Instructions Answer each separately in a specific manner by making specific connections between this week’s assigned readings/ videos and your reflect

C R E A T I V I ТY

Flow and the Psychology of

Discovery and Invention

Míhaly Csikszentmihalyi

£? , a%

H A R P E R P E R E N N I A L

3 4 2 C r e a t i v i t y

a cell’s behavior, or a way to make better microchips for less money ' an exhilarating experience in its own right, even if no one e’;; knows about it, and no rewards follow. Almost аД of our responden spoke eloquently and spontaneously about the importance of thes' intrinsic rewards. If they did not feel this joy, external rewards woul not have been sufficient to motivate them to extend their efforts int;;

uncharted regions. – But whereas experts in a discipline usually Love what they do, this

emotion is generally not available to students or young practitioners Especially in the sciences, beginners see only the drudgery of the dis­ cipline. Teachers rarely spend time trying to reveal the beauty an , the fun of doing math or science; students learn that these subjects are ruled by grim determinism instead of the freedom and adventu-' that the experts experience. Not surprisingly, it is difficult to motil vate young people to master aspects of the culture that seem cold an* alienating. As a result, knowledge in these areas might become

eroded and creativity increasingly rare. i So one obvious way to enhance creativity is to bring as much ás

possible of the flow experience into the various domains. It is exhila rating to build culture—to be an artist, a scientist, a thinker, or á doer. AU too often, however, the joy of discovery fails to be commu-V nicated to young people, who turn instead to passive entertainment But consuming culture is never as rewarding as producing it. If' were only possible to transmit the excitement of the people we inter viewed to the next generation, there is no doubt that creativi

would blossom.

F O U R T E E N

E n h a n c i n g P e r s o n a l

C r e a t i v i t y

Г he major purpose of this book was to describe how creativity works, how culture evolves as domains are transformed by the çuriosity and dedication of a few individuals. But another goal was to

learn, from the lives of such men and women, how everyone’s life eould be made more creative. How can our days, too, be filled with ¿wonder and excitement? To answer this question I move from objec­ tive description to prescription. I present my own reflections on •what we have learned so far and try to derive from it some practical ¿advice. Just as a physician may look at the physical habits of the most healthy individuals to find in them a prescription that will help

everyone else to be more healthy, so we may extract some useful ¿ideas from the lives of a few creative persons about how to enrich the jives of everyone else. į You probably already have formed some ideas about how to experi­ ence life more creatively. At the very least, you have learned about the

obstacles that creative individuals have to surmount and the strategies

»they use to increase the likelihood that they will accomplish original .¿work. In this chapter I will distill these insights and present them as ¿explicit suggestions for how to apply them to everyday life.

3 4 4 C R E A T I V I T Y

These suggestions hold no promise for great creative achievement;' As is clear by now, to move from personal to cultural Creativity otr needs talent, training, and an enormous dose of good luck. Withou' access to a domain, and without the support of a field, a person has* no chance of recognition. Even though personal creativity may no*' lead to fame and fortune, it can do something that from the individf ual’s point of view is even more important: make day-to-day experi-: enees more vivid, more enjoyable, more rewarding. When we live> creatively, boredom is banished and every moment holds the promise of a fresh discovery. Whether or not these discoveries enrich the/ world beyond our personal lives, living creatively links us with they

process of evolution. Most of the suggestions derived from the study of creative lives can:

be implemented by anybody regardless of age, gender, or social con­ dition. Some of the steps, however, are more appropriate to parents ■ or other adults who want to provide, optimal conditions for develop-į ing the creativity of children. We cannot change conditions in our/ own childhood that would make us more curious and hence enhance; creativity; but we can change conditions for the next generation.1 Instead of pointing out each time which suggestions are for adults, .; and which for children, I trust the reader’s judgment to make the

appropriate distinctions. I am assuming that each person has, potentially, all the psychic ;

energy he or she needs to lead a creative life. However, there are/ four major sets of obstacles that prevent many from expressing this ? potential. Some of us are exhausted by too many demands, and so··; have trouble getting hold of and activating our psychic energy in the first place. Or we get easily distracted and have trouble learn­ ing how to protect and channel whatever energy we have. The: next problem is laziness, or lacking discipline for controlling the flow of energy. And finally, the last obstacle is not knowing what to do with the energy one has. How to avoid these obstacles and liberate the creative energy we all have is what I review in this

chapter.

The Acquisition op Creative Energy

With our present knowledge, even an expert neuroanatomist could not tell Einstein s brain from yours or mine. In terms of the capacity

E n h a n c i n g P e r s o n a l C r e a t i v i t y 3 4 5

pi processing information, all brains are extremely alike. The limits ©n how many bits of information we can process at any given time -e also similar. Nor is the speed of information processing noticeably

Jlifferent from one brain to the next. In principle, because of the similarity in cerebral hardware, most people could share the same

Knowledge and perform mental operations at similar levels. Yet what Enormous differences there are in how people think and what they .think about!

In terms of using mental energy creatively, perhaps the most fun- (damental difference between people consists in how much uncom­ mitted attention they have left over to deal with novelty. In too many ; cases, attention is restricted by external necessity. We cannot expect a /man who works two jobs, or a working woman with children, to /have much mental energy left over to lèàhTâMoTKâiíC leť áloñemñb- ; vate in it. Einstein is supposed to have written his classic papers on '.die kitchen table of his small apartment in Berne, while rocking the 'pram of his baby. But the fact is that there are real limits to how -many things a person can attend to at the same time, and when sun­ yival needs require all of one’s attention, none is left over for being creative.

; But often the obstacles are internal. In a person concerned with protecting his or her self, practically all the attention is invested in ►monitoring threats to the ego. This defensiveness may have very /understandable causes: Children who have been abused or who have

experienced chronic hunger or discrimination are less likely to be .curious and interested in novelty for its own sake, because they need all the psychic energy they have simply to survive. Taken to the

¿extreme, a sense of being too vulnerable results in the form of neuro­ ns known as paranoia, where everything that happens is interpreted jas a threatening conspiracy against the self. A paranoid tendency is

■pne obstacle to the free deployment of mental energy. The person

who suffers from it usually cannot afford to become interested in the ¡world from an objective, impartial viewpoint, and therefore is unable to learn much that is new.

Another limitation on the free use of mental energy is an exces­ sive investment of attention in selfish goals. Of course, we all must ifirst and foremost take care of our own needs. But for some people îthe concept of “need” is inflated to the point that it becomes an (obsession that devours every waking moment. When everything a

3 4 6 C r e a t i v i t y

person sees, thinks, or does must serve self-interest, there is attention left over to learn about anything else.

It is difficult to approach the world creatively when one is hungt v or shivering from cold, because then all of one’s mental energy v:

focused on securing the necessities one lacks. And it is equally diffif cult when a person is rich and famous but devotes all of his or h- energies to getting more money and fame. To free up creative ener we need to let go and divert some attention from the pursuit of th: predictable goals that genes and memes have programmed in ош minds and use it instead to explore the world around us on its own

terms. ■■■'* ■■'4

Curiosity and. Interest So the first step toward a more creative life is the cultivation о curiosity and interest, that is, the allocation of attention to things for their own sake. On this score, children tend to have the advari¿ tage over adults; their curiosity is like a constant beam that high lights and invests with interest anything within range. The obje:; need not be useful, attractive, or precious; as long as it is mysteri ' ous it is worthy of attention. With age most of us lose the sense ò* wonder, the feeling of awe in confronting the majesty and variety, of the world. Yet without awe life becomes routine. Creative indi;' viduals are childlike in that their curiosity remains fresh even ninety years of age; they delight in the strange and the unknownî And because there is no end to the unknown, their delight also ’

endless. / At first, curiosity is diffiise and generic. The child’s attention *

attracted to any novelty—cloud or bug, grandfather’s cough or ' rusted nail. With time, interest usually becomes channeled into

specific domain. A ninety-year-old physicist may retain childho- curiosity in the realm of subatomic particles but is unlikely to haw

enough free attention left over to marvel at much eke. Therefo" creativity within a domain often goes hand in hand with conformi

in the rest of life. Einstein at the peak of his breakthroughs Li physics played traditional music on his violin. But narrowing atten, tion to a single domain does not mean limiting the novelty one ^

able to process; on the contrary, complex domains like poetry, his

tory, physics, or politics reveal constantly expanding perspectives t those who venture to explore them.

E n h a n c i n g P e r s o n a l C r e a t i v i t y 3 4 7

if So how can interest and curiosity be cultivated, assuming that you feel the desire to do so? Some specific advice may help.

.i/V

Ţry to be surprised by something every day. It could be something you .ree, hear, or read about. Stop to look at_the..unusual car parked at the curb, taste the new item on the cafeteria menu, actually listen lo your colleague at the office. How is this different from other .’milar cars, dishes, or conversations? What is its essence? Don’t

‘assume that you already know what these things are all about, or that even if you knew them, they wouldn’t matter anyway. Experi­ ence this one thing for what it is, not what you think it is. Be open ,to what the world is telling you. Life is nothing more than a stream hf experiences—the more widely and deeply you swim in it, the richer your life wifi be.

Try to surprise at least one person every day. Instead of being your pre­ dictable self, say something unexpected, express an opinion that you

ave not dared to reveal, ask a question you wouldn’t ordinarily ask. break the routine of your activities: Invite a person to go with

;ou to a show, a restaurant, or a museum that you never visited efore. Experiment with your appearance. Comfortable routines are ,reat when they save energy for doing what you really care about; ut if you are still searching, they restrict and limit the future.

'ľ:rite doum each day what surprised you and how you surprised others. fost creative people keep a diary, or notes, or lab records to. make

Leir experiences more concrete and enduring. If you don’t do so Iready, it might help to start with a very specific task: to record each vening the most surprising event that happened that day and your

' ost surprising action. This is a simple enough assignment and one "u will find is fun to do. After a few days, you can reread what you -ve written and reflect on those past experiences. One of the surest

|rays to enrich life is to make experiences less fleeting, so that the pst memorable, interesting, and important events are not lost for­

mer a few hours after they occurred. Writing them down so that you an relive them in recollection is one way to keep them from disap­ pearing. And after a few weeks, you may begin to see a pattern of -terest emerging in the notes, one that may indicate some domain -t would repay exploring in depth.

3 4 8 C r e a t i v i t y

When something strikes a spark of interest, follow it. Usually, wir something captures our attention·—-an idea, a song, a flower— impression is brief. We are too busy to explore the idea, song, ; flower further. Or we feel that it is none of our business. After all, are not thinkers, singers, or botanists, so these things lie outside о/ grasp. Of course, that’s nonsense. The world is our business, and ..' can’t know which part of it is best suited to our selves, to our poten tialities, unless we make a serious effort to learn about as man*

aspects of it as possible. If you take time to reflect on how best to implement these fo

suggestions, and then actually start putting them into effect, yo' should feel a stirring of possibilities under the accustomed surface о

daily experiences. It is the gathering of creative energy, the rebirth о

curiosity that has been atrophied since childhood.

Cultivating Flow in Everyday life The rebirth of curiosity doesn’t last long, however, unless we lear to enjoy being curious. Entropy, the force behind the famous Sec­ ond Law of Thermodynamics, applies not only to physical systems but to the functioning of the mind as well. When there is nothing- specific to do, our thoughts soon return to the most predictable state, which is randomness or confusion. We pay attention and coos centrate when we must—when dressing, driving the car, stayiir awake at work. But when there is no external force demanding that we concentrate, the mind begins to lose focus. It falls to the lowest energetic state, where the least amount of effort is required. Whe-' this happens, a sort of mental chaos takes over. Unpleasant though;/ flash into awareness, forgotten regrets resurface, and we beconri depressed. Then we turn on the TV set, read listlessly the advertis-; ing supplement of the newspaper, have pointless" conversations—- anything to keep our thoughts on an even keel and avoid becoming; frightened by what is happening in the mind. Taking refuge in pas4 sive entertainment keeps chaos temporarily at bay, but the attention it absorbs gets wasted. On the other hand, when we learn to enjoy, using our latent creative energy so that it generates its own internal, force to keep concentration focused, we not only avoid depression but also increase the complexity of our capacities to relate to the'

world. 1 How can we do this? How can we relearn to enjoy curiosity so

E n h a n c i n g P e r s o n a e ' G r e a t j – v i t y — – 3 4 9 – — — ; ■ ·

-t the pursuit of new experiences and new knowledge becomes "-sustaining?

7ake up in the morning with a specific goal to look forward to. Creative ¡chviduals don’t have to be dragged out of bed; they are eager to

the day. This is not because they are cheerful, enthusiastic types, ¡or. do they necessarily have something exciting to do. But they ‘!eve that there is something meaningful to accomplish each day, d they can’t wait to get started on it. Most of us don’t feel our actions are that meaningful. Yet everyone – discover at least one thing every day that is worth waking up for. could be meeting a certain person, shopping for a special item, tting a plant, cleaning the office desk, writing a letter, trying on a

sy/ dress. It is easier if each night before falling asleep, you review e next day and choose a particular task that, compared to the rest /the day, should be relatively interesting and exciting. Then next ~rning, open your eyes and visualize the chosen event—play it out efly in your mind, like an inner videotape, until you can hardly ;t to get dressed and get going. It does not matter if at first the als are trivial and not that interesting. The important thing is to

the easy first steps until you master the habit, and then" slowly rk up to more complex goals. Eventually most of the day should

nsist of tasks you look forward, to, until you feel that getting up in e morning is a privilege, not a chore.

you do anything well, it becomes enjoyable. Whether writing a poem .cleaning the house, running a scientific experiment or a race, the

i ality of experience tends to improve in proportion to the effort •ested in it. The runner may be exhausted and aching, yet she also

exhilarated if she is putting all her strength into the race. The more vities that we do with excellence and style, the more of life omes intrinsically rewarding.

The conditions that make flow possible suggest how to transform ryday activities so that they are more enjoyable. Having clear goals

" expectations for whatever we do, paying attention to the conse- nces of our actions, adjusting skills to the opportunities for action

die environment, concentrating on the task at hand without dis- tions—these are the simple rules that can make the difference veen an unpleasant and an enjoyable experience. If I decide to

3 5 0 . C r e a t i v i t y

learn to play the piano or speak a foreign language but feel frustrate or bored doing so, the chances are that I will give up at the firi opportunity. But if I apply the flow conditions to the learning tas1' then it is likely that I will continue to expand my creative potenti*

because doing so is fun. S It is easier to start with the most mundane activities all of us ha**

to take care of. How can you get more enjoyment from brushin your teeth? Taking a shower? Dressing? Eating breakfast? Getting work? Take the simplest of these routines and experiment with engi­ neering its flow potential. How do you apply flow conditions t loading the dishwasher? If you take this question seriously and try answer by testing various alternatives, you will be surprised at ho much fun brushing teeth can be. It will never be as enjoyable as ski­ ing or playing in a string quartet, but it might beat watching mat television programs. f

After you have practiced improving the quality of experience in few everyday activities, you might feel ready to tackle somethin more difficult—such as a hobby or a new interest. Eventually yo will master the most important skill of all, the metaskill that cons: " in being able to turn any activity into an occasion of flow. If th autotelic metaskill is developed enough, you should be able to enjo any new challenge and be on the way to the self-sustaining ch·'

reaction of creativity.

To keep enjoying something, you need to increase its complexity. A Herodotus remarked, we cannot step in the same river twice. No can you enjoy the same activity over and over, unless you discov new challenges, new opportunities in it. Otherwise it becomes bo$ ing. Brushing teeth cannot stay enjoyable for very long—it’s an activ , ity that just does not have enough potential for complexity. True one can preserve the challenge of even the simplest activity by сощ? bining it with something else—for instance, while brushing tee-1

you might plan the coming day or reflect on what happened yester­ day. But generally it is more satisfying to become involved in activi-' ties that are inexhaustible—music, poetry, carpentry, computers, gat;; dening, philosophy, or deep personal relationships.

Most domains are so complex that they cannot be exhausted in ' lifetime, not even the lifetime of the human race. It is always possibl- to learn a new song, or to write one. It is always possible to .find

E n h a n c i n g P e r s o n a l C r e a t i v i t y 3 5 1

tter way to do anything. That is why creativity—the attempt to ~*and the boundaries of a domain—makes a lifetime of enjoyment ossible. – – –

abits of Strength

frer creative energy is awakened, it is necessary to protect it. We ;ust erect barriers against distractions, dig channels so that energy n flow more freely, find ways to escape outside temptations and ’ erruptions. If we do not, entropy is sure to break down the con-

’:ntration that the pursuit of an interest requires. Then thought pirns to its baseline state—the vague, unfocused, constantly dis- Icted condition of the normal mind. |It is often surprising to hear extremely successful, productive peo- le claim that they are basically lazy. Yet thenrlami is believable; It is ot that they have more energy and discipline than you or I; but they p develop habits of discipline that allow them to accomplish seem- -gly impossible tasks. These habits are often so trivial that the peo-

who practice them seem strange and obsessive. At first many peo- i1e were mildly shocked that the great Alfred Einstein always wore ’’*e same old sweater and baggy trousers. Why was he being so ;eird? Of course, Einstein wasn’t trying, to upset anybody. He was

tist cutting down on the daily effort involved in deciding what iothes to wear, so that his mind could focus on matters that to him :ere more important. It may seem that choosing slacks and shirts

'kes so little time that it is pretentious to worry about it. But súp­ ose it takes only two minutes each day to decide how to dress. That äds up to 730 minutes, or twelve hours a year. Now think of the ther repetitive things we have to do throughout the day—comb 'air, drive cars, eat, and so on. And then think not only of the time

takes to do each of these things but of the interruption in the train f thought they cause, both before and after. Having to choose a tie uld derail a whole hour’s worth of reflection! No wonder Einstein

referred to play it safe and wear the same old clothes. • At this point, some readers may smell a contradiction. On the one

d I am saying that to be creative you should be open to experi- *e, focus on even the most mundane tasks—like brushing teeth—

make them more efficient and artistic. On the other hand I am

ng that you should conserve creative energy by routinizing as

ch of everyday life as possible so that you can focus entirely on

3 5 2 C r e a t i v i t y

what really matters. Isn’t this contradictory advice? Not really—b' even if it were, you should by now expect a certain amount of p'

dox in creative behavior. The reason it is not a contradiction to be open and focused at dr

same time is that these contrary ways of using psychic energy share ' similarity that is more important than their differences. They requr you to decide whether at this point it is better to be open or to b ‘ focused. They are both expressions of your ability to control atten? don, and it is this, not whether you are open or focused, that mac ters. Before you have discovered an overriding interest in a particula' domain, it makes sense to be open to as much of the world as possi* ble. Affér you have developed an abiding interest, however, it may make more sense to save as much energy as you can to invest in that; one domain. In either case, what is important is not to relinquish control over creative energy so that it dissipates without.direction.

A few more words may be needed here concerning the concept о “control” as applied to attention. It should be realized that one waţ of controlling is to relinquish control. People who meditate expan their being by letting go of focused thought. This way they aim t achieve a spiritual union with foe energy behind the world o. appearances, the force that drives the universe. But this way of givirf up control is itself directed, controlled by the mind. It is very differ?·: ent from just sitting and gossiping, passively consuming entertain*

ment, or letting the mind wander without purpose. "What can you do to build up habits that will make it possible ter,

control attention so that it can be open and receptive, or focused and! directed, depending on what your overall goals require? Щ

Take charge of your schedule. Out circadian rhythms are to a large! extent controlled by outside factors': the rising sun, the commuted train schedule, a job’s deadline, lunchtime, a client’s needs. If it workŞ for you, it makes perfect sense to abandon yourself to these markers? so that you don’t have to decide what to do when. But it is also pos-Į sible that the schedule you are following is not foe best for your pur-| poses. The best time for using your creative energies could be early! in the morning or late at night. Can you carve out some time foil yourself when your energy is most efficient? Can you fit sleep tal your purpose, instead of the other way around? 4

The times when most people eat may not be the best for you. You|

E n h a n c i n g P e r s o n a l C r e a t i v i t y 3 5 3

ght get hungry earlier than lunchtime and lose concentration cause you feel jittery; or to perform at the top of your potential it ;y be best to skip lunch and have a midafternoon snack instead, ere are probably best times to shop, to visit, to work, to relax for

'h one of us; the more we do things at the most suitable times, the -re creative energy we can free up. ^

‘Most of us have never had the chance to discover which parts of e day or night are most suited, to our rhythms. To regain this

towledge we have to pay attention to how well the schedule we

Low fits our inner states—when we feel best eating, sleeping, rking, and so forth. Once we have identified the ideal patterns,

;e can begin the task of changing things around so that we can do ;ngs when it is most suitable. Of course, most of us have inflexible mands on our day that cannot be changed. Even John Reed has to

ep to an office schedule, and Vera Rubin has to adapt her curiosity

times when telescopes are available for observation. The needs of ildren, spouses, and bosses must often take precedence. Yet time is ore flexible than most of us think. .The important thing to remember is that creative energy, like any

er form of psychic energy, only works over time. It takes a certain inimum amount of time to write a sonnet or to invent a new chine. People vary in the speed they work—Mozart wrote con- d much faster than Beethoven did—but even Mozart could not

cape the tyranny of time. Therefore, every hour saved from dgery and routine is an hour added to creativity.

rake time for reflection and relaxation. Many people, especially those ho are successful and responsible, take the image of the “rat race” -ously and feel uncomfortable, even anxious, if they are not busily

¿work. Even at home, they feel they must be always cleaning, rking in the yard, or fixing things. Keeping constantly busy is

inmendable and certainly much better than just lounging around

eling sorry for yourself. But constant busyness is not a good pre- option for creativity. It is important to schedule times in the day, e week, and the year just

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