Creativity or creativities? Why context matters

To attain a better grasp of the dynamics underlying the creative process, it is necessary to take the ‘context’ of ideation into account. The contexts that accompany creative ideation differ considerably both across and within domains. Within the realms of artistic creativities, which are closely allied to design creativities, contextual factors include (a) the temporal duration of the creative process, (b) degree of isolation/sociality involved across all stages of the creative process from the inception of the idea to the reception of the artwork, and (c) the inherent voluntary/involuntary nature of the accessibility of the artwork. Considering the importance of the context of creative ideation is therefore essential to arrive at a comprehensive and accurate understanding of creativities in practice.