Snowflake Model of Creativity

of David Perkins, (the current document is an adaptation)
  1. Tolerate complexity, disorganization, and asymmetry. Enjoy the challenge of struggling through chaos toward resolution.
  2. Excel in problem solving skills. Find creative solutions and good answers. Feel for questions which have potential to lead to discoveries.
  3. Mobility for perspectives on and approaches to problems. Think in opposites or contraries, metaphors and analogies and challenge assumptions.
  4. Willingness to take risks. Accept failure as part of the creative quest. Ability to learn from mistakes. Work at the edge of competence.
  5. Scrutinize and judge own ideas. Seek criticism and advise. Put aside own ego. Test ideas.
  6. Motivation for its own sake, not for grades or pay. Catalysis is enjoyment, satisfaction, and challenge for the work itself.
Adapted from uwsp.edu, Picture credit: Patricia Rasmusson.
Oliver Knill, Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, One Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. SciCenter 432 Tel: (617) 495 5549, Email: knill@math.harvard.edu Quantum calculus blog, Twitter, Youtube, TikTok, Vimeo, Linkedin, Scholar Harvard, Academia, Harvard Academia, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Slashdot, Ello, Webcam, Spring 2020 office hours: Tentative: Mon-Fri 9-10 AM and 5-6 PM and by appointment.