Creativity and eureka experience

In my hours of inspiration I am stronger than that hill, that person, that tree. In ecstasy they are stronger than me. When inspired I radiate out onto them and flatten them; in ecstasy they radiate onto me and I become one with them. The poet is a person who takes in passively for a long time, then gives out suddenly.

Gerald Brenan

Very often, scientists talk about the ‘eureka experience’, the sight that comes suddenly from discovering what data from experiments and research mean. Like the scientist, budding writers should get ready for the eureka experience by getting interested in whatever the subjects they choose. They should dig deep into the subject and keep on writing until they get the real break.

Writers have many ways to get ready for the eureka experience. As pinpointed in a previous column, they can keep a journal. Brainstorming with others or by themselves is another way to get the eureka experience. Most writers prepare a list of ideas as they occur to them.

Then they try free writing for a while until they are ready to start on serious subjects. Beginners who take to writing should read randomly and then purposefully.

What scientists call eureka experience comes close to inspiration for they appear to be accompanied by a kind of ecstasy. Eureka experience or inspiration is a prelude to creativity. However, real creativity can only emerge once we have mastered the medium or domain in which we work. For a poet or novelist, creativity is essential for his work.

Masterpiece

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced Chick - sent - me - hi) is a psychologist who turned his mind to creativity before writing his masterpiece titled Flow. He tried to understand why some people were creative while others did not display any sparks of creativity. Of course, Mihaly was not interested in what he called ‘small c’ creativity that helped people to make a cake or choose a curtain. He was more concerned with creativity that changed the whole domain of human endeavour. For instance, a novel such as Anna Karenina can only be written by a truly creative person. Mihaly wanted to know how they did such wonderful creations.

Mihaly was no armchair psychologist. He interviewed more than 100 eminent people including philosopher Mortimer J. Adler, physicist John Bardeen, economist Kenneth Boulding and biologist Barry Commoner. After studying their contributions to their domains, Mihaly came to the conclusion that creativity results from a complex interaction between a person and his environment or culture. Creativity, he found, also depended on timing.

According to Mihaly, even the gifted few did not get the eureka experience suddenly as if a bolt of lightning struck them. For creativity to thrive, there should be a technological or cultural background. In other words, we should develop the domain to facilitate the birth of creative people. For instance, when the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo was born, the culture of artistic patronage was in place. Similarly, Albert Einstein and Thomas Alva Edison were links in a chain. They would not have invented the Theory of Relativity or electricity if the domain had not been developed at the time.

Recognition

Any creation, whether it is a novel or a new machine, has to be recognised by the people. When there is no receptive audience, the creation vanishes. On the other hand, the eureka experience will not come out of the blue because creativity is the result of many years of hard work and commitment. Thus recognition as a writer or scientist will not depend on luck or stars. Luck comes after long years of hard work in the domain you work.

Most local writers want to be celebrities overnight. When they write a novel or a collection of poetry, they clamour for recognition in the media. Sometimes they spend heavily on book launching ceremonies, thinking that recognition and awards would come their way. Getting cheap publicity is easy. However, a great work has to stand the test of time. William Shakespeare and Leo Tolstoy are two great writers who stood the test of time for recognition.

Any creative person must master their domain. In simple words, anybody who aspires to be a poet should read the poetry written by eminent poets. Similarly, if you have not read the essays of Thomas Hardy or Carlyle, you will never be an essayist. In addition, anybody who wishes to feel the eureka experience should be equipped with sufficient curiosity and drive.