We’ve talked a lot over the life of this newsletter about the conditions and mindsets that help you increase your creativity. (Hell, we published a whole series on it!) Throughout, we’ve cited studies and journalism and great academics and renowned creatives…

And it turns out somebody at Harvard has a unifying philosophy that kinda incorporates all of it!

I’m talking about something called the Componential Theory of Creativity, first developed by Teresa M. Amabile in 1983 and elaborated by her and other collaborators ever since. If you, like me, aren’t familiar with the word “componential,” the root word “component” is the clue. Basically the theory is saying: Our research shows that these are the components necessary for creativity. (I kinda love thinking about it like spell components in Dungeons & Dragons—all the little bits and bobs you have to collect to make magic happen!) 

Reading the paper, something that really stands out is Amabile’s definition of creativity: 

This is probably the most pithy definition of creativity I’ve come across, and I will be using it all the time now, please and thank you. What I love most about it is that while other definitions of creativity definitely emphasize novelty, this is the first I’ve seen that incorporates the idea of situational appropriateness or what I would just call relevance. 

The distinction made here goes something like this: Let’s say you’re working at a software company and brainstorming a new feature or offering. Someone in the room might say “What if we shipped every customer an omelet?!” Hm. Ok. No one would argue against the novelty of that idea, but would anyone in the room actually say that that’s a creative idea? Probably not, unless it was said like, “Wow, Jeffrey… What a…uh…creative idea, huh?” while you silently cursed whoever it was that hired Jeffrey. 

Creativity = novelty + relevance!  

Amabile’s research into what was necessary to achieve that combo of novelty and relevance revealed four pillars (the magic components!). Three of these pillars are internal to the individual, and one external. Let’s get into them! 

The four pillars of creativity 

1. Domain-relevant skills

These encompass expertise, knowledge, and technical proficiency within a specific domain, kinda like the raw materials for creative expression. A domain is something like oil painting, law, IT, linguistics, dance, carpentry, electrical engineering, etc. It’s the knowledge-based side of things! You need to know a thing or two about a thing or two to be creative in each particular domain, because domain-relevant skills don’t transfer across domains. 

2. Creativity-relevant processes 

These are defined as cognitive styles and personality traits conducive to independent thinking, risk-taking, and the ability to perceive problems from unexpected angles—all hallmarks of creativity. Things like an ability to play, engaging in mindfulness, having confidence in your own ideas, etc. fall under this umbrella of a cognitive style or personality trait. If you don’t already identify as a creative person, hearing that certain personality traits are a necessary component might be intimidating, but “cognitive styles” are certainly not fixed! (And neither are personalities…but that’s a different newsletter, eh?) 

Creativity-relevant processes can be applied across many different domains, but domain-relevant skills don’t necessarily transfer across domains. 

3. Task motivation

This is defined as intrinsic motivation, driven by passion and personal fulfillment—and it’s one of the most potent catalysts for creativity. This is the will you bring to a task, project, or problem and the reasons it's important to you. 

Importantly, Amabile’s research found a major difference in creative outcomes between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, especially within teams and organizations. If the only reason you’re doing something is because you have to or you’ll be fired, or you’re told it’s good for the business, or because it’ll achieve some arbitrary goal, your creativity will take a major hit! It’s no wonder why so many companies try to stoke or straight-up manufacture intrinsic motivation in their workforces. Interestingly, later research also found that the negative impact of extrinsic motivation could be mitigated if the extrinsic motivation was a compelling reward. (Unsurprising, because the personal gain of the reward flips the motivation back to intrinsic, in a way!)

4. The social environment

While all of the other components have to do with factors at play literally within the minds and hearts of individuals, the fourth key pillar necessary for creativity is the broader environment in which it is happening. The external milieu, encompassing organizational culture, leadership styles, and team dynamics all exert a profound influence on individual creativity. At some level, this is obvious, right? If you work somewhere where risks aren’t rewarded or where an off-kilter idea is likely to be met with laughter and derision, you’re probably not going to be very creative, even if you have the other three pillars on lock! 

Amabile found that factors such as autonomy, supportive leadership, psychological safety, and a culture of idea-sharing can nurture creativity, while rigid hierarchies and norms, glorification of the status quo, and risk-aversion may stifle it. 

Ok, so what?

I’m sure you can hire Amabile (or someone like her!) to pop the hood on your organization or your personal creative life and tell you exactly what pillar is weak and how to strengthen it to get your creative mojo back in working order. But I think just being aware of these four organizing principles could be massively helpful as a starting point for thinking about ways to increase your creativity or diagnosing why your personal processes or team output is falling flat. 

Have a lackluster brainstorm with peers? Maybe it’s because all of you are out of your depth on domain expertise, and you needed a few more subject-matter experts in the room. Or maybe you’re all deep experts and you need a few weirdos to look at things from another POV. If you can’t get inspired on a client project, maybe it’s because the only reason you took it on is you’d otherwise not make rent this month. Maybe your team cranking out derivative work knows that if this next campaign fails, you’ll all be on the chopping block for layoffs.  

Using the four pillars like the ingredients in a recipe can help you figure out why something is turning out too sweet or salty—and separate things you can control from those you can’t. 

Over to you

When you think about your creative life, which pillars are strong and which weak? Are you min-maxing, or do you have a nice balance? We’d love to hear from you! 

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Kumbaya,Shannon & Kevan