Davis Publications the Creativ Eprocess Creative Process for Art Students

From the Existing Creative and Artistic Processes to the Creative Creative Process

The creative process is defined as a succession of thoughts and actions leading to original and advisable productions (Lubart, 2001; Lubart et al., 2015). The creative procedure may exist described at two levels: a macro level, featuring the stages of the creative process, and a micro level, which explains the mechanisms underlying the artistic process, east.k., divergent thinking or convergent thinking (Botella et al., 2016). Although the works carried out on micro-processes tend to agree on a set of mechanisms that can be involved in the creative process, piece of work focusing on macroprocesses have not accomplished consensus regarding the nature or the number of stages involved in the creative process. Tabular array ane shows some of the unlike models that tin be found in the scientific literature, with overlaps or divisions between some stages of the models. In this paper, nosotros treat micro-processes equally contents of a more than global, macro-level process, which brand it possible to describe the construction of a work of art from the get-go (i.e., the wish to create) to the stop (exhibiting that work). Moreover, the process can be examined in a psychological and individual or in a socio-cultural perspective (Glǎveanu, 2010; Burnard, 2012). In the present report situated in the visual art field, nosotros volition consider the artistic creative process equally an individual phenomenon.

Tabular array 1. Synthesis of some examples of models of creative process.

Art is oftentimes considered to be an archetypal domain of creativity enquiry (Schlewitt-Haynes et al., 2002; Stanko-Kaczmarek, 2012), complimented past research on scientific, musical, pattern-oriented, and literary creativity (Glaveanu et al., 2013). Even if some overlap tin can be observed betwixt different artistic fields, each field has its ain specificities (Botella and Lubart, 2015). The purpose of this section is to merge some existing models of the creative process and artistic procedure to examine what the creative creative process could be. Obviously, this section cannot be exhaustive just offers a first consideration of the numerous of import stages of the artistic creative process.

The procedure starts by an orientation, in which the individual identifies the trouble that must be solved (Osborn, 1953/1963), chosen as well a phase of problem selection (Busse and Mansfield, 1980) or a sensitivity to problems (Guilford, 1956). Problem definition involves producing as many questions as possible. For Runco and Dow (1999), problem-finding refers to a procedure of "sensing gaps" (Torrance, 1962)—that is, detecting elements that are defective. In the same vein, Bruford (2015) proposed a stage of differentiation consisting of retaining information that leads to producing something dissimilar, involving interpretative and expressive musical differences. Additionally, Mumford et al. (1994) suggested making a stardom between discovering a trouble (i.east., rejecting problems that are untrue, incorrect, or incomplete; Getzels and Csikszentmihalyi, 1976; Arlin, 1986), posing the problem (i.east., finding a right formulation), and amalgam a problem (i.e., describing the problem). In the creative field, Fürst et al. (2012) proposed a model of art production that includes a goal of creation.

So, there is preparation, the beginning stage described in the early macroprocess model by Wallas (1926). Carson (1999) explained that, in this stage, the individual defines the trouble (or understands information technology; Treffinger, 1995) and gathers information in social club to solve it. Based on a series of interviews with novelists, Doyle (1998) argued that the artistic procedure begins with an incident, when an individual discovers an idea. In the artistic process literature, Mace and Ward (2002) proposed a four-phase model based on interviews with professional artists. For them, the creative process begins with the design of an artistic work. Hence, work is initiated past a more than-or-less vague idea or impression. Recently, based also on a series of interviews with professional person artists, Botella et al. (2013) identified six stages in the creative procedure in fine art, starting by an idea or a "vision" in which an paradigm, a sight, a sound resonates with the creative person.

Before the second chief stage described by Wallas (1926), some authors added complementary stages later on preparation. Based on a previous review of the literature, Botella et al. (2011) suggest a phase of concentration ("I am concentrating on the piece of work I take to exercise") in which it is possible to focus the creator's attention on those solutions accounted to exist acceptable, and to decline the other solutions (Carson, 1999). Osborn (1953/1963) added analysis, when the creator takes a step back to identify the relations between ideas and the importance of each idea; and ideation, when the individual develops culling ideas. Busse and Mansfield (1980) indicated also a stage requiring making an effort in order to solve the problem.

Then, according to Wallas (1926) and many other authors, incubation occurs (Osborn, 1953/1963; Shaw, 1989, 1994; Runco, 1997; Runco and Dow, 1999; Botella et al., 2011). This is a time of solitude and relaxation, where idea associations accept place at a hidden level (Carson, 1999). Recently, Sadler-Smith (2016) reintegrated a 5th stage in the Wallas' model: intimation occurs betwixt incubation and insight. Intimation is described as an "association-train" in a fringe conscious level, between conscious and unconscious levels (p. 346). Cropley and Cropley (2012) revisited too Wallas'south work and split the stage of incubation into activation and generation. The process once once more becomes conscious in the phase of ideation, with the generation of farther ideas, which are not necessarily judged or assessed. The individual then experiences an illumination or insight (Eureka!) with the emergence of an idea, an image or a solution (Wallas, 1926; Carson, 1999). Boden (2004) noted that illumination or insight needs previous thought-processes.

Idea generation can take identify in diverse ways co-ordinate to the different models. Busse and Mansfield (1980) described a stage in which the creator sets the constraints related to the solution of the problem and, then, another phase involving the transformation of these constraints or adaptation of the constraints that are non suitable. For Doyle (1998), there is some form of navigation between various knowledge domains, which makes information technology possible to assess the relevance of this idea. Based on Dewey (1934), Bruford (2015) proposed a selection stage in which the creator choses one selection amidst several, requiring bureau and control abilities. In the field of art, Mace and Ward (2002) named this step idea evolution in which the creative person structures, completes, and restructures the idea. Botella et al. (2013), through interviews with professional artists identified a stage of documentation and reflection during which artists assemble more than information nigh the materials and technologies required in gild to turn their vision into reality. The last phase described by Wallas (1926) is verification (Busse and Mansfield, 1980). New ideas are tested and verified, leading to the elaboration of a solution and to its production (Carson, 1999). More precisely, Osborn (1953/1963) proposed ii distinct phases of synthesis, which consists of gathering ideas together and distinguishing relations between them.

Gruber (1989) argued that the 4-stage model is incomplete. For Russ (1993), there lacks a stage of application, or deployment of the creative production. Treffinger (1995) added effectively a phase of idea production, leading to action past planning. This work corresponds to the development and implementation of ideas through a search for solutions (evaluation, selection, and redefinition), and so the acceptance of this solution (promoting an idea, looking for its strengths and drawbacks). This last phase makes it possible to materialize the ideas that have been found and to solve the problem. In this vein, in the field of art, Mace and Ward (2002) described the realization of an idea, during which the creative person transforms that idea into a concrete entity. Botella et al. (2011) also added stages of planning ("I am planning my work"), and product ("I am producing/composing my ideas"). Results of observations in the art field suggested that the product phase is comprised, in fact, of 2 stages: a stage that consists of searching for ideas through the creative gesture (sketches, drafts, mock-ups), then a stage consisting of the realization of an idea that is already synthetic (transposing an thought to a concrete medium). The initial stage of "production" describes a similar action, merely the underlying cognitive micro-processes are different. In the first case, the goal is to produce in guild to formulate an thought whereas in the second case, it is to produce in order to implement an thought that already exists. In a study consisting of interviews of professional person artists, Botella et al. (2013) confirmed the stages of get-go sketches to give a material form to the initial project, testing the forms and ideas that originated from reflection and preliminary piece of work, and provisional objects, "drafts" and almost-finished products. Revisiting Wallas' model, Cropley and Cropley (2012) mentioned a stage of communication, equally Bruford (2015) with musicians.

For Osborn (1953/1963), the last stage is evaluation (Runco and Dow, 1999; or assessment for Bruford, 2015), in which the private assesses the chosen idea. For Mace and Ward (2002), the final step of the creative process, called finalization, brings the artistic piece of work to conclusion (or validation co-ordinate to Botella et al., 2011; Cropley and Cropley, 2012). The artist reassesses the production and may choose to stop, to elaborate, abandon, delay, shop, or destroy information technology. If the creative person believes the mission that was set has been accomplished, the artist may choose to exhibit the product. Recently, professional artists suggested to add 1 more than phase with series, transforming a commencement object to many objects (Botella et al., 2013).

All these models were developed based on rational or empirical approaches. Original works and models from Poincaré and Wallas' were conceived based, respectively, on their own experience and businesslike empirical observations. Patrick (1935, 1937) supported Wallas proposal by collecting empirical data in terms of observations and verbal reports of poets and artists who were invited to do a specific creative chore. Nigh of the "stage models" are and so based on this kind of rational or empirical analyses, with verbalizations, specifications, and clarifications of the processes by the participants themselves in the majority of cases. Therefore, these models maybe be considered as a specific arroyo to creativity, singled-out from the psychometric, problem finding or cerebral experimental approaches (Kozbelt et al., 2010). Recent studies on the 4-stages model of Wallas confirmed again that researchers practise not agree on the number of stages: Cropley and Cropley (2012) found seven stages whereas Sadler-Smith (2016) found five stages based on Wallas' volume.

Objectives

Models of the creative process and of the artistic procedure do non hold on the nature or on the number of steps involved in a creative artistic process (see Howard et al., 2008). This lack of a consensus could exist explained by the fact that (a) the artistic process is a complex miracle equally described by Osborn (1953/1963) who believed that creation is gear up off past "end-and-go" or "grab what you can"-blazon processes; (b) models of a creative process are constructed based on a specific creative population and a specific artistic domain, though these are described equally if they were generic and could employ to all domains whether art, scientific discipline, music, writing, or blueprint. The process is about often described in general terms, as if it should apply to all artistic domains, whether it is fine art, science, music, writing, or blueprint; (c) descriptions of the artistic process exercise not always accept into business relationship the definition of creativity, in particular the contextually rich, situated nature that originality, and appropriateness may accept; and (d) the methodologies used were unlike [be it a review of the literature (Busse and Mansfield, 1980; Botella et al., 2011), a series of interviews with novelists (Doyle, 1998), with professional artists (Mace and Ward, 2002; Botella et al., 2013), or an practical and consulting-based approach (Carson, 1999)].

The aim of the present study is to question straight some stakeholders of creative creativity, namely visual fine art students. Notwithstanding, information technology is possibly too aggressive to enquire them to describe completely their creative process. We suggest that the lack of consensus in the previous studies could be due to the desire to capture all aspects of the creative process in the same study. So, the students interviewed hither depict only what constitutes, for them, the stages of their process of artistic creativity. Nosotros enquire them specifically to list the stages of their process in club to be as exhaustive every bit possible. This qualitative study makes information technology possible to place what stages the students consider relevant in their mental representation of the visual creative creative procedure, rather than relying on stages extracted from the scientific literature on creativity. With this study, nosotros will not able to have a macro vision of the unabridged creative creative process but we will construct an inventory of the stages involved to picture this process.

Given the descriptive nature of the nowadays inquiry on the artistic creative process, the findings tin be integrated in further piece of work as a part of the Creative process Report Diary (CRD, Botella et al., 2017). The CRD is a useful and relevant analytical tool to appraise the creative process in a natural context, when information technology occurs, allowing ecological validity. It is possible to realize various versions of the CRD depending on the context, the creative field, and whatever other considerations. The CRD has two parts: a part list the stages of the creative process (which will be as exhaustive as possible based on the present written report) and a part listing factors such every bit cognitive, conative, emotional, and environmental ones that may come into the creative process (for example, we could assess squad work; Peilloux and Botella, 2016). Finally, the CRD allows the creative process to exist modeled for individuals in situ during all the fourth dimension needed for their creation. Thus, the purpose of CRD will exist to observe the link and the transitions betwixt the stages of the creative artistic process and to examine which factors will be involved at each phase. Nonetheless, to practise that, we need, in the nowadays study, to list as exhaustively as possible all the stages of the visual artistic creative process which will allow a specific CRD to be created to observe the process in further report.

Methods

Participants

The sample was composed of 28 students in the 2nd twelvemonth of a visual graphic arts school. Seventeen students were female person and eleven were male (hateful historic period = xx.9 years quondam, sd = 1.vii, bridge = nineteen–24 years old). The rational for the option of this sample was to interview participants with some artistic experience but to avoid a sample habituated to interviews with strongly formatted ideas. In previous inquiry, when we interviewed professional artists (Botella et al., 2013), nosotros noticed some routines in the discourse. Some artists were familiar with interviews and they narrated a story, usually the story of an artwork but sometimes the reports were distanced from their ain story and therefore from their own creative procedure.

Interview Guide

The goal of the study was to construct a listing of the stages of the process of visual artistic creativity. Given this, the interview guide was purposely kept curt and open up, and consisted of but two questions: (1) "how does your creative process generally take place?" and (2) "how would you name the stages that you lot have simply mentioned?"

The interviewer's follow-up questions allowed the students to describe another stage of their creative process. The principal prompts consisted of reformulating the last sentence provided by the participant and asking "When you did […], what do yous do adjacent?" or "Can you draw more precisely what you do when you finish […]?" It was very important to not induce ideas with our questions so, we merely reformulated the words used past the visual art students themselves to help them list the stages of their creative creative process.

Interviews were semi-structured and lasted x min on average. Obviously, the interviews were too short to capture all the complication of the creative artistic process with its "stop-and-go" or "grab what you lot tin can" aspects (Osborn, 1953/1963). However, to make an inventory of the stages it was plenty. The added value of this report is to focus the interview on the stages that visual fine art students themselves considered and how they named them.

Procedure

Ethics approving was non required according to our institution'south guidelines and national regulations. After the participants provided informed consent, the volunteer students were interviewed in their fine art school, during their course on creativity. This situation fabricated it easier for them to recollect the stages of their visual artistic creative process. Participants were led to a split room to take office in a ane-on-one give-and-take with the interviewer. The interviewer (and so, the analyst) was the first author, with knowledge on the literature well-nigh inventiveness and artistic process, who had already realized many interviews mainly with artists (Botella et al., 2013; Glaveanu et al., 2013). The prompts consisted of reformulating what participants said to assure that nosotros did not induce the use of certain terms.

Results

Given our objective was to inventory the stages of the artistic creative process, we analyzed the words employed during the interviews. The terms used past students were grouped in equivalence sets using Tropes software which presents references cited at least three times. The proper noun retained for the category was the most cited term; others citations were used to depict the category. In the first part of the analysis, we focus on the stages of the procedure of visual artistic creativity that emerged spontaneously from the participants' discourse. Hence, we will deal with the responses to the get-go question in the interview guide. In the second part, we will examine the stages named by the students. Finally, nosotros will confront these two analyses, in order to cheque whether the stages named by the participants do indeed represent to those referenced in the soapbox. It is expected that the names volition be very similar for both analyses but this confrontation serves to cross-bank check the categorized sets of terms and their labels.

Identifying the Stages of the Process From the Students' Open Discourse

Based on the students' responses to the showtime question in the interview guide, all the terms cited at least three times were listed. It should be noted that the software tin can already grouping some terms according to the context: for example, "impossible" and "not possible" are considered as similar. The software can too identify co-occurrences of combined terms, such every bit "applied art." So, terms were grouped by the analyst co-ordinate to the context in which they appeared (encounter Tabular array 2). The context helped u.s. to identify the terms concerning the creative process. When terms seem to correspond to the same idea, they were grouped together, such as "Sketchpad," "sketch," "drawing," and "writing." We conducted an ascendant hierarchical classification, group two by two the closest words. The number of clusters was not decided in advance and the group was stopped when nosotros considered that another aggregation was not relevant. Terms that did not refer to the artistic process were non retained ("year," "fine art," "stage," "accept an inclination toward," "social environment," etc.).

Tabular array 2. Categories of references used in the students' soapbox.

In Table 2, the number of times that a category was cited and how many students referred to this category are indicated because the aforementioned student could mention the same category several times. One phase consists of approaching the field of study thing, taking possession of information technology, gaining knowledge nigh the subject area-related words used (S14: "Then, you go there, you throw yourself"). Reflection refers to the students' efforts for deciphering and understanding the topic. This phase may imply visualized images (S1: "I think, I get things straight for a week"). The stage of research involves the pupil going to the library in order to collect references to artists and to prior work (S4: "I am looking for references to see what has been done. There is a fourth dimension of documentation"). And then the educatee constructs a knowledge base of works which accept already been produced, before distancing themselves from these works. Inspiration is based on one's impression and experience of a given subject thing (S24: "it's actually how I feel it and I know I'll be able to go along on information technology"). Although the term illumination was not used, we can note the presence of this stage in students' reports of "an thought all of a sudden appearing" or "coming beyond an thought by accident" (S6: "Information technology'southward not totally conscious. It comes similar this. Ideas come alone. We feel it. And afterwards that, we try from that to bring this idea in a frame that could be appropriate"). Trials correspond to producing notebooks containing sketches. Students record their sketches, and make attempts earlier they tin find an idea (S27: "I endeavour to explore as many things equally possible"). Organization consists of students ordering, guiding, and organizing their approach by mixing existing ideas and combining them together (S25: "There is an club to be defined"). The student will have to select an idea out of all those produced (S25: "I will select what is best"). A piece of work involves inevitably one or more than techniques (S18: "Whether calculator, photoshop or drawing, blitz. Actually, exploit everything I know as technical before yous get to a terminal thingy"). Depending on individual preferences and on the constraints of the situation, the educatee will choose to employ a particular technique. The product of the creative process is made concrete during the phase of realization (S9: "I get directly to the realization with the materials. I take the painting and I practise it directly to clean"). The stage of specification indicates that the student improves, specifies and adds the finishing touches to the work (S15: "I am improving what I take already drawn. Above all, I simplify. Because I tend to put too much"). Finalization refers to the phase in which the work is completed, finished, and voluntarily stopped (S28: "I am very meticulous and I spend a lot of time on the cease"). The stage of judgment corresponds to assessing the work that has been produced (S27: "More often than not, I have to stop in accelerate then I can wait at it for a long time and then see if something is missing or not. Because sometimes, I have the impression that it is not finished at all and, past dint of looking at it, finally I realize that it misses naught or that it misses things precisely"). The presentation is the moment when students present their piece of work to their teachers (S20: "It's when I testify to the teachers"). The phase of failure indicates that the student has abased something, be it the piece of work or an thought. In the latter case, the pupil throws away 1 idea and starts something new, or starts over again based on an existing work (S3: "If it's non practiced, I do not exit, I kickoff again. It happens to me often when I'm done and it'south ugly, that I know it's not good, I don't intendance, I spend another 8 hours, 10 hours to rework another book. In full general, when I resume it's yet the same theme, only information technology's not the same thought").

Identifying the Stages of the Process Named by Students

This assay focused on the second question in the interview guide, i.east., how the students named the stages in their visual artistic artistic process. Terms were grouped in Table 3. From at that place, we were able to place 16 stages in the procedure of visual artistic creativity.

Table three. Categories used in naming the stages of the artistic process.

Immersion refers to assimilating the work to be washed; it involves listening to the instructions given by the teacher, defining the words in the topic, and entering into the projection. Reflection relates to a form of brainstorming where the student attempts to understand, to decipher the topic and to reflect upon information technology. Research may focus on artists, documents, books, the Internet, and aims for the students to construct a noesis base for themselves. Inspiration seems to be related to intuition and instinct. Apparition refers to ideas being found and appearing of their own accord. Trials designate all the try-outs, notes, sketches, notes, and testing made past the students. Assembly refers both to attempting a new approach and to the unlike ideas that sally from assembling ideas together. The stage of new ideas includes different ideas which emerge. The phase of selection involves choosing an idea. Materials were too mentioned in terms of photography and volume. The stage of realization refers to activeness, composition, concretization, production, and to the transfer of an idea to a medium. The stage of specification can be viewed equally increasing the depth of analysis, developing the work, and correcting it. Finalization is the completion of the piece of work. The stage of examination indicates taking a step back from the piece of work, formulating an analysis of the work, and questioning 1's own work. Presentation refers to the fact that students must justify, explain, and nowadays their work. The fact that students let the work settle, digest and exhale may refer to the concepts of breaks and incubation. Finally, the teacher was as well cited every bit a role of the stages of the procedure of artistic creativity when students enquire for help because they are stuck or when they need reference.

Confronting the Two Analyses and Identifying the Stages in the Process of Visual Creative Creativity

This confrontation allowed us to verify that the students had indeed described all the stages in their creative process, thus validating the number and nature of steps involved in the procedure to integrate these in the CRD (see Tabular array 4). Fourteen stages appear both in the gratuitous discourse and the stages named by the students, one stage was mentioned just in the discourse, and two stages were mentioned when naming the stages of the process. In the end, 17 different stages were retained. Only the stage referring to teacher was not retained because the teacher corresponds more to a social support than a stage of the procedure. Additionally, the teacher can exist partially included in the stage of research every bit a source of knowledge.

Table iv. Confrontation between the two analyses.

In the stage of immersion, the goal is to apprehend the topic at paw and to mind to the instructions given by the teacher. Some students may sometimes feel the need to define the words and concepts present in the topic (S1: "What I do personally, I have the words and I take a few days or even a week depending on the time of the projection to get things straight, recall about it considering sometimes there are topics that are very vague similar that and we empathise not at all. And then it gets more and more precise."). Such an approach allows them to "soak upwards" the topic and jump into the fray and showtime themselves off (S18: "The thing is, I oftentimes tend to become into an thought. When you give me a subject area or what. I guess right at present the thing and what I could do with information technology."). Reflection makes information technology possible to sympathize what should be done, and to decipher the teacher'due south requirements. Mental work may sometimes begin with visualizing an image. This paradigm may guide the student throughout the procedure (S20: "Me, I cannot start looking for a word if I do not visualize the final "what." Even if I will redo afterward…"). During the stage of enquiry the students learn to search for artists, references, documents, and work already produced about the topic that they are apprehending. A solid knowledge base of operations and a culture regarding prior work might aid create new and original ideas (S15: "The teachers requite us research. Because when we come here, we practise not necessarily have a culture in terms of graphics, anyway. They requite us references to go run into. This is because, often, it is sometimes references of choreographers and it goes a little beyond the field of visual arts and graphics. And suddenly, it allows to compare universes. And so we amend what we do."). Inspiration occurs when an thought emerges slowly and gradually. According to the students, it is based on instinct, impressions, and feelings (S14: "Sometimes you experience that you have a lot of information and from that, you can showtime to grab something"). Although the word illumination was never mentioned, the literature places a stiff emphasis on this stage. It is translated in the interviews as "bogeyman," "coming across an idea," and "hey, there'south an idea!," where the thought sometimes comes from an unknown place (S5: "Sometimes information technology comes lonely."; S21: "I did non await. It barbarous on me in fact. And and so after, you accept to bounce dorsum."). The use of notebooks gather the students' trials, their sketches and their notes. They allow the students to try out and test an image. More chiefly, the teachers examine the notebooks to follow the evolution of the students' piece of work. Notebooks testify students' railroad train of thought, how they accomplished a particular work (S2: "These ideas, I always put them in my notebook to bear witness them to the teacher."). Assemblies of ideas are the result of logical connections that the student establishes between several existing ideas. Thus, it corresponds to the direction which the pupil wishes to give to the production and time to come piece of work (S3: "I effort to mix everything together"). The phase of ideation was not mentioned in the soapbox. It was but mentioned when students were naming the stages. Pick refers to classifying and sorting ideas. The goal hither is to choose which ideas can be exploited, and which, on the other hand, should be fix aside (S24: "It's hard to cull, on which track to go"). Technique is a very important aspect for aspiring artists. They must comply with codes, rules, notice a typography, a style of their ain. Although this stage was rarely named equally such by the students, it is very present in their soapbox (S27: "I put in some technique. For example, I had been taught a little well-nigh the technique of collage, I had exploited this thing afterwards because I liked it. I tried to distort it from school in my own style."). Realization refers to translating an idea into an image. It is at this bespeak that the composition and product of a textile work take shape (S18: "I endeavour to realize it at best"). The stage of specification reveals the improvements, the added details, the changes, and corrections fabricated to the work underway. At this bespeak, students add details that they had non necessarily planned initially (S23: "When I have something that I like, I dig it fifty-fifty more than to see if I tin exploit information technology"). Finalization refers to the bespeak at which the student decides that the work is done. The piece of work is complete, or nearly at the point of completion (S17: "It's never finished. For renderings, in that location is a fixed date and there it is finished. But just for a grade. But in full general, we always have stuff to add together, photos to resume, stuff to put dorsum. Generally, we do information technology if we have a jury at the end of the year. And here, we attempt to finalize the project of the beginning of the year."). The term judgment was non explicitly mentioned either. All the same, it can be found in the terms of taking a step back, questioning i's piece of work, observing it with groovy attending, and thus assessing it (S3: "I look at [my work]. I call back instead of teachers. If I was a instructor, if I await at, if there is something wrong, if there is a stain, if I see that at that place is something wrong, if it is not good, well cut, I'll outset all over over again."). Although this stage was not directly mentioned in the students' discourse, the stage of the suspension as well seems to be. Its goal is to let the ideas residue, assimilate, settle and "exhale." The discourse suggests as well the presence of trial and error. Because the word "failure" seems a little strong, we retain the term of "abandoning," whose connotations are less negative (S3: "Sometimes I change my idea and sometimes, when I work, it's not possible similar that").

Discussion

The goals of this study were to determine the nature and number of stages present in the creative visual artistic process in order to build a specific CRD. Twenty-viii fine art students were asked to describe their process of visual artistic creativity and to name its stages. By comparing the discourse of these art students and the names they gave to the various stages of their work, we identified 17 stages.

Immersion is present in several existing models. Information technology corresponds to preparation in Wallas' (1926) model (see Tabular array v for a synthesis). Wallas views preparation equally a preliminary assay which makes it possible to define and fix the problem. The aforementioned idea is present in Carson's (1999) consulting-axial model and in the work on the artistic process of actors (Blunt, 1966; Nemiro, 1997, 1999). Osborn (1953/1963) speaks instead of orientation, in which the individual identifies the trouble that is to exist solved. Shaw (1989, 1994) proposes also the term "immersion." Reflection is typically included in training. Osborn proposes a stage when the individual takes a step back to examine the connections that exist between different ideas. More recently, this stage of reflection was identified in interviews with professional person artists (Botella et al., 2013). The stage of research is required by the school of fine art (S8: "We have a lot of instructions from the teachers who help us. We must go through research."). Enquiry is also more often than not included in preparation. Information technology should be noted that in Treffinger's model (Treffinger, 1995), preparation is called agreement. The goal here is for the individual to search for information regarding the trouble at paw. Also, Runco (1997) mentions a phase of information. Here, the enquiry stage could help visual art students to differentiate their own work from previous ones (Bruford, 2015). In the interviews with professional person artists (Botella et al., 2013), this search stage was coupled with reflection, as a search for means (i.eastward., fabric or technological) to transform the initial idea into a real production.

Tabular array v. Correspondence between the stages retained in the nowadays study and the existing stages in research field.

Inspiration corresponds to intuition and metacognition (Cropley, 1999). Amongst other things, it allows us to identify which approach volition be more efficient than another. Policastro (1995) defines intuition as an implicit class of information processing, which is intended to anticipate and guide artistic inquiry. According to her, intuition may allow an unconscious shift from incubation to illumination. Notwithstanding, intuition was never considered a stage in the creative procedure or in the artistic process. Therefore, it is a stage that is specific to the current study. Every bit described past the students, the inspiration stage is close to the stage on intimation added between incubation and insight (Sadler-Smith, 2016). Information technology is surprising and interesting that visual art students consider inspiration every bit a stage of their creative process. So, a replication of this study volition be necessary to confirm if it is actually a phase or if it is a cistron involved in the artistic process. The word "illumination" was not mentioned past the students every bit such. Numerous authors have previously shown that the illumination stage was seldom mentioned by students in art. Doyle (1998) has described illumination as an accident, where the solution emerges in a sudden and unexpected way (Wallas, 1926). Hence, the description that the students made of this phase might be termed illumination: the idea comes or appears in an unexpected manner. Other authors believe that this experience of illumination would, in most cases, exist more than gradual than sudden (Ghiselin, 1952; Gruber and Davis, 1988; Weisberg, 1988). Although information technology is possible that illumination is not a part of all creative processes, or that the creators might not ever be conscious of it, the stage of illumination remains a key stage in the creative process, because it is at this stage that the idea takes shape.

The trials, tests, and fiddling made by students may correspond to the stage of idea evolution in Mace and Ward's model (Mace and Ward, 2002). In their description of the artistic process, Mace and Ward fence that, during the development of an idea, the artist volition structure, consummate, and restructure the idea. Authors bespeak that this trial stage will allow artists to form a more precise idea of the initial project for themselves. This stage is worked in Art school with sketchpads.

Assembly corresponds to the microprocess of divergent thinking, in which ideas are assembled and mixed together. In contrast, convergent thinking makes it possible to focus on a single idea (Guilford, 1950). This style of thinking allows individuals to find the one and only solution to a trouble. The generation of ideas that accept not even so been checked and assessed corresponds to ideation (Carson, 1999). Osborn (1953/1963) mentions a stage of synthesis, which consists of putting ideas together and distinguishing relations between them.

Selection refers to concentration (Carson, 1999). Concentration makes it possible to focus the attending of the individual on those solutions deemed to be adequate, and to reject other solutions. No model emphasizes the stage of choosing a technique. Nevertheless, the artist must identify the technique that will permit them to make the idea materialize in the best possible way. During the interviews with professional artists, technical bug were included in the stage of documentation (Botella et al., 2013). However, in the present study, because 71.43% of the students mentioned this stage in their discourse and 17.86% named information technology directly, nosotros decided to consider "technique" as a specific stage of the visual creative creative process. In further studies, information technology volition be interesting to explore if this stage is specific to visual arts or if it is a more than common stage concerning other creative domains.

Specification might correspond to elaboration. Berger et al. (1957) divers elaboration equally the individual'south ability to provide detail to the ideas produced. This phase may also tie in with creative explanation, whose goal is for the artist to explain the ideas (Shaw, 1989, 1994).

Realization refers to the creative product (Treffinger, 1995) or to creative synthesis (Shaw, 1989, 1994). The goal here is to make the idea concrete. "Technique" is mostly included in this stage. Even so, it seems that production points to the act of creating and to the gestures involved rather than to the cognitive or emotional choice of a technique. Mace and Ward (2002) speak also of realization, i.e., the transformation of an thought into a "concrete entity." They notation that for some physical arts and for a wide variety of artistic media it is necessary to have a detailed idea of what the artist is going to do. Hence, some decisions—such as, for example, those related to the choice of a technique—should exist predictable.

Finalization corresponds, at least in office, to the finition phase in Mace and Ward (2002). The authors argue that finalization implies that the private has decided that his/her work is finished. If the creative person considers the work to be successful and satisfactory and they may choose to showroom it. In that case, the stage of finalization also includes hanging up or exhibiting the work.

The stage of judgement of the creative production is very often named in models of the artistic process. In particular, Wallas (1926) writes nigh verification, where the individual assesses the idea that has emerged. At this stage, one must take a step back from one's work and assess it. Verification may be of ii kinds: "internal" verification, i.e., a comparison between the idea that has been produced and the thought formed during illumination or "internal" verification, which consists of anticipating the reactions of the audience (Armbruster, 1989). According to Busse and Mansfield (1980), verification may accept place before during the process, as the individual kickoff verifies the ideas and and so elaborates a solution. Other authors take argued that judgment occurs at a afterward stage. For example, Osborn (1953/1963) considers that evaluation is the moment when the individual evaluates the called thought. When describing the creative procedure, Osborn (1953/1963) mentions the phase of assay, in which the individual takes a footstep back to examine the connections that form between ideas and their importance. In contrast, Shaw (1989, 1994) addresses the concept of validation, thus emphasizing the importance of this stage. According to him, personal validation consists of appreciating one's ain work and in using the feel acquired over the course of this process to generate a new creative procedure. In addition to personal validation, there exists a commonage level of validation. The latter deals with the evaluation of a creative production by peers, by an audience or by a critic. Collective validation tin can only atomic number 82 to a new process if there is credence of the evaluation that has been formulated. If the production is validated, information technology can and so be followed by a series in which the idea is extended to several works (Botella et al., 2013).

The phase of presentation is non typically described as such in models of the artistic process or of the artistic process; its goal is to present the work to teachers. In the example of professional artists, this would refer more than to the auction of a work. Withal, contempo models included a communication stage (Runco, 1997; Howard et al., 2008; Cropley and Cropley, 2012).

The term "break" which has emerged in the stages named past students might correspond to incubation. Equally we have seen, this phase is very difficult to assess and to take into business relationship (Botella et al., 2011), fifty-fifty though information technology is essential (Patrick, 1937; Dreistadt, 1969; Smith and Blankenship, 1989, 1991; Smith and Vela, 1991), especially to the expression of artistic creativity (Russ, 1993). The words used by the students highlight some unconscious associations. Indeed, they talk well-nigh letting their ideas rest, letting them digest and decant. Incubation is ever difficult to evaluate, because information technology relies in most cases on unconscious work. Finally, although the stage of withdrawal is a subject of research, it is non included in most models of the creative procedure. Only Mace and Ward (2002) take into account a clear possibility of abandoning the process at whatsoever time. Even if the process is brutally interrupted, the artist develops continuously new knowledge. This knowledge is the consequence of a perpetual, dynamic interaction with artistic practice. Artists extend and refine their repertoire of skills, techniques, and noesis. Likewise they sharpen their artistic interests and personality. New ideas can emerge in this work, to be reused later on.

Determination

Although this written report was limited by the interview method—and thus focused on students' implicit theories of their own creative procedure—it immune us to identify multiple stages in the process of visual artistic inventiveness. Because of the implicit theories and the number of models suggesting a linear sequence of stages, sometimes with some loops or cycles possible, it seems besides aggressive to empathize the sequence of the stages from interviews. The nowadays report invites u.s. to rethink what composes an artistic artistic process. Even if we already have a long list of models, none is complete and satisfactory. It is possible that we may need to construct and maintain a list of all the stages of the creative process which can then exist adapted to each domain, given that the creative process may vary depending upon the area in question (Baer, 1998, 2010; Botella and Lubart, 2015). Given this uncertainty, continued research into the artistic procedure is indicated. For at present, the present list of stages of the visual artistic creative process could assistance teachers in their coursework. During the interviews, students indicated that the stages of research and the use of the diary notebook were required past their art school. This appears equally a limitation of the nowadays report. We are not sure if art students described the prescriptive stages in their Art school or their real stages of creation. The question was oriented how their artistic procedure generally takes place but considering they are fine art students and they were interviewed in their art schoolhouse, some prescriptive stages appears in their discourse. Nevertheless, during the interviews, some students had specified if the stage is prescriptive and we indicated this point throughout this paper. With the updated list, teachers could propose other exercises to guide art students for all the stages. Moreover, outside an educational context, the demand for consultancy to stimulate business inventiveness is increasing (see Berman and Korsten, 2010), and the current research may likewise provide a helpful template for the constructive management of creative processes in this surface area of industrial innovation. Even so, we have to be careful about the apply of such a list. Past conceptualizing the creative procedure, are we actually at risk of creating a "uniform" prescriptive model of how to be creative? Nosotros tin can hypothesize that some creative procedure are more adapted to some creative individuals but it would be counterproductive to try to force all individuals to engage in the same process. The artistic process varies beyond fields (Botella and Lubart, 2015) and probably too across culture, creators' personalities, and tasks.

These stages and more precisely their sequence should be validated in the field, by observing students equally they carry out artistic work—notably to determine the verbal succession of the stages—using a tool like the CRD. Moreover, it will be interesting to observe the collaborative creative process as well as to situate the process in a more global socio-cultural arroyo. As nosotros saw in the introduction, the artistic process tin exist described using micro-level or macro-level approaches and more globally takes place in a particular socio-cultural context. These approaches could be used direct during observations of the creative procedure and associated with cognitive, conative, emotional, and environmental factors involved in the process.

Ethics Statement

All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Proclamation of Helsinki.

Writer Contributions

MB methodology, interviews, analyses, and writing; FZ methodology and writing; and TL methodology and writing.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absenteeism of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed equally a potential conflict of involvement.

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