Editors’ Introduction: The Power of ‘Showing How It Happened’

Abstract

Creativity in research is much in demand and always lauded. Every year, the top creative universities are ranked, and at all career stages, from student to experienced professor, academics want to—and are expected to—be creative. Most researchers have more or less explicit creative practices, but many do not know exactly how to cultivate creativity, let alone how to teach it. Based on a view of creativity as a socio-cultural act, with this book we wish to give space to fresh voices in the discussion of researcher creativity. The book introduces the idea that creativity in research is not a method or a set of techniques we apply to our work. Manuals on creativity and innovation often report the creative processes in terms of stages or as the ability to perform divergent thinking. A creative research practice springs from a curious, sensitive and playful life as a human being. Plans are fine. However, if we are preoccupied with how things were supposed to play out, we may not see and take in the inspirational sources right in front of us. We may think that we need to clean up the mess, get a grip and get back on track before we can proceed with the (tidy) research. We may even think that other researchers are much more successful in this respect. They are not. The contributors are a mix of early-career and experienced researchers in the fields of education, healthcare, business, creativity and social work, among others. Some are part-time and others full-time researchers; some have engaged in research late in life and others have embarked on doctoral studies right after their master's degrees. They are all genuinely curious researchers who interact creatively with life circumstances, obstacles and opportunities and are bold enough to share. We are grateful to you all for detouring with us. Thank you for showing how it happened! Last but not least, special thanks to Vlad Glaveanu and Brady Wagoner, the series editors, for setting off with us, and to Vlad for rounding off the trip with some final reflections on detours in methodology and research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)