First to hear, then to tell. On the plastic component of creativity

Background. The problem of creativity and giftedness, due to the specifics of the subject, does not lend itself well to traditional methods of scientific research. In addition, psychology is occupied almost exclusively with intellectual giftedness, and the problem of artistic giftedness remains the least developed. Objective of the work is to outline the path to understanding personal qualities of the artist-creator as the psychological conditions for the birth and implementation of artistic ideas. Methods. Analysis and generalization of data from psychological, philosophical, theological literature and self-reports of art masters on the problems of artistic creativity and the creative nature of human. Results. It is shown that the essence of artistic and creative giftedness is impossible to understand by studying individual personality traits statistically associated with it. Another way, found to be promising, is the study of giftedness as a free manifestation of initiative in a particular activity. However, this activity must be supplemented and preceded by a “plastic” ability to perceive reality contemplatively. As the masters of art themselves testify, a truly artistic idea is not initially generated by the artist’s arbitrary activity, it is rather perceived as something unexpected and requiring realization by means of one or another art. In this regard, the article raises the question of the male-female, androgynous nature of a creative person. Examples are given of how this problem was comprehended at the bodily, mental and spiritual levels. Conclusion. An artist, as well as a teacher of art disciplines, needs to overcome the one-sided “masculine” approach to creativity as an activity and pay attention to the need to educate in himself (or in his students) the ability to “creative contemplation” of life. This spiritual and practical task cannot be solved with the help of methodological recommendations of a general order, it requires individual internal work. Never the less, there are examples that show that this task is solvable and suggest possible solutions. Favorable psychological conditions that children are endowed with make it solvable in pedagogical practice.