Creativity Creativity is neither something learned by applying a formula nor is it the unfettered, chaotic product of a genius. Instead, creativity should be viewed as an individualized process that helps the creator find order within chaos (or vice versa). Creativity seems to emerge from multiple experiences, coupled with a well-supported development of personal resources, including a sense of freedom to venture beyond the known. To create is to 'bring into or cause to come into existence make originate'. I find most often that my creative product IS my scholarship. Whether I compile a script, enact a performance art installation, or construct a fragmented review of a performance, I take a leap and then look around to see what I've gotten myself into. Although my scholarship takes many forms (screenplays non-linear narratives and combinations of video, sound, and movement pieces), initially my research resembles a puzzle, a collage of images and texts that do not seem to go together. I appear to have gotten into a mess, which is exactly where I had hoped to be. For me, creativity is a messy process that leads to the creation of 'messy texts'. I will provide you with my working definition of creativity. Next, I will discuss the concept of 'messy texts,' including a brief historical overview of how such expressive forms of scholarship developed. Third, I will explain how and why I wrote a messy text. Finally, I will challenge you to write a messy text of your own. Creativity is just something that's always been a part of my life. Ever since I first drew cartoon heads in the margins of our family Bible, I have been labeled 'creative'. Infrequent name calling aside, I always embraced and welcomed tile label. Teachers and family members encouraged it. I felt appreciated despite my perceived 'kookiness' because some people valued my creative innovations and willingness to view things from multiple perspectives. This willingness to innovate is alluded to in self-growth guru Gail Sheehy's book Pathfinders (1981). She suggests that we should think of creativity as a four-part process: 1) Preparation, 2) Incubation, 3) Immersion & Illumination, and 4) Revision. Although interesting, Sheehy's description of the creative process does not really capture the essence of my own creative process. However, I finally found one that provided the flexibility I needed. Franklin Baer, a public health physician fascinated with the topic of creativity has created an interactive web page that can help anyone create her/his own personalized creativity process. So I went to the site and created my own process, an acronym using the letters of the word CREATE: Collect — gather information from a variety of sources Reflect — generate many ideas, questions, and responses to the information Embrace — select which idea(s) to focus on and expand Amend — work with an idea until it begins to take shape Toil — become obsessed with a project until it is complete Exhibit — find a venue for displaying the creative product. These verbs come closest to describing how the creative process works for me. According to the first paragraph, the author would most likely agree with the idea that