Is there a link between Culture and Creativity?

In my opinion, there is direct link between culture and creativity because people create their own culture which then influenced other people of that culture. We can identify different cultures in today’s world by shared beliefs, languages and rituals to name the few; people create culture in order to enhance their emotional connection with others and their environment, it gives them a sense of identity and purpose. Creativity is the driving force behind culture; people of the same culture tend to like the same category of music, art, literature and so on.  Creativity is shaped and stimulated by our surroundings, the culture we live in. Here we can identify that creativity and culture have a direct link and effect on each other; without creativity, there would be no culture, and vice versa.

Available at: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=creativity&um=1 [Accessed on 17.10.11]

 Creativity unleashes the ability to think beyond the conventional norms, and allows us to use our imaginations in different ways. Creativity is strongly associated with divergent thinking, the ability to think out of the box, but a thought alone is not enough. Innovation is the process whereby a person begins to develop the creative idea and bring it to life and the ‘success’ of the idea is measured by the value of final product or service.

http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/creativityletters.jpg  [Accessed on 11/.10.11]

Modern education systems teach people to think and work logically in conventional manor, however to move forward we need a fresh understanding and outlook on intelligence. We think about the world in through our senses and the experience we gain through using these senses. The world is full of creative inventions such as music, art, and design. All of the creativity we see in today’s world ascended from an innovative thought, which once acted on then expanded into reality. Creativity is thus applied imagination.


 The rapid growth and advancement of technology has an impact on the way execute creativity, it has introduced another dimension of creativity, the ability to use technology to project out mental ideas. For example using computer programmes to design visual images, cameras to capture moments, archives to store our findings. However, technology could either amplify creativity or aggravate it by making us lethargic and unable to think without using a search engine.

‘’The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science’’ – Albert Einstein

The Different Theories of Intelligence - Howard Gardener

In modern society ‘creative’ people can be viewed as ‘drop outs’ because creativity and intelligence are seen as opposite ends of the spectrum, for example, the arts and science. I think is a misconception because in fact, creativity stems from human intelligence *1 some people may be more gifted in certain areas of creativity but we all possess the ability to be creative. Education is directly associated with the economy, it focuses on preparing individuals for capitalist machine and as a result, most non-academic and creative subjects are seen as non-valuable. The rationalist tradition creates a barrier between intellect and creativity, in my opinion and through conducted research; this is in fact a distorted view.

"Intelligence is a bio psychological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are of value in a culture" – Howard Gardener

The theory of multiple intelligences is a model that differentiates intelligences and places them in categories; this theory was proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983. This model was created in order to allow people to understand what they were best at and harness there intellectual ability; it allowed people to understand how their mind worked. Gardener split intelligence into eight sections.

Logical-mathematic: This area is to do with logic and problem solving, it is the ability to mentally process problems and equations; before Gardener created the MI theory this type of intelligence was considered the most valued intellectual ability in which Western culture classed as essential.

Spatial Intelligence is our ability to comprehend images and shapes in three dimensions, people with a high spatial intelligence are usually very good at puzzles, art and design. It is the art of visualisation.

The essential elements of bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence are the control of ones bodily motions, with this type of intelligence people can use their ‘muscle memory’ to use their body as a tool, i.e. preforming arts. It is also to do with the ability to handle objects skilfully and adapt the ability to train muscles so some responses become like reflexes.

Musical intelligence is the capacity to recognise different sounds and also create music by manipulation of the sounds, rhythms and tones. They are highly sensitive towards sounds and can understand how they work together to create melodies. Interpersonal skills is to do with interaction with other human beings, people who score high in this area are often extroverts. These people often excel in the work place because of their ability to empathise and connect with other people, they tend to work in groups and enjoy verbal communication. Intrapersonal is the opposite, these people are often introverted and work better alone, they have a good understanding of themselves and how they work. Naturalistic is to do with our surroundings, the ability to relate to nature.
http://www.howardgardner.com/ [Accessed on 11/10/11]

http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/creativity_indsutry_creative_art_psfk.jpg [Accessed on 11/10/11]

Culture plays a role in nurturing these intelligences; some cultures place a high value on the ability to perform certain tasks and therefore ensure that people become highly skilled in those areas. Cultural surroundings aids in shaping people, it assists in developing certain areas of intelligence.
Gardener’s theory gives a broader understanding of intelligence; it shows that everyone is intelligent in their own way if their learning environment is suited to their ability. Although there is no scientific evidence to support his theory, I think it is helpful in the sense that we can use his theory to identify and enhance our own intelligences.