Study of Creativity among Artists and Writers (1983)

Other Studies of Multiple Artist Populations

Investigators: Laura Birg and Yen Peterson

Population: Self-identified artists and writers belonging to Chicago membership organizations.

Identification: Artists and writers, whose primary identity and self-concept was that of artist or writer, were included. Artists engaged in painting, sculpting, or both. Writers were involved in fiction and non-fiction.

Sampling procedure: Part of a larger study in the Chicago metropolitan area from November 1981 to March 1983. Questionnaires with 47 closed-end and 10 open-end items were completed by both groups, and depth interviews averaging 3 hours were conducted with 35 artists and 10 writers. Writers were members of the Independent Writers of Chicago or on their mailing list. Some were members of the freelance section of Chicago Women in Publishing. The fine artists were obtained through the Fine Arts listing in the Chicago telephone directory. Other contacts were facilitated by the School of the Chicago Art Institute, the Chicago Coalition of Artists, the Contemporary Arts Workshop, and Beverly Arts Center of Chicago. Artists were also included from two all-female cooperatives.

N and Response rate: Writers: N=124, Artists: N=100. Response rate unavailable in work reviewed.

Publication: Birg, L. and Peterson, Y. 1985. "Creativity as Sentiment: A Definition by Artists and Writers." Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology, 13(1): 39-42.

Summary: An investigation of the differing definitions of creativity among writers and artists, based on questionnaire and interview data. The study used content analysis to examine responses to an open-ended question concerning definitions.