The importance of nurture for creativity

In his new book "Focus", Daniel Goleman offers ample evidence for the importance of nurture - as envisioned in this blog- , especially for creativity. He rightly points out that today, when information is no longer a scarce resource, organizing it in unique and creative ways will give one the edge.  Goleman discusses the importance of serendipitous associations and novel combinations in creativity. These arise when our brains are in that sweet spot of  "open awareness": free to wander, but also involuntarily under our control where the connections among our existing knowledge is being tapped into. In some ways this is similar to the state of "flow". For example, sportsmen often attribute their success to their being in the - zone. This is a state when they are fully focused on the opponent, and yet are unconsciously and effortlessly drawing upon the skills and knowledge  acquired over their years of practice, to come up with creative ways to beat their opponent and match their every move.

The ability of our brain to be in a state of open awareness diminishes both when we are hyper focused or hyper distracted . Information overload creates mental fatigue, because of the effort needed to focus amidst the din, and also due to the distractions of our environment even when we are not engaged in a specific task. The brain therefore needs rest to rejuvenate. Here again there is a difference between "switching off" by watching a TV show and immersing ourselves fully in something enjoyable. The former is disengagement, and is just the first step in rejuvenation. Drawing from Stephen Kaplan's "attention restoration theory", Goleman discusses why a walk in a park is more rejuvenating than a walk in a busy street - we still need to focus to navigate our way through the streets.

This immersive experience - positive absorption- where we are focused yet passive, allows the top down system of our brain; the one most involved in focus and problem solving, to rejuvenate. Creating protected periods of time -creative cocoons- is essential for creativity.