Crayola Introduces Innovative Tool to Uncover Individual Creative Strengths

Crayola, a brand long associated with fostering self-expression, has launched a new, research-backed resource designed to help adults identify and understand their unique creative styles. Per a press release from Crayola, the free “Crayola Creative Styles Tool” aims to boost creative confidence and encourage collaboration by revealing users’ natural creative tendencies and offering insights into their personal approach to creative processes. This initiative seeks to nurture creativity as a vital skill for personal and professional growth throughout life.

The Crayola Creative Styles Tool takes approximately five minutes to complete, involving a series of straightforward questions. Upon completion, users receive a personalized report detailing their inherent creative inclinations and explaining their distinct methods for engaging in creative activities. The tool also provides guidance on how to effectively collaborate with individuals possessing different creative styles. The tool delves into three fundamental dimensions of creativity: the way individuals generate and respond to ideas (ranging from divergent, expansive thinking to convergent, focused thinking), how they participate in and experience creative endeavors (from reflective to transformative engagement), and how they perceive the world (through independent or interconnected perspectives).

According to Crayola, understanding these personal creative styles is crucial for parents and educators to effectively support the creativity of children. The company emphasizes that creativity is an innate human trait that requires continuous nurturing. By gaining insight into their own creative styles, adults can feel more confident in their ability to foster creativity in others. Research indicates that creativity is fundamental to problem-solving, innovation, and effective collaboration, contributing significantly to career success, job satisfaction, and overall well-being, including resilience and stronger interpersonal relationships.

“These insights help you understand your creative style and appreciate the different ways creativity shows up in others,” said Cheri Sterman, Senior Director of Education, Crayola. “We believe creativity is innate to the human experience and needs to be nurtured at every stage of life. When parents and teachers understand their creative styles, it boosts their confidence in being able to support children’s creativity.”

Recognizing that creativity is often misunderstood, Crayola has undertaken efforts to expand traditional definitions of what creativity entails and how it manifests. The development of the Creative Styles Tool, a project that began five years ago, involved a collaborative team of Crayola experts and Dr. Gerard Puccio, a State University of New York Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Center for Applied Imagination at Buffalo State University. Their aim was to make creativity more tangible and personal, while also debunking common myths. These myths include the notion that adults outgrow creativity or that it is an ability possessed by only a select few. Dr. Puccio’s review of contemporary creativity studies ensured the tool’s foundation is rooted in robust research.

The ultimate goal of this tool is to empower adults to recognize creativity as an essential life skill. Each report generated by the tool aims to affirm that every individual possesses creativity and that a diversity of creative approaches is valuable, highlighting the importance of both broad idea-generating thinkers and those who refine and focus concepts.

“Our ultimate ambition is to empower adults to embrace creativity as an essential life skill,” Sterman said. “Each customized report confirms that every participant is creative, and that the world needs both divergent thinkers who brainstorm, as well as convergent thinkers who curate ideas.”

The launch of the Crayola Creative Styles Tool coincides with the brand’s fifth anniversary of Crayola Creativity Week, scheduled for January 26th to February 1st. This annual event offers a free learning program featuring interactive content and inspiration from creative professionals. Last year, this virtual event reached over 13.2 million students in more than 120 countries, emphasizing the role of creativity across various academic subjects. Crayola Creativity Week is part of the brand’s broader Campaign for Creativity, an advocacy program dedicated to challenging narrow views of creativity, advocating for its importance as a life skill, and inspiring lifelong creative engagement.

Individuals interested in discovering their personal creative style can visit www.crayola.com/CreativeStyles or search for “Crayola Creative Styles” online.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from Crayola

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