Psychology of Creativity course

Exploring the Psychology of Creativity: Art, Freedom, and Transformation

“For this is quite the final goal of art: to recover this world by giving it not to be seen as it is, but as if it had its source in human freedom.”
—Jean-Paul Sartre

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you’re enjoying these bright, sunlit days. This month, I’m excited to teach a new course at Meridian University: Psychology of Creativity. Creativity is a topic I’m deeply passionate about, and I’m thrilled to dive into it with my students.

About the Course

In this experiential course, we’ll explore the many dimensions of the creative process in everyday life—at the individual level, within groups, and across broader cultural contexts. While the arts often exist at the margins of most people’s lives, creative processes are central to who we are as humans.

Here’s a brief description:

“Learning, growth, and transformation are creative processes. In this course, we’ll explore how the act of seeing connections forms the heart of creative consciousness. Topics include metaphor, the power of image, symbolic thinking, aesthetic consciousness, the psychological components of creativity, and non-linear ways of thinking and knowing.”

Creative thinking isn’t limited to the arts. It’s woven into every aspect of how we learn, grow, and connect with the world.

The Transformative Power of Art and Freedom

Jean-Paul Sartre got it right: art is about human freedom. Following our creative voice allows us to be fully ourselves in ways that nothing else can. Creativity helps us resist the forces that press us into passivity and bland conformity. As Maxine Greene wrote in Releasing the Imagination:

“It helps us resist the forces that press us into passivity and bland acquiescence.”

Creativity isn’t just about making something beautiful—it’s about reclaiming our freedom, seeing the world through new eyes, and unlocking the connections that bring learning and transformation to life.

I feel so lucky to immerse myself in this work and to guide others to their own creative potential.