Creative Work and Distributions of Power

Creative Work and Distributions of Power is a journey toward an energized and expanded space for considering power in discussions of creative work.

Starting with the participatory creativity framework, this book expertly guides readers through case studies of two very different examples of creative work: the 20th-century, groundbreaking systems theorist Gregory Bateson and the current musician/polymath Tyler, The Creator. Through skillfully interwoven narrative and theory, chapters provide readers with a deep understanding of the roles of power in the ways creativity emerges from complex social, material, and historical systems. Thoughtful metalogues featured throughout the book bring readers into the minds of the authors, illustrating the very processes being analyzed. The result is a model of the functions of creative work in mediating personal capacities and larger societal forces.

This critical addition to the discourse around creativity and its practice is an ideal first step in understanding creative work and distributions of power for readers in creativity studies as well as sociology and psychology courses.

Michael Hanchett Hanson is a developmental psychologist; Director of the Masters Concentration in Creativity and Cognition at Teachers College, Columbia University; a founding board member and Secretary of the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation (ISSCI); a member of the Chair Homo Creativus, Université de Paris Cité, and President of Contexts R+D, a research and consulting practice.