Creative Output Research Articles

How to Get and Stay 'in the Zone': The Link between Team Flow and Creative Output in Design Thinking Workshops

How to Get and Stay 'in the Zone': The Link between Team Flow and Creative Output in Design Thinking Workshops

Villas and Vanguards: Thornton Wilder in Capri in 1920

Abstract This article deals with Thornton Wilder’s early European travels, focusing on his experiences in Italy during the autumn of 1920, which played a crucial role in shaping his nascent literary career. Specifically, it examines his time in Sorrento and Capri, where the local culture and landscape left an indelible mark on him and provided the inspiration for his unfinished play, Villa Rhabani. Exploring Wilder’s interactions with contemporary expatriate artists and intellectuals and his immersion in the local Italian milieu, the article seeks to illuminate the biographical and environmental influences that informed his play. The article situates Villa Rhabani within the broader context of other writers and artists who were also on the island of Capri, highlighting the interplay between Wilder’s lived experiences and his creative output. Furthermore, it addresses the speculation that Wilder visited Capri, drawing from detailed descriptions in his manuscript that suggest firsthand familiarity with the island.

Enhancing multimodal output in CLIL education: the impact of VR games on fourth-grade students’ English poster designs and presentations in Taiwan

Despite the growing recognition of the importance of multimodal input and digital virtual reality (VR) games in enhancing EFL learners’ productive language skills, a significant gap remains in empirical research examining their impact on multimodal output—particularly writing and speaking—within content and language integrated learning (CLIL) science education. This quasi-experimental study addresses this gap by investigating the potential benefits of using VR games to enhance fourth-grade CLIL students’ productive language skills, specifically writing and speaking, through the analysis of their ability to convey scientific concepts in multimodal output. Grounded in self-regulated learning (SRL) theory, the study compares the effects of multimodal input embedded in VR games with those of traditional PowerPoint (PPT)-led games on students’ English poster designs (writing) and oral presentations (speaking), using the 4Cs (Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture) framework in multimodal assessments. The study involved 81 fourth-grade students from three Taiwanese public elementary schools, divided into an experimental group (EG = 40) using VR-based games and a control group (CG = 41) using PPT-led games for content review. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative evaluations with rubrics based on the 4Cs framework and qualitative rater reflections to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different review methods influenced student performance and creative output. Quantitative findings revealed that students using VR review games significantly outperformed those using traditional PPT games in aspects of Content and Cognition for both poster designs and presentations, demonstrating greater depth, accuracy, and application of scientific concepts and higher-order cognitive skills. In terms of Communication, the EG showed higher target vocabulary usage and sentence complexity in presentations, but no significant differences were found in Culture outcomes between the groups or in Communication in posters. Expert raters’ reflections further highlighted that students using VR games exhibited more innovative and integrated use of scientific content, critical thinking, and multimodal expressions, reflecting deeper engagement with the material. This study empirically demonstrates that game-based virtual reality learning environments (VRLEs) significantly enhance students’ multimodal output in content and cognitive skills. Theoretically, it extends the application of SRL in CLIL contexts by highlighting the potential of VRLEs to foster advanced cognitive skills and emphasizes the importance of multimodal assessments in capturing comprehensive student learning outcomes. Future research should explore integrating cultural content into VR environments to enhance students’ cultural awareness and sensitivity.

‘Martenaut Waves’ in the Music of the French Avant-Garde Cinematographer of the First Half of the 20th Century (on the example of the creativity of A. Honegger)

The purpose of the study is to reveal the figurative, semantic and symbolic specificity of the interpretation of the timbre of "Martenaut waves" in the music of the French avant-garde cinematography of the first half of the 20th century, including in the work of A. Honegger. Research methodology. Cultural-historical, interdisciplinary historical-cultural, as well as analytical-musicological methods were essential for this work. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that it introduces for the first time into the circulation of art historians the materials related to the film music of A. Honegger and its timbral specificity, marked by an appeal to the semantic and expressive features of the "Martenaut waves". Conclusions. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, as a result of rapid scientific and technical progress, cinematography came to the forefront of world art. The unity of cinematography as a synthetic art and music is strengthened by the emergence of sound cinema in 1926-1927, in which music is recorded on the same film as the image. The use of electric musical instruments, including "Martenaut waves", becomes organic in this process. Thanks to their unusual timbre, they acquired the meaningful status of the embodiment of "the materialisation of the intangible." The world of hallucinations and dreams, mystical spiritual revelations and unusual natural phenomena – such was the range of images that were conveyed with the help of this instrument in French film music of the 1930s and 1940s. A. Honegger worked most fruitfully in this field during the mentioned period, whose creative output includes more than forty soundtracks, including those using "Martenaut waves". One of the first films in which the expressive timbre of this instrument is used was the science fiction film "The End of the World" (1931) directed by A. Gans, as well as the animated film "Idea" (1934) directed by B. Bartosh and artist F. Mazerel. In the musical accompaniment of these films, the timbre of the "Martenaut waves" occupies almost the most important place, revealing the connection of the instrument with the sphere of the Sacred and the Cosmic and the spiritual and stylistic searches of European modern culture.

Creativity in textile printing design: An integrative framework in design education

AbstractCreators, creation, and audience are the main pillars of the creative process. This study offers an integrative vision that includes the three main components of the creative process by proposing a seven-stage creativity framework in design education. To bridge the gap between theory and practice, the proposed framework was applied in a major textile design course at Damietta University in Egypt. The paper includes two questionnaire models for the recipients to evaluate the creative outputs and for the students to evaluate the applied framework in general. The study involves an analysis of the experiences and challenges encountered throughout the field application of the proposed framework. The results revealed new dimensions for evaluating creativity and fresh perspectives on the dynamics of the communication process between creators and recipients through their creations/designs. The study's findings could contribute to promoting creativity across the three pillars and advancing design thinking and design education.

Making the case for introducing generative artificial intelligence (AI) into design curricula

The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education design programmes is expanding, yet there is little formalized approach to its integration. Professionally, generative AI is starting to become an indispensable tool for ideation and prototyping, two fundamental skills taught in design’s studio pedagogy. Yet this digital leap into the future risks leaving design educators behind unless they take a proactive approach to its implementation and present its strengths and weaknesses. This study surveyed 74 design students from an Australian university, exploring their current utilization of generative AI and their projections for its future application in design practice. Findings confirm that generative AI is being used in an ad hoc way by students to speed up the ideation process tempered by a sceptical view of its creative output. A list of generative AI training for integration into the design curricula based on current research and survey results is proposed.

Investigation of Features Influencing on the Artworks of African American Female Artists Between 1960s and 2000s

The rich tapestry of cultural diversity is intricately woven by artists who have traversed various cultural landscapes, often producing distinctive artistic expressions. Among these artists, African American female painters stand out with their unmistakable styles and themes, a testament to their unique narrative. To explore the elements that shape the work of these artists in the United States, an extensive review of literature was conducted, distilling the essence of their creative output. The analysis encompasses personal and societal dimensions, unveiling a tapestry of influences including personal experiences, societal encounters, artistic styles, environmental nuances, technological advancements, sources of inspiration, and collaborative relationships. Through meticulous research and surveying, this investigation identified the paramount features that resonate most profoundly with the artistic vision of eight eminent painters. This study highlights the top three as being most influential in their creative journey. Future research endeavors should focus on conducting a more systematic case study of African American artists in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of their features. This will involve finding primary information and reference materials to make a deeper investigation into the influencing features on Africa American female artists between the 1960s and 2000s.

New Media in Visual Communication Design and the Information Representation Skills of Art Students

This study examines the interplay between challenges and opportunities in the application of new media in visual communication design among art students. Through qualitative analysis of participant narratives and quantitative evaluations, the study identifies significant challenges related to adapting to new technologies, maintaining creativity, and integrating traditional cultural elements into modern frameworks. Key difficulties include resistance to change and gaps in technical skills, which hinder the effective use of new media tools and the incorporation of cultural symbols. Conversely, the study highlights several opportunities presented by new media. These include the flexibility to work beyond traditional constraints, a diverse array of technological tools that enrich the creative process, and the ability to preserve and promote traditional Chinese culture. New media’s dynamic and adaptable nature enables students to engage audiences more effectively and creatively while maintaining cultural relevance. The synthesis of challenges and opportunities reveals a complex landscape where the benefits of new media are counterbalanced by significant obstacles. Addressing these challenges through improved educational strategies and support systems is crucial for maximizing the advantages of new media. By bridging technical skill gaps and fostering adaptability, students can better utilize new media to enhance visual communication and cultural representation, ultimately leading to more impactful and meaningful creative outputs.

Legal Protection of Copyright Works and Complex Intellectual Property Objects on Social Networks: Court Practice Issues

The paper examines modern approaches of court practice in order to determine the legal nature of complex intellectual property objects, as well as creative outputs generated on social networks. The author analyzes the Judicial Review of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 2024 and the practice of the Intellectual Property Rights Court, devoted to topical issues of judicial protection of creative outputs on the Internet, as well as doctrinal sources, foreign experience on the issues under consideration. A legal analysis of complex intellectual property objects, ways of using them on the Internet, as well as gaps in legislative regulation in this area is carried out. The issues of the legal status of the information intermediary, the definition of the violator in social networks, especially on telegram channels, as well as the possibilities and criteria for the application of interim measures in case of violation of copyright and related rights are considered separately. In addition, cases and examples from law enforcement practice are considered when the copyright holder may, at their discretion, allow or prohibit other persons from using the result of intellectual activity or a means of individualization, since the absence of a ban is not considered consent (permission), which is a frequent violation, especially on the Internet.

The creative agency of large language models: a philosophical inquiry

AbstractThis paper explores the difficult question of whether Large Language Models (LLMs) are intrinsically creative. Because they can independently create original content, LLMs are often seen as creative agents. Contrary to the belief that LLMs are creative, this paper argues that LLMs are not creative for two reasons. First, LLMs are not creative because they lack an essential component of creativity, which is the first-person experience of the world. Secondly, LLMs are not creative because they are not the principal authors of their creative output, for they lack the subjective awareness and intentionality necessary to be regarded as authors, and their output is a collaborative effort of the AI model, data providers, and other stakeholders. Since they are not full-fledged authors in a traditional sense, they are not creative.

Investigating the relationship between stereotyping and creativity during marketing campaigns in marketeers and audiences

Stereotyping others in a creative process may negatively affect creative output, yet there is currently scant empirical evidence of a link between stereotyping and creativity; here, we explore this link in marketing communications. In a quasi-experiment, we introduced a novel intervention to disrupt marketeers’ dependency on stereotypes and boost their creativity. The intervention decreased marketeers’ use of stereotypes when selecting consumer labels—descriptive labels of a typical consumer based on consumer information—while enhancing the creativity of ideas. In another set of online experiments, we asked British residents to rate the creativity of advertisements and purchase intentions toward advertising products with different levels of stereotypical depictions of people. We found a linear relationship between the stereotypical depictions of people in advertisements and perceived creativity. We also observed a potential U-shaped relationship between stereotypical representations of people in advertisements and purchase intention, such that advertisements with low and high stereotypical representations induced greater purchase intention than did those with medium stereotypical representations. Finally, we discuss the psychological mechanisms that potentially link stereotyping and creativity and the implications for marketing communications.

Editorial

This edition addresses the need to rethink the (nature of) creative labour in the field of performing arts because artists’ as well as critics’ and (semi-)professional viewers’ creative outputs often seem extremely obscure or even inaccessible to ‘outsiders’. It may even appear to many that one is required to possess a particular kind of sensibility if they want to be involved in contemporary performing arts practices – in layman’s terms we often equate this with specific ‘knowledge’ or ‘understanding’, or even ‘the way/ how we Watch’; namely, certain (artistic) practices make no sense to an untrained gaze that doesn’t understand them, so this sensibility seems indispensable in processing such practices to prevent a barricade of anticipated rejection or exclusion as a response to misunderstanding.

Phillip K. Dick: A Psychotic Prophet?

The clinical potential of creativity research remains largely unexplored. Philip K. Dick’s deeply personal writings, particularly his journal following a psychotic episode, provide a rare insight into the neuropsychological processes that drive creativity. His unique blend of psychological depth and philosophical science fiction has profoundly impacted literature and popular culture, securing his place as one of the leading science fiction authors of the 20th century. Drawing on his own experiences with mental illness, Dick delved into themes like ontological insecurity, psychosis, dissociation, and drug addiction. Considerable research has explored the connection between madness and creativity. Building on this, the essay will apply clinical nosology to diagnose Dick as a case study, aiming to uncover how his psychopathology influenced his life and creative output. The second part will review recent research on creativity, focusing on factors that enhance our understanding of the roots of his genius. Progressing the neuropsychology of creativity holds significant clinical, social, and economic promise

Evaluating the Impact of Behavioral Stress on Employee Productivity and Innovation in the Higher Education Sector of Pakistan

This research examines the effect of behavioral stress on employees’ performance and innovativeness in the higher education Industry of Pakistan. This involves forces put on the employees from personal or organizational factors which place psychological and emotional strains on them. In HEIs, these pressures are further compounded by workload, management pressure and expectations, role clarity and identity confusion, and fast technological changes that characterize the sector that could impact on individual and contextual productivity. The proposed research also follows a mixed-methods approach aimed at identifying the correlation between behavioral stress with productivity and innovation of the employees. Using a questionnaire, quantitative data were obtained from academic as well as administrative staff drawn from different universities in Pakistan regarding their stress level, job performance, and innovation capability. More open-ended interviews were conducted to establish which of these causes of stress impinges on the employees’ performance of their creative roles and output. These findings revealed the negative relationship between behavioral stress and averagely poor productivity of the employees since the high levels of stress affected efficiency, job interest, and performance of the employees. Another area, which promote creativity, open-mindedness and freedom, failed as stressed workers said that they had lower probability to experiment or introduce new ideas. Other organizational characteristics like lack of support from managers, role ambiguity and also scarcity of resources compounded the stress level of the employees and thereby limiting their productivity and innovation. But the employees who had positive leadership styles and good organizational climate experienced less stress and worked better in terms of performance and innovation. Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that one of the constructs; behavior stress is a key factor that degrades both, productivity and innovation in higher education sector of Pakistan. To overcome this, institutions should come up with supportive policies that will enhance work life balance, communications and counseling services. Therefore, by dealing with stress organizers and self-organizers, higher education institutions can create the best working environment that will be healthy, innovative and productive.

AI Technology Integrated Education Model for Empowering Fashion Design Ideation

The rapidly increasing importance of technology integration and generative AI in the fashion industry is prompting changes in fashion design education. This study explored a new design methodology utilizing AI for sustainable and future-oriented fashion design education. The methodology involved consulting practitioners to select ChatGPT and Midjourney as AI tools and technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) as the theoretical framework. An AI prompt guide was developed based on specialized books, from which an educational program was created. An experiment with 30 third- and fourth-year fashion design students showed that their overall satisfaction with AI through TPACK was 4 out of 5, suggesting that TPACK enhances students’ creativity and efficiency through generative AI. Prompt guides received a satisfaction score of 4.7, indicating their usefulness for creative and efficient design outputs. AI-powered educational programs, like ChatGPT and Midjourney, also improved student creativity and learning efficiency, with ChatGPT scoring 4.5. However, concerns about technology dependency were noted. This study offers insights into integrating the latest technology into fashion design to improve process efficiency and creative output. This study not only provides a foundation for future research on AI design methodology but also explores practical directions for sustainable design in the fashion industry.

Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Employee Creativity in China

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity in China. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity in China has shown that leaders who inspire and motivate employees significantly enhance creative output. Transformational leaders foster an environment that encourages innovation by providing intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration, which in turn boosts employees' intrinsic motivation and willingness to take risks. Studies indicate that such leadership styles positively impact employees' creative problem-solving abilities and the generation of novel ideas. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Transformational leadership theory, social exchange theory & self-determination theory may be used to anchor future studies on relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity in China. Organizations should design and implement leadership development programs that emphasize transformational leadership behaviors proven to enhance creativity, such as fostering intellectual stimulation and providing personalized support. Policymakers should create guidelines that integrate transformational leadership principles into organizational policies, particularly those related to performance management and leadership evaluation.

"Tinc talent. Sé que tinc talent!": figures autorials al teatre de les dramaturgues catalanes del segle XXI

The gradual normalization of female authorship in 21st-century Catalan theater prompts us to examine the impact of the notion of authorship on the creative output of female playwrights. Authorial studies, along with recent feminist analyses, offer paths for addressing these inquiries by delving into how the concept of the author is socially constructed and how it influences the reception of artistic works. Drawing from the works of Dominique Maingueneau, Christine Planté, Meri Torras Francès, and Aina Pérez Fontdevila, this article undertakes the analysis of three plays that incor­porate female authorial figures in their narratives: Cabaret diabòlic (2003) by Beth Escu­dé, La indiana (2007) by Àngels Aymar, and Màtria (2017) by Carla Rovira. The female author characters in these works navigate the canonical representation of the author, highlighting its gender-exclusive nature and deconstructing its most prominent attrib­utes. These authorial figures serve as mechanisms of self-legitimization while simulta­neously championing female authors of the past.

György Ligeti, Friction, and the Uncertain Image

The current succession of centenaries of members of a significant group of European composers who made their work in the second half of the twentieth century gives us cause to think again about the historical situation they faced, in the aftermath of the Second World War, and the ways in which their responses to that situation shaped both their creative output and the culture of the times. Using Anna Tsing’s notion of friction, as a productive force emanating from the unresolved co-presence of differences, this article examines the work of György Ligeti, and considers how his experience of multiple displacements, as a European Jew who experienced both Nazi and Soviet invasions, contributed to the formation of an aesthetic of mystery and irony, formulated here as the production of the uncertain image. Keywords: Ligeti, friction, Lowenhaupt Tsing, modernism, imperfection.

Explore the Teaching Design of English Reading based on the Alignment of Teaching, Learning and Evaluation

The “Alignment of Teaching, Learning and Evaluation” emphasizes the integration of teaching content, learning process and evaluation method in the whole teaching process, through which students’ comprehensive ability, teachers’ professional development and teaching reform can be facilitated. Taking Living Legends (Reading and Thinking) from Lesson 2, Unit 3, Book 1 by People’s Education Press as an example, this study explores how to guide students to complete the knowledge input, intake and creative output from text interpretation to practical application, then to innovation and transformation based on text and students analysis, aiming to sort out the specific methods and steps of integrated teaching, learning and assessment from macro planning to micro classroom teaching, and provide practical enlightenment for integrated reading teaching, learning and assessment in senior high school and useful data for theoretical research on teaching evaluation.

Operating in a second language lowers cognitive interference during creative idea generation: Evidence from brain oscillations in bilinguals

Tasks measuring human creativity overwhelmingly rely on both language comprehension and production. Although most of the world's population is bilingual, few studies have investigated the effects of language of operation on creative output. This is surprising given that fluent bilinguals master inhibitory control, a mechanism also at play in creative idea evaluation. Here, we compared creative output in the two languages of Polish(L1)-English(L2) bilinguals engaged in a cyclic adaptation of the Alternative Uses Task increasing the contribution of idea evaluation (convergent thinking). We show that Polish-English bilinguals suffer less cognitive interference when generating unusual uses for common objects in the L2 than the L1, without incurring a significant drop in idea originality. Right posterior alpha oscillation power, known to reflect creative thinking, increased over cycles. This effect paralleled the increase in originality ratings over cycles, and lower alpha power (8–10 Hz) was significantly greater in the L1 than the L2. Unexpectedly, we found greater beta (16.5–28 Hz) desynchronization in the L2 than the L1, suggesting that bilingual participants suffered less interference from competing mental representations when performing the task in the L2. Whereas creative output seems unaffected by language of operation overall, the drop in beta power in the L2 suggests that bilinguals are not subjected to the same level of semantic flooding in the second language as they naturally experience in their native language.