Patricia Stokes
2018-04-16
Creativity & Imagination

Creativity From Constraints with Patricia Stokes

“The most important thing is what you are working against.” — Patricia Stokes

Today I’m delighted to speak with Patricia Stokes, an adjunct professor at Barnard College who studies problem solving and creativity/innovation. Stokes is author of the book Creativity from Constraints: The Psychology of Breakthrough, which was informed by her psychological research as well as her background in art and advertising.

In this episode, we cover:

– How Patricia went from art and advertising to creativity researcher

– The importance of constraints and variability for creativity

– How constraints can promote or preclude creativity

– Using constraints to solve the “creativity problem”

– How “the solution path defines the goal state”

– The four major constraints on creativity

– How teachers and parents should praise children for optimal creativity

– How to reward the courage to be novel

– The importance of constraints in fashion and literature

– How to explain Lady Gaga’s creativity

About the guest

Patricia Stokes

Podcast Guest

Patricia D. Stokes is an American psychologist and adjunct professor at Barnard College whose research focuses on problem solving, creativity, and innovation. She is the author of Creativity from Constraints: The Psychology of Breakthrough.

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