Plumbing the mysteries of creativity

HONESDALE, PA — The Wayne County Arts Alliance (WCAA) will offer a seminar and workshop in creative thinking from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 15. The course will deal with creativity in its broadest aspects, as it is used not only by poets and painters but at work and home, scientists, teachers, parents and business people.

The seminar section will explore the creative process throughout human history from our hunter-gatherer ancestors to Classical times of Greece and Rome to the Renaissance, the industrial revolution and 20th- and 21st-century technology. The many scientific discoveries that were made, not by controlled experiments but by the creative process, will be discussed. It will be argued that the scientific method, which begins with inductive reasoning, is much the same as the creative process. The steps that lead to illumination (the eureka moment) will also be outlined.

In the workshop section, participants will have the opportunity to practice a series of creative thinking exercises: creating captions, finding multiple solutions for serious problems and connecting seemingly unrelated observations, nine exercises in all. A poetry creation session will engage the group in writing an original lyrical poem using the poetic method.

The event will be held at the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce on Commercial Street. The class size is limited; early registration is advised. The fee is $20 ($15 for WCAA members) to cover the cost of materials and lunch.

For more information email wcaa@waynecountyartsalliance.org or call 570/253-6850.