Shedding light on what creative people do, and how they do it, neuroscientists are mapping the regions of the brain that come into play during creative work, showing that creativity is a skill and something that all of us can cultivate.

In these 24 compelling lectures, Professor Viskontas takes you on a deep dive into the human creative faculty, exploring core themes, such as:

• How Creative Work Activates the Brain: Study the regions of the brain that shape creativity, as well as the synchronized activity across brain regions that characterizes creative thinking.
• Stages and Types of Creativity: Study two practical models of the creative process, one which breaks down recognizable steps or stages in creative work, and one which defines different kinds of creativity, involving two types of mental work.
• Myths about Creative People: Examine notions linking mental illness with creative people; regarding creative people and depression, investigate whether depression drives creativity, or the reverse.
• Core Features of the Creative Process: Study the phenomenon of creative insight (the "Aha moment"), and how to increase the likelihood of insight; take account of how imagination can be stimulated; and consider the flow state (being "in the zone"), and what occurs in the brain during flow.
• Mastering Creative Skills, Thinking, and Improvisation: Grasp the process of mastering a skill, whether in sports, the arts, or any setting; study the steps of design thinking, as a practical aid to creativity; and learn the rules of creative improvisation.
• The Creative Context: Note how an open exchange of ideas and a collaborative dynamic fosters a culture of creativity and observe how interaction between human cultures and social ecosystems makes creativity and innovation blossom.

Through the many areas of knowledge within the course, Creativity and Your Brain offers empowering and inspiring guidelines for developing your own creativity.