Understanding and Overcoming Creative Blocks

Creativity is not just for artists or makers, so how can we build creativity and move from having an idea to doing something with it? 

Joining Jill for this conversation is Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, a senior research scientist and the author of The Creativity Choice. Zorana discusses her journey into the world of creativity, the broader definition of creative acts beyond the arts, and how our emotions play a crucial role in creative processes. 

She emphasizes embracing discomfort, finding inspiration in frustration, and the necessity for community and collaboration in creative endeavors. 

This episode is a must-listen if you're curious to explore your own creative potential and bust the myth that creativity is just for the naturally gifted artists.

Listen and Learn:

• How a formative childhood experience with art and creative differences sparked Zorana’s lifelong passion for studying creativity
• How creativity isn’t limited to the arts; it can appear in everyday life, work, and problem-solving, showing that everyone has the potential to be creative
• Overcoming fear, uncertainty, and the ‘gap trap’ by embracing discomfort, practicing creative self-efficacy
• Why creativity is less about sudden inspiration and more about exploring problems deeply, asking questions, experimenting, and allowing solutions to emerge
• How both positive and negative emotions serve as valuable information that can inspire creativity
• Why creative blocks are a normal part of the process, and why approaching them with self-compassion can help overcome them and restore creative flow
• How creativity and community intersect, and how collaboration or social connections can support the creative process

Resources:

• Zorana’s Website: https://www.zorana-ivcevic-pringle.com/
• The Creativity Choice: The Science of Making Decisions to Turn Ideas Into Action: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9781541704329 
• Zorana's Substack Newsletter: https://creativitydecision.substack.com/ 
• Connect with Zorana on Social Media
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zorana-ivcevic-pringle/ 
• BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/z-i-pringle.bsky.social 
• Twitter: https://x.com/ZoranaPsych 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZoranaIvcevicPringle 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.z.i.pringle/

About Zorana Ivcevic Pringle

Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Zorana studies the role of emotion in creativity and well-being, examines the role of the arts and art-related institutions in building creativity, and wants to know how we move from having an idea to doing something with it. She edited the Cambridge Handbook of Creativity and Emotions, publishes research in creativity studies, and speaks to diverse audiences about creativity and how to make it happen. Zorana received the Award for Excellence in Research from the Mensa Education and Research Foundation and the Berlyne Award for Outstanding Early Career Achievement in psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts from the American Psychological Association.

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