Questioning the common sense of creativity and innovation through Deleuzian thought

Abstract

This paper draws on the work of Gilles Deleuze to question the discourse of creativity. Its motivation lies in the ever-growing focus on the need for creative and innovative solutions to address the needs and wants of society, a narrative that has become a ubiquitous and taken-for-granted ‘common-sense’ such that it risks an unquestioning acceptance of it. The paper explores the ideas of Deleuze to suggest we need to ‘rethink’ our understanding of what it means to be creative and innovative and to question the current territorialisation of this discourse. It reflects on the consequences of this rhetoric and activity, particularly relating it to the realm of the political and capitalism especially. Whilst Deleuze doesn’t offer any easy answers, his critique of what he calls the problematic (but dogmatic) image of thought poses challenges to our assumptions and stresses the need to consider the genesis of our thinking. By asking ourselves “from whence does this thought come?” we learn that many of the problems we seek to answer, and values for which we work are given to us ‘ready made’ and limit us to working for what we know and recognise. This inhibits our true creative and innovative potential.