The Cult of CReativity Review. Riders on a Brainstorm
‘The Cult of Creativity’ Review: Riders on the Brainstorm
Are you creative at work? Maybe you don’t compose sonatas, write poetry or design buildings. Still, whether you’re in banking, engineering, technology or any other nonartistic field, you might perform acts of creativity—and consider that a good thing. After all, when it comes to hiring, we’ve been told creativity is a highly sought-after quality, alongside others such as integrity, dedication and global thinking. In 2020, the World Economic Forum identified creativity as “the one skill that will future-proof you for the jobs market.”Despite its outsize importance in the workplace, creativity as a job qualification is a relatively new concept. The first-known written instance of the word didn’t appear in print until 1875, and before roughly 1950 there was nary an article, book or lecture on the topic. In “The Cult of Creativity: A Surprisingly Recent History,” Samuel Franklin, a cultural historian and researcher at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, explains how an ensemble of psychologists, advertising gurus and other experts raised the profile of this personality trait by promoting it as a secret weapon during the Cold War. For these advocates, cultivating creativity accomplished two goals of national importance: ensuring scientific and technological progress in the face of growing competition from the U.S.S.R., and restoring individualism—a quintessentially American principle.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8What to Read NextSponsored OffersVistaPrint: VistaPrint promo code: Up to 50% off wedding invitationsWalmart: $25 Off Walmart Promo Code | Valid on Any $50 OrderGroupon: Up to $50 off any order with Groupon promo codeTurboTax: Save up to $15 with TurboTax coupon 2023The Motley Fool: Epic Bundle - 3x Expert Stock RecommendationsH&R Block Tax: 15% OFF DIY Online Tax Filing Services | H&R Block Coupon