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The secret to creativity revealed
The Framework: Why these archetypes — and not others?
To understand creativity you have to decode the "DNA" of the creative idea. Do that and you unlock the secrets of what it takes to produce creative ideas in the real world. This truth can be explained in three simple steps ...
1. THE REQUISITES
1. THE REQUISITES
All creative ideas have three requisite properties:
Valuable — they are worthwhile, useful, meaningful
New — novel, unique, different from what has gone before
Counterintuitive — non-obvious, strange, even "wrong"
2. THE CAPABILITIES
2. THE CAPABILITIES
Each requisite necessitates a different capability from you:
To make an idea that's valuable you need expertise
To make an idea that's new you need openness
To make an idea that's counterintuitive you need oddness
3. THE PRIMARY ARCHETYPES
3. THE PRIMARY ARCHETYPES
Each capability is embodied in a symbolic character:
Expertise is represented by the Sage
Openness is represented by the Explorer
Oddness is represented by the Trickster
The archetypes are not an idea imposed on creativity from the outside. They are what creativity is made of, given symbolic form.
This approach derives from a synthesis of creativity science, anthropology, Jungian theory, and cultural history.
The Nine Secondary Archetypes
Each of the primary archetypes are composed of three secondary archetypes:
The Sage (expertise) is a fusion of:
The Professor — governing erudition (theoretical and historical knowledge)
The Virtuoso — governing competence (technical skill and mastery)
The Beggar — governing experience (accumulated wisdom from immersive practice)
The Explorer (openness) is a fusion of:
The Child — governing curiosity (active drive to explore and discover)
The Philosopher — governing tolerance (comfort with ambiguity, doubt, change, and difference)
The Mother — governing egolessness (humility, collaboration, subordinating self to the work)
The Trickster (oddness) is a fusion of:
The Rebel — governing counter-dominance (fighting against convention, courage to stand out)
The Madman — governing irrationality (obsession, instinct, unconventional logic, embracing the impossible)
The Spirit — governing otherworldliness (magical thinking, mystery, the transcendent and supernatural)
Within one person, many configurations are possible.
You might have a strong overall Sage because of your detailed knowledge of the field and your excellent technical skills, but perhaps your Beggar is weak because you're anxious about performing and have always avoided it.
You might be curious (high Child) but rather self-centred (low Mother). You might be a defiant rule-breaker (high Rebel) but a super rational person (low Madman), even a sceptic and atheist (low Spirit), leading to an overall moderate Trickster level.
System Architecture
The Research Background
The Creative Archetypes Profile was developed by Dr. Michael Bloomfield, who holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of East London, where is is a former lecturer. Dr. Bloomfield has also taught at a number of prestigious institutions including Brunel University London, Bayes Business School and the London Interdisciplinary School. He has delivered keynote talks and training for IBM, Barclays, Deloitte and Procter & Gamble and has consulted on creativity, culture and semiotics for the BBC, Virgin, Nokia and Audi. The CAP is built on thirty years of doctoral research into how creativity actually works.
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