The creative process involves 14 components, which both work together and build on each other.
Computational scientist Anna Jordanous of Kent University in England and linguist Bill Keller of Sussex University analyzed 90 creativity-related papers over nearly six decades, searching for recurring terms used to describe creative processes across different fields. They landed on 14 of them:
1. Active involvement and persistence
2. Dealing with uncertainty
3. Domain competence
4. General intellect
5. Generating results
6. Independence and freedom
7. Innovation and emotional involvement
8. Originality
9. Progression and development
10. Social interaction and communication
11. Spontaneity and subconscious process
12. Thinking and evaluation
13. Value
14. Variety, divergence, and experimentation
These components don’t equal a definition of creativity, so much as elements of the process. The 14 building blocks can be assembled in different combinations or proportions depending on the demands of a creative activity.
“Some of the blocks are important whatever domain you work in,” Keller wrote. “Others have more or less importance depending on the domain. And undoubtedly, some of those building blocks can be cultivated and developed with exercise and practice.”
For example, the “persistence” component suggests that creativity involves “more than just sparks of genius;” it calls for effort and engagement as well. “Sometimes it takes persistence to be original,” Jordanous.