Professor James C. Kaufman, author of Creativity 101 and the forthcoming Creativity Advantage, explains that by associating creativity with geniuses, we fail to recognize everyday creativity in ourselves and others. “We have certain fixed ideas about creativity. A lot of people . . . assume, well, Shakespeare’s creative, Einstein’s creative,” he says. “But there are all these gradations and levels of creativity. Creativity is not just about the arts; it applies to everything that involves the process of problem solving.”

Any evidence supporting the link between creativity and mental illness is extremely tenuous, says Prof James C Kaufman at the University of Connecticut. “Historiometric” analyses, for example, have plumbed the biographies of notable artists. While these studies seem to suggest that mental illness is more prevalent in creative personalities, any post-hoc diagnoses, based purely on a text, have to be treated with great caution. “They are not super objective,” says Kaufman. “Very few creativity researchers believe there is a strong connection.” And the idea that mental anguish may inspire great art certainly shouldn’t be grounds for avoiding treatment for a serious conditions, he says.

Sponsored by Sacred Heart University and CEA, the Institute will feature three outstanding keynotes: Peter Gamwell (pictured above), co-author of Thinker, Learner, Dreamer, Doer: Innovative Pedagogies for Cultivating Every Student’s Potential; James C. Kaufman, author and editor of more than 50 books, including Creativity 101; and Timothy D. Walker, coauthor of In Teachers We Trust: The Finnish Way to World-Class Schools.

“Parents who want their kids to be more creative may be tempted to enroll them in arts classes or splurge on STEM-themed toys. Those things certainly can help, but as a professor of educational psychology who has written extensively about creativity, I can draw on more than 70 years of creativity research to make additional suggestions that are more likely to be effective – and won’t break your budget,” says James Kaufman, a professor of educational psychology at the Neag School of Education.

“Parents who want their kids to be more creative may be tempted to enroll them in arts classes or splurge on STEM-themed toys. Those things certainly can help, but as a professor of educational psychology who has written extensively about creativity, I can draw on more than 70 years of creativity research to make additional suggestions that are more likely to be effective – and won’t break your budget,” says James Kaufman, a professor of educational psychology at UConn’s Neag School of Education.

“Creativity is not mysterious or magical, but something everybody can do,” says James C. Kaufman, Ph.D., a professor of educational psychology at the University of Connecticut. Within psychology, creativity is usually understood as the ability to produce things or objects that are new (at least to the person creating the work) and useful, or appropriate for the situation or purpose, says John Kounios, Ph.D., a professor of psychological and brain science at Drexel University. However, he prefers to define creativity as a way of reorganizing the elements of a situation or a thought.

Dr James Kaufman is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut and the author/editor of more than 50 books, including Creativity 101 and the Cambridge Handbook of Creativity with Robert Sternberg. In this podcast, the host and guest talk about the connection between mental health and creativity, a topic that endlessly fascinates the host.

Washington Post (James Kaufman is quoted about creativity and healthy aging)

Creative activities served as a buffer that helped many older adults cope with isolation, stress and fear during the pandemic, according to James C. Kaufman of the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. He points to research that suggests that participation in arts—crafts as well as dance, singing or painting—helps increase social engagement, stave off depression and keep older adults mentally engaged and active.

Looking for an inspiring discussion of creativity and its potential? In this episode, Joe Binetti talks to renowned creativity expert Professor James C. Kaufman of the University of Connecticut, who co-developed the influential Four-Cs model of creativity – amongst many other things.