The discursive construction of creativity as work in a tertiary art and design environment

Abstract

Central to most research in the field of creativity is the perception that creativity is an external and essentialist phenomenon. Recent studies, particularly in the area of art and design education, are beginning to question this understanding and seek alternative methods for exploring creativity. This paper takes the view that perceptions of creativity are historically and discursively constructed and that cultural shifts in the early twentieth century have more recently constituted the western understanding of creativity through a discourse of work. As an example, the paper will use a multi-perspectival analytical approach to explore the discursive construction of creativity as work in the situated context of a tertiary art and design studio environment. The paper concludes with a discussion of complications that may arise in the tertiary art and design environment as a result of the potential ambiguity created by the discourse of creativity as work.