The 5 levels of creativity, according to Irving A. Taylor

The levels of creativity, following Irving A. Taylor’s approach, constitute different dimensions of creative activity, each applied to different objectives. They are distinguished from each other by the products that emerge from them. and for the capabilities necessary to achieve them.

Some authors prefer to talk about creative facets and not levels of creativity. However, Taylor considered the naming of levels appropriate, since each of these categories represents a different degree of depth.

Many consider that the creative act It is the essential and highest manifestation of the human essence.. Although several animals can also create, only man is capable of radically modifying his environment based on his innovations. Let’s see what the levels of creativity are according to Irving A. Taylor.

1. Expressive creativity

The first level of creativity is expressive. It corresponds to the world of spontaneity and improvisation. In this case, the imagination manifests itself in the expression of the inner world, feelings and emotions. It is associated with all the ways in which a message or an experience can be manifested and communicated.

Expressive creativity responds to the human need for self-identification and communication with the environment. You could say it is the most genuine and direct form of creativity. It is visualized in expressions such as children’s drawings, the unprepared writing of a verse, dancing in contexts outside the show, spontaneous singing, etc.

2. Productive creativity

The productive level is another level of creativity. In this case there is no longer spontaneity or improvisation, but rather Previously learned strategies and techniques are applied, with the aim of obtaining a specific product or development.. These must have a function in the real world.

In this case, practicality prevails. Creation is carried out in order to solve a problem, improve an object or procedure or satisfy a need. The purpose is to generate something that is useful to others. Designers, architects or product developers use this level of creativity.

3. Inventive creativity

Another level of creativity is inventiveness. It corresponds to the generation of inventions or discoveries that are based on a new way of seeing reality, or on the establishment of new relationships between existing elements. In this case, the logical premises that are in force are overcome and something totally new is produced.

The products of this type of creativity are based on seeing something that others were looking at, but did not realize. Or seeing the same thing as everyone else, but finding relationships that had not been detected. Inventions, such as the light bulb, and scientific discoveries, such as penicillin, correspond to this level of creativity.

4. Creativity for innovation

Innovative creativity has similarities with other levels of creativity, but differential characteristics. In this case, the imagination is used to find methods or strategies that help achieve social acceptance of new ways of perceiving or using things or concepts.

This level of creativity is based on intuition and empathy. The most typical example is in fashion. Those who dedicate themselves to this activity make modifications, sometimes very daring, to the classic wardrobe. They have a special ability to detect where consumer tastes are heading, or the ability to get them to accept modifications compared to what is usual. The jeans torn are an obvious manifestation of this.

5. Emergent creativity

The emergent is the highest of all levels of creativity. It corresponds to extraordinary or very transcendental innovations. It has to do with the creation of new paradigms, orders or principles. Its effects are revolutionary for the community in general.

The ability to restructure the bases of existing reality is necessary; who display this type of creativity They usually use their lateral thinking thoroughly. An example of this is the creation of a new school of thought or an invention that completely changes the way of doing things, as happened with the internet.

The fact that Taylor talks about levels of creativity does not mean that a specific person must go through all of them to reach the highest one. In the same human being, all these dimensions can coexist, but one in particular usually develops more than the others.

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