Share:


Meditate to create: mindfulness and creativity in an arts and design learning context

    Danah Henriksen   Affiliation
    ; William Heywood   Affiliation
    ; Natalie Gruber   Affiliation

Abstract

Given the applied nature of creativity in the arts and design, it is important to understand the conditions and practices that support it. Most research suggests that ideal conditions for creativity are often mental and emotional – involving relaxed, yet alert and focused, states of mind. This article explores the connection between mindfulness and creativity in the experiences of students in a college of arts and design, through a mindfulness teaching practice to support creative processes. In a “scholarship of teaching and learning” inquiry, we consider how mindfulness practice may affect arts and design learners’ feelings about their own creativity. Students in a large United States university school of arts and design practiced mindfulness meditation for several months, and submitted a written reflection on their experience. We qualitatively analyze this to consider how mindfulness supports creative practices in arts and design learners’ education. Our findings involve three key themes, which are: “Processing anxiety and negative feelings”, “Focusing the mind”, and “Managing the ‘Voice of Judgment’”. These thematic findings reflect how arts and design students perceive the effects of mindfulness on their creative process. We offer implications for teaching practices related to mindfulness meditation practice aimed to support learners’ perceptions of their creativity.

Keyword : arts and design, college students, creativity, meditation, mindfulness

How to Cite
Henriksen, D., Heywood, W., & Gruber, N. (2022). Meditate to create: mindfulness and creativity in an arts and design learning context. Creativity Studies, 15(1), 147–168. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2022.13206
Published in Issue
Feb 23, 2022
Abstract Views
2281
PDF Downloads
1921
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Baas, M., Nevicka, B., & Ten Velden, F. S. (2014). Specific mindfulness skills differentially predict creative performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(9), 1092–1106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214535813

Bazeley, P. (2013). Qualitative data analysis: Practical strategies. SAGE Publications, Ltd.

Beghetto, R. A. (2007). Does creativity have a place in classroom discussions? Prospective teachers’ response preferences. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 2(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2006.09.002

Bennett, K., & Dorjee, D. (2016). The impact of a mindfulness-based stress reduction course (MBSR) on well-being and academic attainment of sixth-form students. Mindfulness, 7(1), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0430-7

Berkovich-Ohana, A., Glicksohn, J., Ben-Soussan, T. D., & Goldstein, A. (2017). Creativity is enhanced by long-term mindfulness training and is negatively correlated with trait default-mode-related low-gamma inter-hemispheric connectivity. Mindfulness, 8, 717–727. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0649-y

Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Jossey-Bass.

Byrne, E. K., & Thatchenkery, T. (2019). Cultivating creative workplaces through mindfulness. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 32(1), 15–31. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-10-2017-0387

Capurso, V., Fabbro, F., & Crescentini, C. (2014). Mindful creativity: The influence of mindfulness meditation on creative thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.01020

Chiesa, A., Calati, R., & Serretti, A. (2011). Does mindfulness training improve cognitive abilities? A systematic review of neuropsychological findings. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(3), 449–464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.11.003

Claxton, G. (2000). Hare brain, tortoise mind: How intelligence increases when you think less. Harper-Collins Publishers, Inc.

Colzato, L. S., Ozturk, A., & Hommel, B. (2012). Meditate to create: The impact of focused-attention and open-monitoring training on convergent and divergent thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00116

Cooper, S. E. (2019). Introduction to the special issue on coaching elite performers. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 71(2), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000140

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, Ch. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Cropley, A. (2006). In praise of convergent thinking. Creativity Research Journal, 18(3), 391–404. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1803_13

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: The psychology of discovery and invention. Harper Perennial/Modern Classics.

Dannels, D. P., & Norris Martin, K. (2008). Critiquing critiques: A genre analysis of feedback across novice to expert design studios. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 22(2), 135–159. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651907311923

Dreu, de C. K. W., Nijstad, B. A., Baas, M., Wolsink, I., & Roskes, M. (2012). Working memory benefits creative insight, musical improvisation, and original ideation through maintained task-focused attention. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(5), 656–669. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211435795

Elliot, A. J., & Church, M. A. (1997). A hierarchical model of approach and avoidance achievement motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(1), 218–232. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.72.1.218

Fisher, R. (2006). Still thinking: The case for meditation with children. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 1(2), 146–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2006.06.004

Forgeard, M. J. C. (2013). Perceiving benefits after adversity: The relationship between self-reported posttraumatic growth and creativity. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 7(3), 245–264. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031223

Futterman Collier, A., & Wayment, H. A. (2021). Enhancing and explaining art-making for mood-repair: The benefits of positive growth-oriented instructions and quiet ego contemplation. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 15(2), 363–376. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000286

Gladwell, M. (2005). Blink: The power of thinking without thinking. Little, Brown and Company.

Glück, J., Ernst, R., & Unger, F. (2002). How creatives define creativity: Definitions reflect different types of creativity. Communication Research Journal, 14(1), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326934CRJ1401_5

Goff, K., & Torrance, E. P. (1991). Healing qualities of imagery and creativity. Journal of Creative Behavior, 25(4), 296–303. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1991.tb01141.x

Goldin, P. R., & Gross, J. J. (2010). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Emotion, 10(1), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018441

Greater Good Science Center. (2020). What is mindfulness? Greater Good Magazine. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition

Greenberg, J., Reiner, K., & Meiran, N. (2012). “Mind the Trap”: Mindfulness practice reduces cognitive rigidity. PloS One, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036206

Harris, A., & Carter, M. R. (2021). Applied creativity and the arts. Curriculum Perspectives, 41, 107–112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-020-00127-z

Haydon, K. P. (2014). Help your students be more creative: Taming the voice of judgment. The Creativity Post. https://www.creativitypost.com/article/tame_the_voice_of_judgment_with_yes_and_._

Helmer, K. (2014). Disruptive practices: Enacting critical pedagogy through meditation, community building, and explorative spaces in a graduate course for pre-service teachers. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 49(2), 33–40.

Henriksen, D., Richardson, C., & Shack, K. (2020). Mindfulness and creativity: Implications for thinking and learning. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100689

Jedrczak, A., Beresford, M., & Clements, G. (1985). The TM-Sidhi program, pure consciousness, creativity and intelligence. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 19(4), 270–275. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1985.tb00409.x

Joss, D., Lazar, S. W., & Teicher, M. H. (2020). Nonattachment predicts empathy, rejection sensitivity, and symptom reduction after a mindfulness-based intervention among young adults with a history of childhood maltreatment. Mindfulness, 11(4), 975–990. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01322-9

Justo, C. F., Mańas Mańas, I., & Ayala, E. S. (2014). Improving the graphic creativity levels of Latin American high school students currently living in Spain by means of a mindfulness program. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 132, 229–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.04.303

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Delacorte Press.

Khoury, B., Sharma, M., Rush, S. E., & Fournier, C. (2015). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 78(6), 519–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.03.009

Kinsella, E. A., Smith, K., Bhanji, S., Shepley, R., Modor, A., & Bertrim, A. (2020). Mindfulness in allied health and social care professional education: A scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42(2), 283–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1496150

Kogan, N. (2002). Careers in the performing arts: A psychological perspective. Creativity Research Journal, 14(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326934CRJ1401_1

Kropp, A., & Sedlmeier, P. (2019). What makes mindfulness-based interventions effective? An examination of common components. Mindfulness, 10, 2060–2072. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01167-x

Kuechler, W., & Stedham, Y. (2018). Management education and transformational learning: The integration of mindfulness in an MBA course. Journal of Management Education, 42(1), 8–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562917727797

Larsen Workmon, M. (2018). The failure project: Self-efficacy, mindset, grit and navigating: Perceived failures in design and the arts [PhD/Doctoral Thesis, Arizona State University]. Tempe, Arizona, United States. https://keep.lib.asu.edu/_flysystem/fedora/c7/194849/WorkmonLarsen_asu_0010E_17778.pdf

Lebuda, I., Zabelina, D. L., & Karwowski, M. (2016). Mind full of ideas: A meta-analysis of the mindfulness–creativity link. Personality and Individual Differences, 93, 22–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.09.040

Lippelt, D. P., Hommel, B., & Colzato, L. S. (2014). Focused attention, open monitoring and loving kindness meditation: Effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity – a review. Frontiers in Psychology, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01083

Locher, P., Martindale, C., & Dorfman, L. (2019). Foundations and frontiers in aesthetics. New directions in aesthetics, creativity and the arts. C. Martindale & A. Berleant (Eds.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315224084

Martindale, C., Locher, P., & Petrov, V. M. (2018). Foundations and frontiers in aesthetics. Evolutionary and neurocognitive approaches to aesthetics, creativity and the arts. C. Martindale & A. Berleant (Eds.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315224657

McKay, M., Wood, J. C., & Brantley, J. (2007). A new Harbinger self-help workbook. The dialectical behavior therapy skills workbook: Practical DBT exercises for learning mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance. New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldańa, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Moore, A., & Malinowski, P. (2009). Meditation, mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. Consciousness and Cognition, 18(1), 176–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2008.12.008

Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412995658

Nelson, H. G., & Stolterman, E. (2000). The case for design: Creating a culture of intention. Educational Technology, 40(6), 29–35. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412995658

O’Donnell, A. (2015). Contemplative pedagogy and mindfulness: Developing creative attention in an age of distraction. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 49(2), 187–202. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12136

Prabhu, V., Sutton, Ch., & Sauser, W. (2008). Creativity and certain personality traits: Understanding the mediating effect of intrinsic motivation. Creativity Research Journal, 20(1), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400410701841955

Ray, M. L. (1987). Strategies for stimulating personal creativity. Human Resource Planning, 10(4), 185–193.

Ries Merikangas, K., He, J., Burstein, M. E., Swendsen, J., Avenevoli, Sh., Case, B., Georgiades, K., Heaton, L., Swanson, S., & Olfson, M. (2011). Service utilization for lifetime mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: Results of the National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(1), 32–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2010.10.006

Rostan, S. M. (1998). A study of the development of young artists: The emergence of on artistic and creative identity. Journal of Creative Behavior, 32(4), 278–301. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1998.tb00822.x

Runco, M. A., & Jaeger, G. J. (2012). The standard definition of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 24(1), 92–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2012.650092

Schön, D. A. (1995). Knowing-in-Action: The new scholarship requires a new epistemology. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 27(6), 27–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.1995.10544673

Schwind, J. K., McCay, E., Beanlands, H., Schindel Martin, L., Martin, J., & Binder, M. (2017). Mindfulness practice as a teaching-learning strategy in Higher Education: A qualitative exploratory pilot study. Nurse Education Today, 50, 92–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.12.017

Sedlmeier, P., Eberth, J., Schwarz, M., Zimmermann, D., Haarig, F., Jaeger, S., & Kunze, S. (2012). The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 138(6), 1139–1171. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028168

Shapiro, D. H. (1992). A preliminary study of long-term meditators: Goals, effects, religious orientation, cognitions. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 24(1), 23–39.

Shapiro, Sh. L., Carlson, L. E., Astin, J. A., & Freedman, B. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(3), 373–386. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20237

Sharma, Y. (2014). The effects of strategy and mathematics anxiety on mathematical creativity of school students. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 9(1), 25–37. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/279

Shenton, A. K. (2004). Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects. Education for Information, 22(2), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-2004-22201

Smith, B. P. (2005). Goal orientation, implicit theory of ability, and collegiate instrumental music practice. Psychology of Music, 33(1), 36–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735605048013

Wielgosz, J., Goldberg, S. B., Kral, T. R. A., Dunne, J. D., & Davidson, R. J. (2019). Mindfulness meditation and psychopathology. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 15, 285–316. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093423

Yeh, Y., Chang, H.-L., & Chen, S.-Y. (2019). Mindful learning: A mediator of mastery experience during digital creativity game-based learning among elementary school students. Computers and Education, 132, 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.01.001

Yin, R. K. (2013). Validity and generalization in future case study evaluations. Evaluation, 19(3), 321–332. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356389013497081

Zhang, W., Sjoerds, Z., & Hommel, B. (2020). Metacontrol of human creativity: The neurocognitive mechanisms of convergent and divergent thinking. NeuroImage, 210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116572