About this episode

Keith Sawyer interviews psychologist and artist Aaron Kozbelt about the dynamics of the creative process and what drives creative achievement.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/X_zhPu3xCd4 In this episode of The Science of Creativity , Keith Sawyer speaks with psychologist and artist Aaron Kozbelt about what really drives creative achievement. Challenging the idea that creativity starts with a brilliant idea, Kozbelt argues that innovation often emerges from restructuring the creative process itself. Drawing on research in visual art and music, he explores how artists develop over time, why some creators peak early while others improve across decades, and how training—especially in drawing—changes perception. The conversation also examines whether originality is overrated and why patience, iteration, and engagement with tradition may matter more than radical novelty. Key Takeaways • Creativity is less about isolated ideas and more about reshaping process. • Artists follow different developmental trajectories—some peak early, others gradually. • Drawing training enhances perceptual flexibility and attentional control. • Enduring creative work often builds deeply on tradition rather than chasing novelty. • Time and distance are powerful tools for evaluating creative work. About Dr. Aaron Kozbelt Dr. Aaron Kozbelt is…

People in this episode

Host: Keith Sawyer

Guest: Aaron Kozbelt

Topics covered

• creative process
• innovation
• artistic development
• creativity research
• originality
• training in art

Keywords

• creativity
• art
• psychology
• innovation
• training
• originality
• perception

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Brooklyn College, City University of New York

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