Abstract

The field of creativity research is as convoluted and complex as the mythical Gordian knot. The lack of any generally accepted theory has led to a tangled maze of conflicting and contradictory research findings. This research was an exploration into the puzzling knot of creativity in search of possible indicators of what creativity is and the source it comes from. To find answers to these questions, ten visual artists--persons historically viewed as being creative--were interviewed for their insights. The research was guided by the three theoretical orientations proposed by Rothenberg and Hausman in 1976, i.e., supernaturalism, naturalism, and rationalism. ;It was concluded that no single definition of creativity was commonly held by the artists and is, therefore, still unknown. However, all ten artists indicated that the source of creativity is a universal power, supreme being, or entity that has placed creativity into every human being, and that in most cases the creativity can be enhanced through hard work and individual effort. It was suggested that creativity is difficult to define and study because it deals with intuitive feelings and belief systems which cannot be empirically investigated