Science into art: A study of the creative process

Objective was to examine the creative process, demonstrated by 5 student participants in a class at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena CA, from the germ of the creative idea through the final creative product. The students, drawn from classes sponsored by LLNL, were assigned the problem of representing ``big`` science, as practiced at LLNL, in a graphic, artistic, or multimedia product. As a result of this study, it was discovered that the process of creativity with these students was not linear in nature, nor did it strictly follow the traditional creativity 5-step schema of preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation, and elaboration. Of particular interest were several emergent themes of the creative process: spontaneous use of metaphor to describe the Laboratory; a general lack of interest in ``school`` science or mathematics by the American art students; a well developed sense of conscience; and finally, the symbolism inherent in the repeated use of a single artistic element. This use of the circle revealed a continuity of thinking and design perhaps related to the idealistic bias mentioned above