There is No Creativity Without Uncertainty: Dubito Ergo Creo

This article is an edited version of a Keynote Address provided for the 2021 Creativity Conference hosted by Southern Oregon University. The talk opens with the following question: “What role does our experience with uncertainty play in our creative thoughts and actions?” The remainder of the talk is focused on addressing this question, starting with the assertion that there is no creativity without uncertainty and several other operating assumptions aimed at establishing a basis for this assertion. Next a model of creativity under uncertainty is introduced. The model outlines how encounters with uncertainty in a particular socio-cultural and historical moment can be experienced as epistemologically and ontologically destabilizing, and thereby, result in a state of genuine doubt. This state of doubt, when perceived as actionable, can open-up a horizon of new possibilities for creative activity. The model further outlines how taking creative action in the face of uncertainty can (temporarily) resolve our state of doubt and re-stabilize our experiences. Implications for inviting uncertainty into educational learning environments are also discussed.

Creative learning in digital and virtual environments during COVID-19 and beyond

The importance of digital and virtual environments for both creativity and learning has been recognised for a number of years. From a luxury reserved for the very few or the distant future, digital and virtual environments in education became a necessity and an everyday reality for millions of people around the world. The previous chapters focused on different aspects of creativity and learning, and several of them referred to how these phenomena are mediated by the use of various technologies. This chapter engages in a conversation specifically about digital and virtual environments and use some of the findings reported in this book, results from their previous research, as well as their general expertise, to shed a new light on this complex topic. The conversation format, adds a dialogical and emerging element to what is nowadays a highly debated topic. It offers an overview of the main topics covered in this book and adds to them, conceptually and practically. The focus is twofold: on the one hand, on theoretical notions that help us understand the current situation and, on the other, on practical advice that can guide those interested in technology-enhanced learning and creativity, now and in the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

How Times of Crisis Serve as a Catalyst for Creative Action: An Agentic Perspective.

The human experience is punctuated by times of crisis. Some crises are experienced at a personal level (e.g., the diagnosis of a life-threatening disease), organizational level (e.g., a business facing bankruptcy), and still others are experienced on a societal or global level (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic). Although crises can be deeply troubling and anxiety provoking, they can also serve as an important catalyst for creative action and innovative outcomes. This is because during times of crisis our typical forms of reasoning and action may no longer serve us. It is precisely during such times that new ways of thought, action and leadership are needed. A key question for researchers to consider is: Why and how times of crisis serve as an impetus for creative actions and outcomes? The purpose of this paper is to address this question. I open by briefly discussing the features of a crisis. I then introduce an empirically testable, process model that outlines various pathways, factors, and outcomes associated with different ways people and organizations respond during times of crisis. I close by briefly outlining future directions for creativity theory and research.