.
• Berdyaev N. A. Experience of eschatological metaphysics // Creativity and objectification / comp. A. G. Shimansky, Yu. O. Shimanskaya. - Mn.: Econompress, 2000.
• Berdyaev N. A. The meaning of creativity // Philosophy of creativity, culture and art. - M.: Art, 1994.
• Winnicott D. Game and reality. M.: Institute of General Humanitarian Research, 2002.
• Druzhinin V. N. Psychology of general abilities. St. Petersburg: Peter, 2002.
• May R. The Courage to Create: An Essay on the Psychology of Creativity. - Lviv: Initiative; M.: Institute of General Humanitarian Research, 2001.
• Petrova V. N. Formation of a creative personality in the process of studying at a university // Electronic magazine “Knowledge. Understanding. Skill ». - 2009. - No. 9 - Complex research: thesaurus analysis of world culture.
• Rubinstein S. L. Fundamentals of general psychology, St. Petersburg: Peter, 2005.
• Sabaneev L. L. Psychology of musical creative process// Art, 1923. - No. 1. - P. 195-212.
• Jung K. G. Psychological types.
• Yakovlev V. Philosophy of creativity in Plato's dialogues // Questions of philosophy. - 2003. - No. 6. - P. 142-154.
• Psychology and poetry Carl Gustav Jung
• On the psychology of inventive creativity // Questions of psychology, No. 6, 1956. - P. 37-49 © Altshuller G. S., Shapiro R. B., 1956
• Psychology of children's creativity (part 1) Ella Prokofieva

Creation- a process of human activity that creates qualitatively new material and spiritual values ​​or the result of the creation of a subjectively new one. The main criterion that distinguishes creativity from manufacturing (production) is the uniqueness of its result. The result of creativity cannot be directly derived from the initial conditions. No one, except perhaps the author, can get exactly the same result if the same initial situation is created for him. Thus, in the process of creativity, the author puts into the material certain possibilities that are not reducible to labor operations or logical conclusion, and expresses in the final result some aspects of his personality. It is this fact that gives creative products additional value in comparison with manufactured products.

Creativity is an activity that generates something qualitatively new, something that has never existed before. Creativity is the creation of something new, valuable not only for this person, but also for others.

Types and functions of creativity

Researcher of the creative factor of man and the phenomenon of the intelligentsia, Vitaly Tepikin, identifies artistic, scientific, technical, sports-tactical, as well as military-tactical creativity as independent types.S. L. Rubinstein was the first to correctly point out characteristic features inventive creativity: “The specificity of an invention, which distinguishes it from other forms of creative intellectual activity, is that it must create a thing, a real object, a mechanism or a technique that solves a certain problem. This determines the uniqueness of the creative work of the inventor: the inventor must introduce something new into the context of reality, into the actual course of some activity. This is something essentially different from solving a theoretical problem in which a limited number of abstractly identified conditions need to be taken into account. Moreover, reality is historically mediated by human activity and technology: it embodies the historical development of scientific thought. Therefore, in the process of invention, one must proceed from the context of reality into which something new is to be introduced, and take into account the corresponding context. This determines the general direction and specific nature of the various links in the process of invention.”

Creativity as an ability

Creativity(from English create- create, English. creative- constructive, creative) - creativity an individual, characterized by a readiness to create fundamentally new ideas that deviate from traditional or accepted patterns and are included in the structure of giftedness as an independent factor, as well as the ability to solve problems that arise within static systems. According to the authoritative American psychologist Abraham Maslow, this is a creative orientation that is innately characteristic of everyone, but is lost by the majority under the influence of the environment.

At the everyday level, creativity manifests itself as ingenuity - the ability to achieve a goal, find a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation using the environment, objects and circumstances in an unusual way. Wider is a non-trivial and ingenious solution to the problem. Moreover, as a rule, with scarce and unspecialized tools or resources, if material. And a bold, non-standard, what is called a non-cliched approach to solving a problem or satisfying a need located on an intangible plane.

Creativity criteria

Creativity criteria:

• fluency - the number of ideas arising per unit of time;
• originality - ability to produce unusual ideas, different from the generally accepted ones;
• flexibility. As Ranko notes, the importance of this parameter is determined by two circumstances: firstly, this parameter allows us to distinguish individuals who show flexibility in the process of solving a problem from those who show rigidity in solving them, and secondly, it allows us to distinguish individuals who are original solve problems from those who demonstrate false originality.
• receptivity - sensitivity to unusual details, contradictions and uncertainty, willingness to quickly switch from one idea to another;
• metaphoricality - readiness to work in a completely unusual context, a penchant for symbolic, associative thinking, the ability to see the complex in the simple, and the simple in the complex.
• Satisfaction is the result of creativity. With a negative result, the meaning and further development of the feeling are lost.

According to Torrance

• Fluency is the ability to produce large number ideas;
• Flexibility - the ability to use a variety of strategies when solving problems;
• Originality - the ability to produce unusual, non-standard ideas;
• Elaboration is the ability to develop emerging ideas in detail.
• Resistance to closure is the ability not to follow stereotypes and to “stay open” for a long time to a variety of incoming information when solving problems.
• The abstractness of the name is an understanding of the essence of the problem of what is truly essential. The naming process reflects the ability to transform figurative information into verbal form.

Creativity as a process (creative thinking)

Stages of Creative Thinking

G. Wallace

The most famous description today of the sequence of stages (stages) was given by the Englishman Graham Wallace in 1926. He identified four stages of creative thinking:

1. Preparation- formulation of the problem; attempts to solve it.
2. Incubation- temporary distraction from the task.
3. - emergence of an intuitive solution.
4. Examination- testing and/or implementation of the solution.

However, this description is not original and goes back to the classic report of A. Poincaré in 1908.

A. Poincare

Henri Poincaré, in his report to the Psychological Society in Paris (in 1908), described the process of making several mathematical discoveries and identified the stages of this creative process, which were subsequently identified by many psychologists.

Stages

1. At the beginning, a problem is set and attempts are made to solve it for some time.

“For two weeks I tried to prove that there could not exist any function similar to the one that I later called automorphic. I was, however, completely wrong; every day I sat down at my desk and spent an hour or two at it, researching large number combinations, and did not come to any result.”

2. This is followed by a more or less long period during which the person does not think about the still unsolved problem and is distracted from it. At this time, Poincaré believes, unconscious work on the task occurs. 3. And finally there comes a moment when suddenly, without immediately preceding thoughts about the problem, in a random situation that has nothing to do with the problem, the key to the solution arises in the mind.

“One evening, contrary to my habit, I drank black coffee; I couldn't sleep; the ideas pressed together, I felt them collide until two of them came together to form a stable combination.”

In contrast to usual reports of this kind, Poincaré describes here not only the moment the decision appeared in consciousness, but also the work of the unconscious that immediately preceded it, as if miraculously becoming visible; Jacques Hadamard, drawing on this description, points out its complete exclusivity: “I have never experienced this wonderful feeling and I have never heard anyone except him [Poincaré] experience it.” 4. After this, when the key idea for the solution is already known, the solution is completed, tested, and developed.

“By morning I had established the existence of one class of these functions, which corresponds to the hypergeometric series; All I had to do was write down the results, which only took a few hours. I wanted to represent these functions as a ratio of two series, and this idea was completely conscious and deliberate; I was guided by the analogy with elliptic functions. I asked myself what properties these series should have if they exist, and I easily managed to construct these series, which I called theta-automorphic.”

Theory

Theorizing, Poincaré depicts the creative process (using the example of mathematical creativity) as a sequence of two stages: 1) combining particles - elements of knowledge and 2) subsequent selection of useful combinations.

Poincaré notes that combination occurs outside consciousness - ready-made “really useful combinations and some others that have signs of useful ones, which he [the inventor] will then discard,” appear in consciousness. Questions arise: what kind of particles are involved in unconscious combination and how the combination occurs; how the “filter” works and what are these signs by which it selects certain combinations, passing them into consciousness. Poincaré gives the following answer.

Initial conscious work on a task actualizes and “sets in motion” those elements of future combinations that are relevant to the problem being solved. Then, if, of course, the task is not solved immediately, a period of unconscious work on the task begins. While the consciousness is occupied with completely different things, in the subconscious the particles that have received a push continue their dance, colliding and forming various combinations. Which of these combinations come into consciousness? These are the combinations “the most beautiful, that is, those which most affect that special sense of mathematical beauty, known to all mathematicians and inaccessible to the profane to such an extent that they are often inclined to laugh at it.” So, the most “mathematically beautiful” combinations are selected and penetrated into consciousness. But what are the characteristics of these beautiful mathematical combinations? “These are those whose elements are harmoniously arranged in such a way that the mind can, without effort, embrace them entirely, guessing the details. This harmony serves both to satisfy our aesthetic feelings and to help the mind, it supports it and it is guided by it. This harmony gives us the opportunity to anticipate a mathematical law.” “Thus this special aesthetic sense plays the role of a sieve, and this explains why anyone who is deprived of it will never become a real inventor.”

From the history of the issue

Back in the 19th century, Hermann Helmholtz described the process of making scientific discoveries “from the inside” in a similar way, although in less detail. In these introspections of his, the stages of preparation, incubation and insight are already outlined. Helmholtz wrote about how scientific ideas were born in him:

These happy inspirations often invade the head so quietly that you do not immediately notice their meaning, sometimes it will only indicate later when and under what circumstances they came: a thought appears in the head, but you don’t know where it comes from.

But in other cases, a thought strikes us suddenly, without effort, like inspiration.

As far as I can judge from personal experience, she is never born tired and never at a desk. Each time I first had to turn my problem around in every possible way, so that all its twists and plexuses would lie firmly in my head and could be learned again by heart, without the help of writing.

It is usually impossible to get to this point without continuous work. Then, when the onset of fatigue passed, an hour of complete bodily freshness and a feeling of calm well-being was required - and only then did they come good ideas. Often... they appeared in the morning, upon awakening, as Gauss also noticed.

They came especially willingly... during the hours of a leisurely climb through the wooded mountains, on a sunny day. The slightest amount of alcohol seemed to scare them away.

It is interesting to note that stages similar to those described by Poincaré were identified in the process of artistic creativity by B. A. Lezin at the beginning of the 20th century.

1. Work fills the sphere of consciousness with content, which will then be processed by the unconscious sphere.
2. Unconscious work represents a selection of the typical; “But how that work is done, of course, cannot be judged, it is a mystery, one of the seven world mysteries.”
3. Inspiration there is a “transfer” of a ready-made conclusion from the unconscious sphere into consciousness.

Stages of the inventive process

P. K. Engelmeyer (1910) believed that the work of an inventor consists of three acts: desire, knowledge, skill.

1. Desire and the origin of the idea. This stage begins with an intuitive glimpse of an idea and ends with its understanding by the inventor. A probable principle of the invention emerges. IN scientific creativity This stage corresponds to a hypothesis, in the artistic stage it corresponds to a plan.
2. Knowledge and reasoning, scheme or plan. Developing a complete, detailed idea of ​​the invention. Production of experiments - mental and actual.
3. Skill, constructive execution of the invention. Assembly of the invention. Doesn't require creativity.

“As long as there is only an idea from the invention (Act I), there is no invention yet: together with the diagram (Act II) the invention is given as a representation, and Act III gives it real existence. In the first act the invention is assumed, in the second it is proven, in the third it is carried out. At the end of the first act there is a hypothesis, at the end of the second there is a performance; at the end of the third - a phenomenon. The first act defines it teleologically, the second - logically, the third - factually. The first act gives the idea, the second the plan, the third the action.”

P. M. Yakobson (1934) identified the following stages:

1. Period of intellectual readiness.
2. Discretion of the problem.
3. The origin of an idea is the formulation of a problem.
4. Finding a solution.
5. Obtaining the principle of the invention.
6. Transforming a principle into a scheme.
7. Technical design and deployment of the invention.

Factors that interfere with creative thinking

• uncritical acceptance of someone else's opinion (conformism, agreement)
• external and internal censorship
• rigidity (including the transfer of patterns, algorithms in solving problems)
• desire to find an answer immediately

Creativity and personality

Creativity can be considered not only as a process of creating something new, but also as a process that occurs through the interaction of personality (or a person’s inner world) and reality. At the same time, changes occur not only in reality, but also in personality.

The nature of the connection between creativity and personality

“Personality is characterized by activity, the desire of the subject to expand the scope of his activities, to act beyond the boundaries of the requirements of the situation and role prescriptions; orientation - a stable dominant system of motives - interests, beliefs, etc...." Actions that go beyond the requirements of the situation are creative actions.

In accordance with the principles described by S. L. Rubinstein, by making changes in the world around him, a person changes himself. Thus, a person changes himself by carrying out creative activity.

B. G. Ananyev believes that creativity is a process of objectification of a person’s inner world. Creative expression is an expression of the integral work of all forms of human life, a manifestation of his individuality.

In the most acute form, the connection between the personal and the creative is revealed by N. A. Berdyaev. He writes:

Personality is not a substance, but a creative act.

Motivation for creativity

V. N. Druzhinin writes:

The basis of creativity is the global irrational alienation of man from the world; it is directed by a tendency to overcome and functions as a “positive feedback”; a creative product only spurs the process, turning it into a pursuit of the horizon.

Thus, through creativity, a person’s connection with the world is realized. Creativity stimulates itself.

Mental health, freedom and creativity

The representative of the psychoanalytic school, D. W. Winnicott, puts forward the following assumption:

In play, and perhaps only in play, a child or adult has freedom of creativity.

Creativity is about play. Play is a mechanism that allows a person to be creative. Through creative activity, a person strives to find his self (himself, the core of personality, the deepest essence). According to D. W. Winnicott, creative activity is what ensures a healthy state of a person. Confirmation of the connection between play and creativity can also be found in C. G. Jung. He writes:

The creation of something new is not a matter of activity, but of the desire to play, acting out of internal compulsion. The creative spirit plays with the objects it loves.

R. May (a representative of the existential-humanistic movement) emphasizes that in the process of creativity a person meets the world. He writes:

...What manifests itself as creativity is always a process... in which the relationship between the individual and the world takes place...

N. A. Berdyaev adheres to the following point:

The creative act is always liberation and overcoming. There is an experience of power in it.

Thus, creativity is something in which a person can exercise his freedom, connection with the world, connection with his deepest essence.

Creativity has long been considered a special gift, and there were only two areas in which this gift could be realized: scientific and technical creativity and artistic creativity. Well, sometimes design activities were also added. But now it has been proven that creativity can manifest itself in any area of ​​our lives in special creative activities.

There are many that differ both in character and in their product. But creativity cannot be called one of these types; rather, it can be considered as a level or stage of development of any sphere of human activity.

Reproductive activity

The first or lowest level is considered to be the reproductive or reproduction level. It is associated with the processes of mastering activity skills and learning. But for many people, their activities, including professional ones, remain at this level. Not because they study all their lives, but because reproductive activity is simpler and does not require much mental effort.

This level involves repeating techniques and actions developed by other people, creating a product based on a model. Let's say, a person who knits a sweater according to a pattern is engaged in reproductive activities, a teacher who uses the proposed methodological manuals teaching techniques is also at this level, as is the housewife who prepares salads according to recipes found on the Internet.

And this is normal, for this purpose society accumulates and carefully preserves experience so that people can use it. Most people spend the bulk of their time engaged in reproductive activity, mastering social experience and using ready-made knowledge. True, reproductive activity in its pure form occurs mainly in the learning process. People tend to strive for something new and very often they introduce something of their own, original into other people’s schemes, developments, recipes, that is, they introduce creative elements into reproductive activity, thereby increasing social experience.

Creativity level

Unlike the reproductive level, the creative level involves the creation of a new product, new knowledge, and new ways of activity. It is this kind of activity that is the basis for the development of human civilization.

The creative level is theoretically accessible to every person with normal mental development, since everyone has creative potential. In fact, not everyone develops it, and the creativity inherent in children is not preserved in all adults either. The reasons for this are very different, including the peculiarities of upbringing and the limitations of a society that does not need too many active creatives.

Creative activity even with high potential, it is impossible without reproductive support. Before writing a symphony, the composer must master musical notation and master the game musical instrument. Before writing a book, a writer must at least learn the letters, spelling and style rules. All this is done on the basis of assimilating ready-made experience, the knowledge that has been accumulated by other people.

Product of creative activity

The result, the result of any activity, is some kind of product. This distinguishes it from the simple biological activity of animals. Even if we're talking about about mental activity, then it also creates a product - thoughts, ideas, decisions, etc. True, there is a type of activity in which the process is more important. This is a game, but the game ultimately leads to a certain result.

It is the product that reflects the originality of the activity; in creativity it is characterized by novelty. But the concept of the new is relative, a person is not able to come up with anything absolutely new, because in his thinking he operates only with the knowledge and images he has.

An indicative case occurred with Leonardo da Vinci, to whom a familiar innkeeper ordered an image of an unprecedented monster for a sign. Famous artist, realizing that he would not be able to draw anything unprecedented, he began to meticulously sketch individual details of animals and insects: paws, mandibles, antennae, eyes, etc. And then from these details he constructed such a creepy but realistic creature that, after seeing a large drawing on round shield, the innkeeper ran away in horror. Actually, master Leonardo demonstrated the very essence of creative activity - combinatorics.

On the other hand, there is objectively new and subjectively new:

• In the first case, in the process of creative activity a product is created that has never existed before: new law, mechanism, painting, recipe, teaching method, etc.
• In the second case, novelty is associated with a person’s individual experience, with his personal discovery of something.

For example, if a three-year-old child built a high tower out of cubes for the first time, then this is also a creative activity, because the child created something new. This novelty may be subjective, but it is also significant and important.

Creativity as a process

Creative activity is sometimes called combinatorial, but the uniqueness of its process is not limited to this.

The study of creativity began long before our era, and many ancient philosophers paid attention to this amazing activity, which reflects the very essence of human existence. But creativity began to be studied most actively from the beginning of the 20th century, and currently there are many theories and scientific directions in the study of this subject. It is studied by world-famous psychologists, sociologists, specialists in the field of cultural studies and even physiologists. Summarizing the research results, we can highlight several specific features creative process.

• This is a creative process, that is, its result is always not just a new product, but a product that is significant for society. True, there is also some contradiction here, which is the subject of dispute among specialists in the field of creativity psychology. If a person designed new look deadly weapons, then this is also creativity. However, it cannot be called creative.
• The basis of the creative process is special, which is characterized by non-standardity, spontaneity and originality.
• Creative activity is associated with the subconscious, and inspiration plays a large role in it - a special altered state of consciousness, which is characterized by increased mental and physical activity.
• Creative activity has a clearly defined subjective side. It brings a sense of satisfaction to the creator. Moreover, pleasure comes not only from the result, but also from the process itself, and experiencing a state of inspiration is sometimes akin to the effects of a drug. This perception of creativity, the feeling of euphoria that the creator experiences, is the reason that a person often creates, creates unique things, not because he needs it, but because he likes it. An author can write “on the table” for years, an artist can give away his paintings to friends without thinking about exhibitions, and a talented designer can store his inventions in a barn.

However, creativity is still a social activity; it requires an assessment of society and is focused on the usefulness and necessity of the created product. Therefore, social approval is a very important and strong incentive that activates creativity and promotes creativity. Parents must remember this and actively encourage and praise their children for any manifestation of creativity.

Types of creative activity

It’s not for nothing that creativity is called a spiritual-practical activity. It combines two types of activity or two spheres in which the creative process takes place: internal, spiritual, occurring at the level of consciousness, and external practical, associated with the embodiment of ideas and plans. Moreover, the main, leading type of creative activity is internal - the birth of a new idea or image. Even if they are never translated into reality, the act of creativity will still remain.

Spiritual creative activity

This type of activity is both the most important and the most interesting, but difficult to study. Not only because it happens at the level of consciousness, but mainly because even the creator himself is poorly aware of how the creative process occurs in his brain, and often does not control it.

This unconsciousness of creative processes creates a subjective feeling of a message from the outside or a plan given from above. There are many statements by creative personalities that confirm this. For example, V. Hugo said: “God dictated, and I wrote.” And Michelangelo believed: “If my heavy hammer gives solid rocks one look or another, then it is not a hand that moves it: it acts under the pressure of an outside force.” Philosopher XIX century, V. Schelling wrote that the artist “is affected by a force that draws a line between him and other people, prompting him to depict and express things that are not completely open to his gaze and have an inscrutable depth.”

The feeling of otherworldliness of the creative act is largely due to the enormous role of the subconscious in creative activity. At this level of the psyche, a huge amount of figurative information is stored and processed, but this is done without our knowledge and control. Under the influence of increased brain activity during the creative process, the subconscious often brings ready-made solutions, ideas, and plans to the surface of consciousness.

Spiritual creative activity, if considered as a process, has three stages.

Stage of initial accumulation of information

As already mentioned, the basis of creative activity is the transformation of ideas, images, theoretical and practical knowledge existing in memory. Information is not only building material for creativity, it is comprehended, analyzed and gives rise to associations with the knowledge that is stored in memory. Without associative thinking, creativity is impossible, since it connects different areas of the brain and blocks of information to work on a problem.

Already at this level the ability of a creative person to notice details, to see unusual phenomena, the ability to look at an object from an unexpected angle. At the stage of initial accumulation of information, a premonition of a plan is born, a vague expectation of discovery.

The stage of forming a plan or developing an idea

This stage can occur in two forms:

• in the form of a scrupulous analysis of the idea that has arisen, its planning and elaboration of different options and solutions;
• in a heuristic form, when the accumulation of information and reflection on its possible use suddenly gives birth to an idea as bright as a fireworks flash.

Often the impetus for the birth of a plan can be some insignificant event, chance meeting, a phrase heard or an object seen. As happened, for example, with the artist V. Surikov, who found the color and compositional solution for the painting “Boyaryna Morozova” after seeing a crow sitting in the snow.

Development of the plan

This stage is no longer spontaneous, it is distinguished by a high level of awareness. It is where the idea is conceptualized and concretized. The scientific theory is “overgrown” with rigorous evidence, diagrams and drawings are created to implement the design concept, the artist selects the material and execution technique, and the writer works out the plan and composition of the novel, creates psychological portraits of the characters and determines the plot twists.

Actually, this is the last stage of creativity, which occurs at the level of consciousness. And the next stage is practical activity.

Practical creative activity

The separation of these two types is conditional, since even at the practical stage the main creative work performed by the brain. But there are still some features inherent specifically in practical creative activity.

This type of creativity is associated with special abilities, that is, with abilities for specific activities. A person can create a brilliant idea for a painting, but it can only be translated into reality, brought out from the level of consciousness, only by having visual arts. And not only in the form of potential.

That is why it is so important for creative activity to master professional skills and mastery in a specific field. The lack of professionalism is clearly visible in children's creativity. It is, of course, bright, fresh, original, but in order for the child’s potential to be revealed, he needs to be taught how to use a pencil and brush, various techniques and techniques of fine or literary creativity. Without this, the child will quickly become disillusioned with creativity, because he will not be able to achieve the desired result.

On the other hand, practical creative activity is also controlled by the conscious and subconscious. And the most culminating period of the creative act is inspiration. This state occurs when both types of creative activity interact.

Inspiration is perhaps the most amazing thing in creative activity. Even the ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote about the special state of the creator, which he called ex stasis - outside himself, going beyond the limits of consciousness. But it is no coincidence that the word “ecstasy” - the highest pleasure - comes from the same term. A person in a state of inspiration really feels a surge of mental and physical energy and enjoyment of the process.

From a psychological point of view, inspiration is accompanied by an altered state of consciousness, when a person creates without noticing time, hunger, fatigue, sometimes bringing himself to physical exhaustion. Creative individuals It is common to treat inspiration with great reverence, which is not surprising. Under its influence, productivity increases significantly. In addition, the euphoria that often accompanies inspiration causes a desire to experience this state again and again.

Nevertheless, there is nothing supernatural, otherworldly or mystical in inspiration. Its physiological basis is a strong focus of excitation in the cerebral cortex, which arises under the influence of active work on an idea, a plan, one might say, obsession with them. This focus of excitation provides both high performance, activation of the subconscious level, and partial suppression of rational control. That is, inspiration is the result of persistent mental work, so it is useless to lie on the couch and wait for it to descend before you can start creating.

Creative activity, although it presupposes the presence of special abilities, is accessible to everyone, because there are no incapable people. You don't have to be an artist, poet or scientist to be creative. In any field, you can create something new, discover new patterns or methods of activity. Find what you like, what you have an inclination for, and be creative, enjoying both the result and the process itself.

It is almost impossible to imagine a person’s life without creativity. Even in the Stone Age, people were drawn to everything beautiful and created objects that became an integral part of culture. Humanity has come a long way - from rock paintings before the development of high technologies. Creative activity is not just new discoveries and the creation of unique values. This is something without which it is impossible to imagine planet Earth.

What is creative activity?

This term refers to the creation by man of a new, previously non-existent product. Such activities include not only music, painting or poetry, but also a huge variety of other areas. Every person is capable of engaging in creative activities, regardless of their professional skills. This may be passive participation in research or scientific experiments. Anyone who empathizes or expresses other emotions can confidently say that they are engaged in creative activity. This fact does not only apply to humans - even animals are able to demonstrate their talents through unique opportunities.

Types of creative activity

Despite all the negative factors in human life, geniuses were born and created their imperishable creations. Even in prison and poverty, people could not live without bringing something new into this world. Every person is born a creator and has the makings of genius. Further development of talents depends only on the individual himself.

This creative activity has always occupied a special place in the life of mankind. Artists' works are considered cultural heritage and are subject to careful analysis. They are stored in rooms with a certain temperature and often in special frames that prevent the destruction of the canvas. The greatest creators have left an indelible mark on art. The smile of the “Mona Lisa” has haunted all connoisseurs of Leonardo da Vinci’s work for 5 centuries. Perhaps the most famous painting in the world causes a lot of talk and gossip. Someone compares mysterious woman with a predator before the jump. To some, she seems to be the ideal of beauty. And there are those who do not see anything unusual in her and do not understand the hype around this portrait.

Thanks to the artists modern people can imagine how people lived and looked several centuries and even millennia ago. The most significant paintings are not put up for sale, but even less outstanding works famous authors sometimes cost a fortune. Connoisseurs are willing to pay a lot of money for the right to own a work of art. The same “Mona Lisa” is estimated at a billion dollars, but you will never be able to see it at auction. Da Vinci wasn't the only one who created masterpieces. Paintings by Monet, Rembrandt, Titian, Goya, Salvador Dali. Renoir, Van Gogh are part of the world cultural heritage and are never offered for sale.

Music

This is the biggest source of inspiration and an integral part of any person's life. Marriages are celebrated to the music and people are escorted to last path, it is impossible to imagine a holiday or a romantic evening without it. The sight of this creative activity can evoke a variety of emotions - from hatred to love. It is not for nothing that composers wrote music for the marches to which soldiers went to war. It evoked not only patriotic feelings, but also gave confidence in victory. IN modern world More and more often, music is heard in operating rooms and helps surgeons during complex operations. In feature films, compositions can set the viewer in the right mood and even warn about what will happen in the next scene.

Just like artists, composers and musicians convey mood through their creativity. The listener can easily imagine the situation that became the source of inspiration for the author. Lyrics can most strongly influence human emotions. Melodies of the dramatic and epic kind have their own properties, but the strings in the soul are touched by sensual leitmotifs. It is worth noting that music can influence not only humans. Some animals perceive melodies and even react to them on a physical level.

Literature

Humanity treats this creative activity with special trepidation. Reading has always been one of the most the best ways spend your free time usefully. It develops imagination and makes you experience a variety of emotions. Writers and poets are able to draw people with their talent into an unprecedented world of adventure, love or detective puzzles. The creators of human souls, teachers and pedagogues, instill a love of reading from childhood, because literature can change any person. The love of poetry is instilled in order to make little man a sensual and spiritually developed member of society. Many novels, detective stories and others literary works can give the reader the necessary life experience.

Cinema

Cinematography has recently become an integral part of life. The desire to show people what they read in books led to the development of creative activity in the field visual arts. IN at the moment feature films and animation rank first among popular entertainment in the world. For over a hundred years, people have been going to cinemas to experience another world and experience unforgettable moments. Thanks to this type of creative activity, humanity can easily travel back in time or look into the future, as well as learn about the details of important historical events. Cinema can develop human feelings such as intuition, compassion, love, hatred and many others.

Arts and crafts

An equally important part of creative activity includes a huge variety of components: sewing, embroidery, knitting, weaving, burning, carving, mosaic, stained glass, decoupage, modeling, sculpture, weaving, painting. A person encounters this type of art every moment. Whole life is filled with patterns on finishing materials, dishes, clothes, and household items. Special attention It is worth paying attention to such a form as sculpture. Monuments that symbolize important events for the country and the world, as well as significant people in history, have always occupied an important place in the life of society. Just a few centuries ago sculpture was the most popular view art, she was admired by everyone - from the common people to the kings. There are different priorities now, but it still has its weight in the culture.

Why is it important to engage in creative activities?

In all centuries, art has played a big role in human life. The craving for everything beautiful has led to the fact that the development of creative activity in children has become widespread. There are a large number of interest groups and various sections in any country. The child has the opportunity to choose what he wants to do in his free time. The choice is truly enormous, and this has significantly influenced the development of many industries over the past few decades. Already from childhood, a child must learn and develop in several directions, in addition to the school curriculum. This will help them achieve success in the future, because such people will be able to express their individuality.

Children and art

Children's creative activities help to reveal all aspects of a child's personality. You shouldn’t have high hopes for your baby and expect masterpieces from him - for an adult, these creations may not have any value. But it is by the works of children that one can easily identify them state of mind and help with choosing a profession in later life. You should not set any tasks for your child in the process of creative activity. Only fantasy and imagination should accompany them on the path to art. For children, the end result is not important - they are interested in the process itself. As in any other aspect of life, you need to praise your child for any achievements and results. This inspires and gives strength for new achievements.

More than a hobby

Organizing creative activities is important for every parent. Even at home, you can always find an interesting activity for your baby. Any game can develop imagination and easily reveal a child’s talents. Drawing can already determine in the first years after birth whether your child has a talent for this type of art. Educational games can answer the question of in which area a child will be most successful.

Educational institutions

Great responsibility falls on the shoulders of educators and teachers. It depends on them how much the child will be developed and able to understand the world around him. Majority educational institutions have interest groups, and school curriculum There are music classes. In addition, festive events are held where children can fully reveal their talent in plays, skits and musical performances. Chemistry and physics lessons include practical exercises and experiences, and this is also an integral part of creative activity. Russian language and literature develop imagination through presentations and essays on given topics. It has long been proven that absolutely any child has the ability for creative activity, and the task of teachers is to see them and help develop them. Do not forget that activities chosen and imposed by parents can harm and alienate children from art.

The importance of creative activity in the modern world

The beginning of the new century changed the idea of ​​culture. Looking at modern creative people, the common man has ambivalent assessments of their activities. The idea has become firmly established in our minds that these are slackers who simply do not want to physically work and therefore become writers, actors, musicians and fashion designers. But at the same time, these people happily consume the product of their creativity: films, songs, clothes and much more. The 20th century was oversaturated with wars, and the worldview of mankind changed. However, even in the most difficult times, it was art that allowed people to cope with sorrows and troubles.

In the new millennium, human creative activity has become a necessity. Everyone now has the opportunity to do what they love and get a calling in their chosen profession. Without creativity, people would still be living in the Stone Age. Only interest and curiosity made man a rational being. All inventions and discoveries were part of the creative process. In order not to stop there and continue to improve the quality of life, you need to constantly move forward and give free rein to your imagination and imagination. After all, what was described fifty years ago in fantasy novels and was considered incredible inventions, is now accessible to anyone!