Tuesday 23 June 2009

Ah Ha


One of my favourite writers on creativity, Arthur Koestler, has a unique way of describing three kinds of creativity:

ARTISTIC: Ahhhhhhhh!
SCIENTIFIC: Ah-Ha!
COMIC: Ha-Ha!

In The Act of Creation, Arthur Koestler lists three types of creative individual - the Artist, the Sage and the Jester - which are you?

Artist

The Artist looks for beauty, elegance of form and solution. It is probably the role closest to the common perception of creativity. For the Artist things have to fit and feel right - this role is about synthesis, poetry and intuition. When the Artist knows something is right this is the "Aahh" moment.
Sage

The Sage is the problem solver, using tools of analysis to dissect the challenge into its component parts and see how they work. This is a role for the intellect fired by flashes of inspiration - the scientist, inventor and crossword puzzle solver. When the Sage discovers something this is the "Ah ha!" moment.
Jester

The Jester is an often undervalued role, especially in business. The Jester pokes fun at things and plays with them, taking them to pieces and rearranging them in unusual ways. The Jester often produces ludicrous results - the "Ha ha" moment - but very often this is what is needed to break out of a conceptual rut. Like the court Jester of old, the creative Jester can think the unthinkable - and say it.

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