A short but engaging exploration of our changing perception of creativity.

Creativity was once seen as the mark of mad geniuses, troubled souls, and avant-garde eccentrics. Today, however, we expect to find the trait thriving in and around us. Why? In Creativity, Jan L hmann Stephensen provides a historical and contemporary view of creativity and explains why it is not always the answer to every problem. From van Gogh to Springsteen, L hmann Stephensen explores the creative process of artists in order to craft a new theory of creativity--marking it as a collective and dynamic process in flux, rather than a finished product with a set endpoint and sole creator. Finally, he warns, in the twenty-first century, the importance that employers place on creativity has warped the concept into a ubiquitous economic commodity.

Reflections

In Reflections, a series copublished with Denmark's Aarhus University Press, scholars deliver 60-page reflections on a key concept that encapsulates their years of study and research. These books present unique insights on a wide range of topics and concepts--everything from love, trust, and play to corruption, welfare, and sleep--that entertain and enlighten readers with exciting discoveries and new perspectives.