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In this book, well-known scholars describe new and exciting approaches to aesthetics, creativity, and psychology of the arts, approaching these topics from a point of view that is biological or related to biology and answering new questions with new methods and theories. All known societies produce and enjoy arts such as literature, music, and visual decoration or depiction. Judging from prehistoric archaeological evidence, this arose very early in human development. Furthermore, Darwin was explicit in attributing aesthetic sensitivity to lower animals. These considerations lead us to wonder whether the arts might not be evolutionarily based. Although such an evolutionary basis is not obvious on the face of it, the idea has recently elicited considerable attention. The book begins with a consideration of ten theories on the evolutionary function of the arts, and this is followed by several chapters that consider the possible evolutionary function of specific arts such as music and literature. The theory of evolution was first drawn up in biology, but evolution is not confined to biology: genuinely evolutionary theories of sociocultural change can be formulated. That they need to be formulated is shown in several chapters that discuss regular trends in literature and scientific writings. Psychologists have recently rediscovered the obvious fact that thought and perception occur in the brain, so cognitive science moves ever closer to neuroscience. Several chapters give overviews of neurocognitive and neural network approaches to creativity and aesthetic appreciation. The book concludes with two exciting chapters describing brain-scan research on what happens in the brain during creativity and presenting a close examination of the relationship between genetically transmitted mental disorder and creativity. ... Read more

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ABOUT THE BOOKThe contributing authors to this book, all preeminent scholars in their fields, present their current thinking about the processes that underlie creativity and aesthetic experience. They discuss established theory and research, and provide creative speculation on future problems for inquiry and new approaches to conceptualizing and investigating these phenomena. The book contains many new findings and ideas, never before published or new by virtue of the novel context in which they are incorporated. Thus, the chapters present both new approaches to old problems and new ideas and approaches not yet explored by leading scholars in these fields.The first part of the book is devoted to understanding the nature of the perceptual/cognitive and aesthetic processes that occur during encounters with visual art stimuli in everyday settings, in museums, and while watching films. Also discussed in Part I is how cultural and anthropological approaches to the study of aesthetic responses to art contribute to our understanding about the development of a culture's artistic canon and to crosscultural aesthetic universals.Part II presents new dimensions in the study of creativity. Two approaches to the development of a comprehensive theory of creativity are presented: Sternberg's Investment Theory of Creativity and a systems perspective of creativity based on a metaindividual world model. Also covered are the factors that contribute to cinematic creativity and a film's cinematic success, and the complex nature of the creative processes and research approaches involved in the innovative product design necessitated by the introduction of electronics in consumer products.Part III deals with the application of concepts and models from cognitive psychology to the study of music, literary meaning, and the visual arts. The contributors outline a model of the cognitive processes involved in real-time listening to music, investigate what readers are doing when they read a literary text, describe what research shows about the transfer of learning from the arts to non-arts cognition, and discuss the kinds of thinking skills that emerge from the study of the visual arts by high school students.In Part IV, the authors focus on the interactive contribution of observers' personalities and affect states to the creation and perception of art. The chapters include a discussion of the internal mechanisms by which personality expresses itself during the making of and the response to art; the relationship between emotion and cognition in aesthetics, in terms of the interaction of top-down and bottom-up processes across the time course of an aesthetic episode; the affective processes that take place during pretend play and their impact on the development of creativity in children; and the causes and consequences of listeners' intense experiences while listening to music. ... Read more

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“George Hagman looks anew at psychoanalytic ideas about art and beauty through the lens of current developmental psychology that recognizes the importance of attachment and affiliative motivational systems. In dialogue with theorists such as Freud, Ehrenzweig, Kris, Rank, Winnicott, Kohut, and many others, Hagman brings the psychoanalytic understanding of aesthetic experience into the 21st century. He amends and extends old concepts and offers a wealth of stimulating new ideas regarding the creative process, the ideal, beauty, ugliness, and –perhaps his most original contribution–the sublime.Especially welcome is his grounding of aesthetic experience in intersubjectivity and health rather than individualism and pathology.His emphasis on form rather than the content of an individual's aesthetic experience is a stimulating new direction for psychoanalytic theory of art. With this work Hagman stands in the company of his predecessors with this deeply-learned,! sensitively conceived, and provocative general theory of human aesthetic experience.”Ellen Dissanayake, author of Art and Intimacy: How the Arts Began and Homo Aestheticus: Where Art Comes From and Why. ... Read more

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For many of us, the return of Zen conjures up images of rock gardens and gently flowing waterfalls. We think of mindfulness and meditation, immersion in a state of being where meaning is found through simplicity. Zen lore has been absorbed by Western practitioners and pop culture alike, yet there is a specific area of this ancient tradition that hasn’t been fully explored in the West. Now, in The Zen of Creativity, American Zen master John Daido Loori presents a book that taps the principles of the Zen arts and aesthetic as a means to unlock creativity and find freedom in the various dimensions of our existence. Loori dissolves the barriers between art and spirituality, opening up the possibility of meeting life with spontaneity, grace, and peace.

Zen Buddhism is steeped in the arts. In spiritual ways, calligraphy, poetry, painting, the tea ceremony, and flower arranging can point us toward our essential, boundless nature. Brilliantly interpreting the teachings of the artless arts, Loori illuminates various elements that awaken our creativity, among them still point, the center of each moment that focuses on the tranquility within; simplicity, in which the creative process is uncluttered and unlimited, like a cloudless sky; spontaneity, a way to navigate through life without preconceptions, with a freshness in which everything becomes new; mystery, a sense of trust in the unknown; creative feedback, the systematic use of an audience to receive noncritical input about our art; art koans, exercises based on paradoxical questions that can be resolved only through artistic expression. Loori shows how these elements interpenetrate and function not only in art, but in all our endeavors.

Beautifully illustrated and punctuated with poems and reflections from Loori’s own spiritual journey, The Zen of Creativity presents a multilayered, bottomless source of insight into our creativity. Appealing equally to spiritual seekers, artists, and veteran Buddhist practitioners, this book is perfect for those wishing to discover new means of self-awareness and expression—and to restore equanimity and freedom amid the vicissitudes of our lives.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Touch Your Creative Soul
This book touched me! The poetry and art is exquisite. Follow the author's journey as his art leads him to his spiritual quest, and back into his art. For the Artist this book is a wonderful read from a fellow artist. For the Searcher this book has many insights and life lessons. For anyone looking for a good read that will touch you and leave you wanting more- this book has it!

Creating art with heart
It is virtually impossible to write the definitive review of "The Zen of Creativity" because, like the koans it contains, this book will elicit no single, uniform response from those who read it.I hesitate even to use the word "read" because the book asks for a response well beyond simply reading it.The quotes and koans alone require unhurried contemplation.One way to treat this book is to take a contemplative walk through it over a number of months, experimenting here and there with the practices John Daido Loori describes.You may be surprised at the new depth you achieve in your chosen art medium as a result, whether it is photography, painting, writing or music making.

I once owned two copies of Mozart's concerto for flute and orchestra No 1 (K313).One version had perfect technique and the passages were as smooth as cream, but it left me unmoved.I gave it away.The recording I kept has a rough texture in places, but it dances with joy. It demonstrates the essence of what Loori is talking about.

"The Zen of Creativity" is not just a play on the word "zen."It IS zen. Neither does it mimic the popular format of "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance" as so many other authors have done.Loori draws the reader into the very nature of the creative process itself, giving far less importance to technical skills.In fact, if you are looking for ways to improve your artistic competence, you will need to look further afield. Loori's focus is on making a work of art real rather than on making it commercial. His quote from Leonardo Da Vinci is apt; "Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art."

There are many useful books on art techniques out now that teach how to apply your art medium in a skilful way. But none of these provide what "The Zen of Creativity" does in helping the artist recreate the essence of what he or she sees.

If "The Zen of Creativity" seems too great a leap into the philosophy of art, a simple introduction to these concepts can be found in a book produced by the Society of Layerists in Multi-Media (SLMM.) It is "The Art of Layering: Making Connection."Short excerpts from the book are available on their website.For photographers, "The Tao of Photography" by Tom Ang has much the same philosophy of putting heart into one's art.

Not just a read through, but a journey.
I must say that this book spoke to me on a very deep level. I read a couple of lines from it while browsing and was stopped cold. In those few words Mr Loori had summed up much of what my life was about. This touched me so profoundly that I knew the book was for me, tears actually began to well in my eyes. One does not merely read this book, one enters it, as a practice, as a journey, one of great personal discovery. In a section titled "Jeweled Mirror" the author covers feedback groups and how to view art, not from the standpoint of criticism, but from the feelings evoked. He has a photograph and instruction for quieting the mind and viewing the image in a specific way. It is an amazing exercise! This book opens ones eyes to more than creative possibilities, but to deep personal insights as well. You cannot enter it and leave unchanged, unless you are already a Buddha.

The Zen of Creativity
This book takes you on a gentle and insightful journey. Whether you're a practicing Zen Buddhist or not, John Daido Loori expands your mind and opens new ways of tapping into our creative spirit. The Zen of Creativity is the first of many books I've read that explains Buddhist concepts in everyday, American language and thought. It also provides a very clear explanation of how creativity and human nature mysteriously blend together to create our natural being.

Spirituality and creativity
The Zen of Creativity is not only an artist's guide to enhance your creativity. It is also a journey into the Zen philosophy with the guidance of a great master. In reading the book you will be encouraged to find the reason why you take a camera and choose to shoot a certain subject. After reading the book you will probably start looking inside yourself before releasing the shutter. ... Read more

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What does it take to make a great motion picture?What do we even mean by cinematic greatness? What is more important: movie awards, critical acclaim, or box office success? Who has the biggest impact: the writer, the director, or the actors? Scientific research has provided some provocative answers.

This review of cinematic creativity and aesthetics is confined to scientific studies carried out by a multidisciplinary group of researchers. Do great films receive both shiny trophies and five stars? Chapter 2concentrates on movie awards, including the Oscars and Golden Globes, and how those awards relate to critical acclaim. How do the dramatic awards compare with the visual, technical, and music awards? Chapter 3 studies more closely how these awards cluster together and which of these clusters best predict cinematic success. How does box office compare with critical evaluations and movie awards? Chapter 4 adds a new consideration, namely the film's financial performance.

The following four chapters focus on specific contributions to a film's impact: Chapter 5 covers the script (including writers), Chapter 6 the director (or "auteur"), Chapter 7 the actors (especially gender differences), and Chapter 8 the music (both scores and songs). Chapter 9 addresses the question of whether the same cinematic factors that make some films great also make other films bad: Are bombs the exact opposite of masterpieces? The book closes with an epilogue on future directions in scientific studies of cinematic creativity and aesthetics. What do researchers need to do if we want a complete understanding of what it takes to create a powerful cinematic experience?

This volume will be invaluable to anyone interested in film, including any aficionado who is open to a scientific approach, and researchers in the areas of creativity, aesthetics, and cultural economics. The reported research comes from many disciplines, including psychology, sociology, economics, management, marketing, communications, journalism, broadcasting, history, musicology, and statistics. ... Read more

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This book covers many areas of Dr. Guruge's interests in the field of Buddhist studies and action. He shares these views, opinions, observations and concerns with many audiences in all parts of the world over the last decade. The decision to compile them into a single volume is in response to many requests he has received for copies. ... Read more

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In Aesthetic Intelligence: Reclaim the Power of Your Senses, Rochelle Mucha, Ph.D., a pioneer in Organizational Aesthetics, introduces Aesthetic Intelligence, the capacity to fully utilize the power of your senses to reveal fresh approaches to tackling long-standing challenges and opportunities in a global, ever-changing marketplace. From deep listening to intentional characterization, from the ability to synthesize to acting in real time, the author guides you on how to reignite your sense-ability. Mucha, founder of Business as Performance Art™, invites the reader to explore the underpinnings of the culture of the performing arts, weaving pragmatism and substance into a conversational narrative that sets the stage for you to create and sustain an environment of connection, creativity, and innovation. Whatever your role or industry, Aesthetic Intelligence will expand your repertoire, bolster your individual leadership, and strengthen organizational performance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

What can organizations learn from the Intersection of Business and the Performing Arts?
What can organizations learn from the Intersection of Business and the Performing Arts?

Rochelle T. Mucha, in her new book, Aesthetic Intelligence: Reclaim the Power of Your Senses, answers this question by examining how principles and practices of performing arts can be used to strengthen alignment, leadership, learning, and performance in organizations.

"The theatre is a place where players both on stage and behind the scenes share a common goal, are passionate and energetic, play well with others, are not just open to new thoughts but seek them out, give and receive feedback often, experiment without fear and take pride in their interdependency."

Mucha asserts this culture of connection and creativity is precisely what leaders and managers in organizations need to nurture innovation and ensure robust relationships.

I wonder how much intelligence gets lost, when we don't use all our senses. We need to reclaim the wisdom of Aesthetic Intelligence and Mucha shows you how, through case studies, lessons, coaching questions, and practical tips.

The theory and practice of Aesthetic Intelligence makes an important contribution to the burgeoning field of arts-based learning at the intersection of arts and business.

It just makes Sense
I am a jazz musician. I have been a practioner of arts-based learning for business for over a decade. I have worked hard to integrate important and complex ideas of brilliant academics such as Gardner, Csikszentmihalyi, Austin, Barrett, Adler and many others. Aesthetic Intelligence is a book that synthesizes many of the complicated ideas these thinkers have developed and describes in accessible, applicable terms how these concepts can be used to nurture cultures of innovation.
Rochelle Mucha's real world experience in implementing Aesthetic Intelligence with many businesses and organizations helps to clarify how artistic sensibility can speak in clear and real terms to people in business whose imperative it is to understand how to cultivate and sustain creative, generative relationships.
But "Aesthetic Intelligence" is more than a business book. "Aesthetic Intelligence" speaks to me as a practicing artist, a husband, a parent and a member of a world that needs every individual to awaken their senses and cultivate the future.
Buy this book. NOW.

Michael Gold, PhD
Jazz Impact
[...]

great book
Aesthetic Intelligence is an easy, enjoyable book packed with refreshing ideas. I found the expansive definition of Authenticity powerful. Authenticity isintentional characterization, thinking and preparing for whom you have to be for a given audience, purpose, and time.Becoming intentional--that is, getting into character is a deliberate process to interact, to perform at the highest level whether we are interacting with a peer, manager or customer and in sync with our objective be it to facilitate, report, influence or respond. At the heart of authenticity is learning how to draw from your own well of experiences and behaviors as different situations arise and the implication here is that to be authentic, we must be self-aware. Intentional characterization is not pretending to be someone you are not; it is being you and being believable in the various roles and scenes with which we all engage. It is not manipulation, but rather critical versatility.

Business Performance Redefined
Brilliantly written, expansive, yet so pragmatic. If you've ever wondered why you feel so good after giving a great speech to your employees, this book will enlighten you and encourage you to do more. Those in the performing arts really get this. Ms. Mucha's style challenges the reader on several levels. A bold, engaging, demanding, mind-rearranging journey for leaders in just about any field of endeavor. Not for the faint of heart or mind. ... Read more

Product Description
The Making of Bamana Sculpture describes both the techniques and the rituals used by Bamana blacksmiths in Mali, West Africa, when they carve sacred sculpture. Chronicling the process of decision-making that results in a commission, it provides a detailed account of the carving process and also analyses the meaning of this process. Sarah Brett-Smith demonstrates that Bamana sculptors compare the process of producing a ritual object both to sexual intercourse and to childbirth. Her study details how Bamana sculptors become 'great' artists, how this process requires a shift from a 'male' to a 'female' gender identity, and why the Bamana believe that the ambitious artist must make tragic sacrifices to win renown. ... Read more

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Transcendental phenomenology presumed to have overcome the classic mind-body dichotomy in terms of consciousness, yet, according to progress in scientific studies, the biological functions of the brain seem to appropriate significant functions attributed traditionally to consciousness. Should we indeed dissolve the specificity of human consciousness by explaining human experience in its multiple sense-giving modalities through the physiological functions of the brain? The present collection of studies addresses this crucial question challenging such "naturalizing" reductionism from multiple angles. In search for the roots of "The Specifically Human Experience" (Bombala), moving along the line of "Animality and Intellection"(Gosetti-Ferencei), "Naturalistic Attitude and Personalistic Attitude"(Villela-Petit), and numerous other perspectives, we arrive at a novel proposal to explain the scholar functional differentiation of conscious modalities. We reach their source in the ontopoietic thread conducting the Logos of Life in its stepwise "Evolutive Unfolding"(Carmen Cozma), and in "sentience" as its quintessential core of further irreducible continuity (Tymieniecka) dispelling dichotomies and reductionisms.

Papers by:
Grahame Lock, Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, Daniela Verducci, Ted Toadvine, Mary Trachsel, Martin Holt, Mary Jeanne Larrabee, Leszek Pyra, Bronislaw Bombala, Konrad Rokstad, Ilja Maso, Nancy Mardas, Jennifer Anna Gosetti-Ferencei, Maria Villela-Petit, Mara Stafecka, Carmen Cozma, Francesco Totaro, Andreas Brenner, Sinan Kadir Celik, Osvaldo Rossi, Maria Manuela Brinto Martins, Elga Freiberga, Klymet Selvi, J.C. Couciero-Bueno, Patricia Trutty-Coohill, Walter Lammi, Ljudmila Molodkina, Martin Nkafu Nkemnkia.

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This work examines the philosophies and theologies of three thinkers - Chu Hsi, Alfred North Whitehead, and Robert C. Neville - separated by time, space, and culture. In so doing John H. Berthrong provides a suggestive and successful comparison of creativity as a cross-cultural theme while introducing Neo-Confucianism as a sophisticated dialogue partner with modern Western speculative philosophy and theology. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Arts & Activities, published by Publishers' Development Corporation on March 1, 2009. The length of the article is 898 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Plug into a great outlet for creativity.(seeing the beauty of wall sockets)
Author: Karen Skophammer
Publication: Arts & Activities (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2009
Publisher: Publishers' Development Corporation
Volume: 145Issue: 2Page: 29(2)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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Transcendental phenomenology presumed to have overcome the classic mind-body dichotomy in terms of consciousness. Should we indeed dissolve the specificity of human consciousness by explaining human experience in its multiple sense-giving modalities through the physiological functions of the brain? The present collection of studies addresses this crucial question challenging such "naturalizing" reductionism from multiple angles.

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Margaret Boden presents a series of essays in which she explores the nature of creativity in a wide range of art forms. Creativity in general is the generation of novel, surprising, and valuable ideas (conceptual, theoretical, musical, literary, or visual). Boden identifies three forms of creativity: combinational, exploratory, and transformational. These elicit differing forms of surprise, and are defined by the different kinds of psychological process that generate the new ideas. Boden examines creativity not only in traditional fine art, but also in craftworks, and some less orthodox approaches--namely, conceptual art and several types of computer art. Her Introduction draws out the conceptual links between the various case-studies, showing how they express a coherent view of creativity in art. ... Read more