About the Crayola Creativity
Profile Tool
Crayola defines creativity as putting your imagination in action. With this simple, yet robust definition it is easy to see how problem solving at work, experimenting in the kitchen, storytelling with kids, and developing new relationships are ways we pursue creativity every day.
Based on the company’s 120-year history of supporting children’s creativity and the brand’s longstanding mission of “helping parents and educators raise creatively alive children,” Crayola has embarked on an advocacy journey to help everyone understand and appreciate creativity as a life skill.
One of the first steps in this journey was developing the Crayola Creativity Model, a crisp way of framing the behaviors and mindsets that are part of the creative process. This model of the creative process was devised by a multi-functional and diverse team of experts at Crayola. To verify the veracity of this model, the Crayola team engaged a creativity scholar with more than 30 years of experience as both a thought leader in the field of creativity and as a creativity consultant. Dr. Gerard Puccio, a State University of New York Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Center for Applied Imagination at Buffalo State University, used his vast knowledge of the field to verify the content validity of the Crayola Creativity Model. To further substantiate the soundness of the model, Dr. Puccio conducted a comprehensive literature review of contemporary creativity research to confirm or modify the elements of the Crayola Creativity Model. Thus, his practical experience and deep knowledge of the nature of creativity provide assurance that the model is grounded in a solid theoretical framework.
The Crayola Creativity Profile Tool is based on that accurate model, as well as a rich field of academic research that defines how creativity comes to life as humans Think, Perceive, and Engage. Crayola’s original intent in developing this self-assessment tool was to provide a credible and practical understanding of individuals’ creative styles, which is useful for educators since they have tremendous influence on children’s creativity. To ensure the accuracy and usefulness the Crayola Creativity Profile Tool, several hundred educators completed early versions of the self-reflection tool and provided direct feedback by engaging in a series of focus group sessions.
In short, both sound theory and practical experience guided the iterative design work that went into the construction of the self-reflection tool and the profile summaries that participants receive after completing the tool. Understanding one’s personal creative style is so appealing that people outside of the education profession have asked for access to the tool. Parents, grandparents, Crayolians, and others from a diverse range of professions who have completed the word-pair tool and then explored their personal preference profiles have found it very useful in learning more about themselves and others. Their feedback has been heartwarming as participants report their profiles “fit me perfectly.” They remarked, “It’s incredible how this knows me so well.” When profiles were shared within groups, it was appreciated that this “offered new ways to look at the creative styles of those around me.” People also reported that it is an incredibly insightful diversity and inclusion resource, since understanding the many diverse ways individuals Think, Perceive, and Engage increased inclusive practices at work and school and harmony within families.