Can we be creative without even trying?

Against received wisdom, researchers find the unconscious is not necessarily the great origin of creative accomplishment.
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When an ‘aha!’ moment occurs – connoting that a problem has been solved without the immediate assistance of a transparent, logical process – we generally attribute problem-solving to unconscious processes.

Connections have long been drawn between the unconscious and creative thinking. ‘I paint what cannot be photographed, that which comes from the imagination or from dreams, or from an unconscious drive,’ said Man Ray, for instance.

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