Creativity As Evolution

Although the arduous bulk of creativity is the labor of refining and elaborating new ideas, the glamorous part is finding those ideas to begin with. This glamorous part closely resembles evolution.

Evolution involves variation and selection. One form of biological variation is mutation, which parallels creation of new ideas by making changes to single, preexisting ideas. You can prompt for these changes by "contra-factual" thinking, such as, "If we couldn't do this part this way any more, how could we do it?"

Another form of biological variation results from sexual reproduction, mixing genes from two sources. In creativity, this corresponds to conceptual blending: taking parts of two ideas to form a new third. A metaphor is one example of this. A metaphor requires some ground, something in common between the idea being described and the dissimilar idea that is used to describe it. (In conceptual blending, the ground is referred to as the "generic space.") In biological terms, the ground corresponds to species, the population able to reproduce.

In biological evolution, there are two forms of selection: natural selection and sexual selection. "Natural selection" refers to survival. In creativity, this corresponds to ideas working. "Sexual selection" refers to mating displays and rituals. The peacock's tail does not much help it escape predators, but it does help it attract a mate. In creativity, this would correspond to aesthetics, the elegance or beauty of an idea.

There is an implicit recognition of the analogy between creativity and biology in our referring to our creations as "our children," and this does remind us that refining and elaborating an idea parallels nurturing and raising a child. This, alas, is also where the analogy breaks down: we cherish and protect all our children; whereas, creativity is most successful when we generate a lot of new ideas, a lot of possibilities, and quickly and ruthlessly cull those that are least likely to succeed.

The Creative Economy

At $2 trillion, the creative economy - design, discovery, and invention - is approaching 50% of the US economy. The creative class, the workers in the creative economy, comprise about 30% of the US workforce. In this economy, wit is not a luxury: the witty win.

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