Date of Award

2025-01-10

Degree Name

PhD Leadership Studies

Dissertation Committee

Antonio Jiménez-Luque, PhD, Chair Fred J. Galloway, EdD, Member Reyes Quezada, EdD, Member

Keywords

creativity, the creative process, visual artists, phenomenology, Interpretive Phenomenology Analysis (IPA), problem solving, problem finding, and leadership

Abstract

Creativity fuels problem solving and innovation, driving both economic growth and individual success. Yet, many schools and organizations fail to nurture it. Today, there is a decline in creativity scores among U.S. students. This is concerning since many of these students will be the future leaders of organizations and communities. For this reason, this dissertation explores the creative process of visual artists to better understand how creativity can be cultivated. Visual artists' perspectives and sense-and-meaning-making processes offer a unique view of innovation and creativity. However, there is limited research on the creative processes of contemporary visual artists from culturally diverse backgrounds in a phenomenological study.

In addressing this gap, this study used an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) design and a theoretical framework combining Wallas' four-stage model of the creative process with Csikszentmihalyi's systems model of creativity to guide the data collection and analysis. This study interviewed fifteen visual artists from culturally diverse backgrounds. Inductive and deductive coding, and artwork analysis revealed four findings from the research: 1) Context influencing the creative process: family, mentors, and culture; 2) Self-awareness and identity formation in the creative process; 3) Creative disobedience: connected to empowerment and agency, and 4) Creativity as a form of problem solving and problem finding. These findings revealed the impact of external factors and how visual artists perceive their creative process to develop their self-awareness and identities. In navigating their creative process, visual artists discussed their creative disobedience in resisting norms, conventions, and expectations in the art field and society. Additionally, visual artists provided examples of problem-solving and problem-finding skills to frame and refine their work.

This study contributes to creativity literature, particularly in the visual arts, adding a critical approach. It sheds light on the complexities of creative agency, problem solving, and innovation and offers insights for cultivating creativity in the educational practices, leadership development, innovation policies, and art education.

Keywords: creativity, the creative process, visual artists, phenomenology, Interpretive Phenomenology Analysis (IPA), problem solving, problem finding, and leadership.

Document Type

Dissertation: Open Access

Department

Leadership Studies

Download

Available for download on Tuesday, December 02, 2025

Share

COinS