Creativity in Plastic Surgery

Abstract

Creativity in plastic surgery has been a hot topic of the past decade. This is explained by the nature of plastic surgery, with its intense pressure for innovation and maintenance of a competitive edge. Creativity is the ability to make or bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem or a new method, technique, or device, or simply the act of making something new. Creativity also may be seen as a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts or the process of making new associations between existing ideas or concepts [1]. The creative thought is original, and innovation applies such creative ideas in some specific context. For example, ‘‘invention,’’ is a term usually understood as referring to new devices, instruments, and machines, but this is a narrowing of its original meaning, ‘‘to come on something, to fabricate in the mind.’’ For this reason, it is equally proper to speak of an invention of an idea [2]. How do we define creativity in plastic surgery? Plastic surgeons are seen by other specialties as imaginative, original, inventive, and ingenious people. What the others do not see is that innovations in our specialty appear after the complete picture of principles is grasped, as shown in the Principalization of Plastic Surgery by Millard [3]. Attendance at several courses, meetings, and symposia enables us to recognize creative individuals when they communicate something partly or wholly new, invest an existing object with new properties or characteristics, imagine new possibilities not conceived previously, or perform something in a manner different from what was thought possible or normal previously. It is easy to distinguish these individuals from other less creative peers because they have a rich body of domain-relevant knowledge and well-developed skills. They are intrinsically motivated by their work; tend to be independent, unconventional, and more risk taking; have a wide interest and greater openness to new experiences; and have skill in recognizing differences and similarities and in making connections. These creative individuals have a true appreciation of and ability for writing and drawing, flexibility to change, and willingness to question norms and assumptions. They tend to have a discovery orientation and ask novel questions. In work contexts, creative plastic surgeons tend to take the initiative, to work in teams, and to have extensive networks. The presence of stimulating coworkers promotes more creativity by adding excitement, energy, and synergy. Competitive pressure leads to enhanced individual and group creativity. The affective context also is important because it influences creative problem solving. An important aspect of being in the University is the ability to teach, investigate, promote extension, communicate, publish, and finally, with free will, create. Observation of how things work and develop is transcendental. For this purpose, the creative individual must have time, imagination, and an open mind. The Greeks developed leisure so they could observe because this was the first step to innovation. It is said that the University gives its academics a sabbatical year to ‘‘think and have time to create.’’ But this utopia in our globilized world requires each one of us to ‘‘kill our own pig’’ to survive and ‘‘feed the family.’’ Creative minds in plastic surgery have imagination that sparks ‘‘brainstorming of ideas,’’ the same as a schizophrenic A. Prado (&) P. Andrades Plastic Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Jose Joaquin Aguirre Clinical Hospital, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile e-mail: pradoplast@yahoo.com