The Science of Creativity

Dr. Anna Abraham is a neuroscientist, a leading creativity researcher, and a professor at the University of Georgia. In addition to her cutting-edge research, Professor Abraham is the Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development, a research and outreach center at the University of Georgia. Dr. Abraham is doing cutting-edge research in some of the most important aspects of the human experience. She’s studied creativity, imagination, the reality-fiction distinction, and mental time travel. In this episode, we talk about her new book, The Creative Brain: Myths and Truths. The book helps us understand what science tells us about controversial topics. For example, is creativity connected to mental illness, psychedelic drugs, or autism? Listen to our interview to find out. For more information: Professor Anna Abraham's web site Her book The Creative Brain: Myths and Truths The Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at the University of Georgia Music by license from SoundStripe: "Uptown Lovers Instrumental" by AFTERNOONZ "Miss Missy" by AFTERNOONZ "What's the Big Deal" by Ryan Saranich   Copyright (c) 2024 Keith Sawyer

John Hendrix is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. His latest book is a graphic novel called The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. In this episode, John and I talk about his new book and about his own creative process. John’s work has appeared in numerous publications, such as Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Esquire, The New York Times, Time Magazine, National Geographic, among many others. His images also appeared in advertising campaigns for ESPN/ABC, AT&T, Pfizer, and Target. I interviewed John about his creative process for my 2025 book Learning to See: Inside the World's Leading Art and Design Schools. John is the Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art and the founding Chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. For more information: John Hendrix Illustration: www.johnhendrix.com The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis & J. R. R. Tolkien Sawyer's new book Learning to See will be published in April, 2025. Music by license from Soundstripe: "Uptown Lovers Instrumental" by AFTERNOONZ "Miss Missy" by AFTERNOONZ "What's the Big Deal" by Ryan Saranich   Copyright (c) 2024 Keith Sawyer  

The perfect podcast for the Christmas season! This is a special Christmas episode of The Science of Creativity. Many of the traditions that we love—gift-giving, Santa Claus, kissing under the mistletoe—were invented across the generations, and are always evolving. This special holiday episode gives you the creation story of the secular, non-religious traditions that we celebrate at Christmas. The collective creation of these Christmas traditions is what I call social innovation, a kind of collective creativity where everyone plays a role. Five hundred years ago, Christmas was a wild party, where young men got drunk and roamed in packs around town. Children didn’t start getting gifts until about 200 years ago. In the late 1800s, the Santa Claus myth was invented, along with the elves and the sleigh and the workshop at the North Pole. It started two thousand years ago, in Ancient Rome, it picked up steam in the 1800s, and we’re still creating new Christmas traditions today. Chapters 0:00 Teaser 1:11 Introduction to the Special Episode 2:12 Tradition and Invention 5:28 Wassailing 12:23 Toys 16:06 Santa Claus 21:25 The War on Christmas 25:24 The Holiday for Everyone 27:54 Closer 28:44 Outro Music by License from Soundstripe: “Blues for Oliver” by Cast of Characters “Silent Night” by Cast of Characters “O Christmas Tree” by O Christmas Tree Jazz Trio “Just Walkin’” by Ryan Saranich “Uptown Lovers” by AFTERNOONZ  Notes The Pagan Origins of Christmas: Saturnalia, Yule, and Other Pre-Christian Traditions | History Cooperative Wikipedia entries: “The war on Christmas” and “Wassailing” and “Syncretism”  Copyright (c) 2024 Keith Sawyer

Kit White is the author of the international best-selling book 101 Things To Learn In Art School, which is based on his experience as a professor of art for 21 years at the Pratt Institute in New York. Many of the original drawings from the book are in the collection of the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery at the Corcoran School of Art and Design, George Washington University. He’s had more than 25 solo exhibitions of his artworks in galleries and museums. His artworks are in the permanent collections of the Guggenheim Museum, New York, and many others. He's frequently featured in magazines, newspapers, and television, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Nation. In addition to Pratt, he’s taught at Vanderbilt, McGill, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Frick Collection. His work is the subject of a monograph by Carter Ratcliff, Line Into Form. For more information: 101 Things To Learn In Art School www.kitwhiteart.com Music by license from SoundStripe: "Uptown Lovers Instrumental" by AFTERNOONZ "Miss Missy" by AFTERNOONZ "What's the Big Deal" by Ryan Saranich Copyright (c) 2024 Keith Sawyer