From Discipline to Improvisation: A Practice-Based Model for Training Creativity

For a long time, research on creativity has focused more on cognitive aspects (“minds”) rather than the production side (“actions”). This paper examines the creative practice as a subjective experience, using researcher introspection as a qualitative methodology. Through in-depth reflection on the creative development of an Ikebana artist, this study captures the complexity of creative practice, and offers detailed insights into its embodied and procedural dimensions, including experimentation and flow. Drawing on the theory of deliberate practice, the study challenges the notion that creativity is purely spontaneous and demonstrates how improvisation emerges through disciplined practice and deliberate experimentation. We propose a three-stage, practice-based model for training creativity: mastering fundamentals, exploring variations, and ultimately breaking free from established forms.