How to unlock your creative power: TMU prof shares tips for Wellbeing Week
To create is to be human. Psychology professor George Swede shares why creativity is fundamental to the human experience and how to nurture it in everyday life. Dancer Belinda McGuire and a robotic arm practice a performance for the launch of the Creative Technology Lab in November 2019 that showcases professor Michael F. Bergmann’s Uncanny Robots project.
Human beings are inherently creative and tapping into our creative imagination can help us feel fulfilled. But how do we tap into it?
George Swede, a psychology professor emeritus at TMU, spent years studying this question. In his book Creativity: A New Psychology (1993), he breaks down what creativity really means and how we can use it to live fuller lives.
What is creativity?
“Creativity is a process that results in some sort of outcome,” says Swede. This can be an action, feeling or a product.
But not everything counts as creative. According to Swede, truly creative outcomes need two things: “It must be unique or new and it must have meaning or value,” he says. “Newness by itself is not enough.”
Two types of creativity
Swede sees creativity working on two levels: the universal and the personal.
“Universal creativity is rare and describes an outcome that is completely new in the human history of the world,” he explains. These include Einstein’s theory of relativity, Bell’s invention of the telephone, Handel’s composition of the Messiah and Leonardo’s painting of the Mona Lisa.
The other kind is likely already happening in your life right now.
“Personal creativity is much more common and describes an outcome that is completely new only in the life of a person,” says Swede. These can include our first spoken word, our first time riding a bicycle, our first date, the first time we fall in love, the first time we get a job, live on our own, cook a meal and the numerous other firsts in life.
“Personal creativity is what gives zest and meaning to each day of existence,” Swede says.
Creativity is a team sport
You don’t have to create alone – universal creativity often occurs in collaboration with others. “This is common in the sciences and the arts, for example launching a rocket to the moon or making a movie,” Swede explains.
The same goes for personal creativity. “This collaboration includes a team winning a soccer trophy, a couple raising a child, participating in group therapy, and so on,” he says.
Children help to remind us of the vital role creativity and imagination play in our lives for healthy development, learning, socializing and boosting resilience. TMU’s Science Rendezvous is a free event that makes science accessible to all through engaging programming including creative kids workshops. Photos by Clifton Li (2024)
How to boost your creativity
So how do you get more creative?
Swede says it starts with balance.
There's always tension between boundless and controlled creativity. “How much do we let it grow wild and how much do we treat it like plants in a greenhouse?,” he asks. “This is an ongoing issue starting at birth.”
His key advice? Know yourself.
“Knowing as much as possible about who you really are in the turbulent river of change we all live in,” he says. “Realizing that we have this gift of creativity, a natural capacity for coping with change, is the first step.”
Put your creativity into action during Wellbeing Week
The Digital Media Experience Lab helps students break into 3D printing and offers a place where TMU Libraries users come to create, collaborate and explore digital media tools. Check out their 3D printing workshop during Wellbeing Week.
Ready to explore your own creative potential? TMU's Wellbeing Week (October 20-24) offers the perfect opportunity.
This year's theme, Building a Better Tomorrow, connects directly to Swede's ideas about creativity. The week features events and activities designed to spark your imagination, help you discover new ways to express yourself and connect with others who share your creative interests.
Join us to try a writing workshop, try 3D printing or see a film with the TMU community. For the full list of events remaining throughout the week, check out the Wellbeing Week website.
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