doi: 10.3850/S201046932012000019

An Introduction to "Creativity and Leisure: An Intercultural and Cross-disciplinary Journal"

Ai-Girl Tan Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore 637616.

Creativity and Leisure for Life

Creativity research and leisure studies are two emerging fields of interest. Beginning in the 1950s or earlier creativity research has attracted attention of scientific, socio-economic and political communities around the world. Leisure studies established in the United States (in 1940s) has gradually introduced to Europe and then to Asia. There are numerous definitions of creativity and leisure. Psychologists define creativity with reference to personality or characteristics of a person (Guilford, 1950). Creativity is a psychological state of openness to all experiences (Rogers, 1963). Creative experiences enhance meanings in life (Frankl, 1969). Leisure concerns living a good life and pursuing happiness (Yeh, 1993). Leisure is conceptualized as of those who are open to everything (Pieper, 1948/1952, p. 41). Creativity and leisure are important for a good life, self-expression, health, and happiness. Research evidence shows that having time to take part in creative activities is beneficial for healthy people and people with illness and disabilities, the young and the elderly, women and men, and people of different cultural backgrounds (Creek, 2008). Taking part in leisure activities (e.g., Lego block building, tea drinking, and music listening, Reynolds, 1989) enhances motivation and health.

Intercultural Research

Creativity is a human characteristic. Leisure is in time and space where capacities can be discovered without any burden of demonstrating their values in the world of work, as well as in time and space where humans can affirm the gift of life (Parr, 2009, p. 90). Creativity and leisure have a potential role to play in creating a new social system and its contents (Parr, 2009; Reid & van Dreunen, 1996). Creativity research (e.g., Onda, 1986; Tan, 2000) and leisure research (Iwasaki, Nishino, Onda & Bowling, 2007; Liu, Yeh, Chick & Zinn, 2008) inform us of the best cultural practices, culture-relevant constraints, and culture-aspired directions of research and policies (Iwasaki, Nishino, Onda & Bowling, 2007; Liu, Yeh, Chick & Zinn, 2008).

It is clear that research and theories seldom consider both creativity and leisure (Hegarthy, 2009). Within the literature of creativity, we found limited lines describing various aspects of leisure (e.g., flow and enjoyment, Csikszentmihalyi, 1996; benefit of multicultural experience, Leung, Maddux, Galinsky & Chiu, 2008). The results of our search (e.g., electronic databases of Academic Premier) using the terms "leisure and creativ*", "recreation and creativ*", "tourism and "creativ*", "play and "creativ*", "creativ*", "leisure", "recreation" or "tourism" supported this claim. An analysis on the contents of peer-reviewed journals in the fields of creativity (e.g., Journal of Creative Behavior) and leisure (e.g., Journal of Leisure Research) suggested the need to conduct intercultural research and cross-disciplinary studies on creativity and leisure. Some research questions related to creativity and leisure are still valid for intercultural studies: "What are people going to do in their leisure? Can we make them more creative?" (Mead, 1960) Other relevant intercultural research questions include the following: "Is creative leisure related to subject well-being and happiness? What is the meaning and reality of creative leisure across the globe and within cultures and subcultures? Do some have more access to creative leisure than others"? (Hegarthy, 2009)

People of all cultures likely share the view that creativity and leisure can enhance quality and satisfaction of life (see Lu & Hu, 2005). They likely differ in allocating time for leisure and in articulating the meanings of leisure. In the United States of America, for example employed persons (ages 25-54) with children (under 18 years old) spent on average 2.6 hours per day on leisure and sports; after 8.7 hours of working and work-related activities, and 7.7 hours of sleeping. They spent on average near one fifth of the day on caring for others (1.3 hours), eating and drinking (1.1 hours), household activities (1.1. hours), and others (1.5 hours) (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). All persons age 15 and over, spent on an average day 2.8 hours watching television, 38 minutes socializing and communicating, 23 minutes playing games, using computer for leisure, 20 minutes reading, 19 minutes doing sports, exercise, and recreation, 15 minutes relaxing and thinking, and 17 minutes other leisure activities (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). In Japan, survey on leisure activities included participation of people with ages 10 years and above, and types of leisure activities such as research and study, travelling, and sport (Statistics Bureau Japan, 2011). Spending time with children is perceived as a socially desired leisure activity of married women in Taiwan (Tsai, 2010). In Scandinavia, men have more leisure time than women (Thrane, 2000). In Turkey, while people in high social-economic groups engage in all cultural consumption leisure activities, people of low social-economic groups spend their leisure time watching television programs (Aydin, 2009). In Sweden, all school-age children go to leisure centers to attend leisure activities that are fun (Skovelket, 2010), so that children learn well and be creative. The list of claims on cultural similarities and differences related to creative practices and leisure activities does not limit to the examples mentioned above. It is timely to verify the claims by conducting scientific intercultural studies that examine theories and practices of creativity and leisure and that aim to converge evidence-based insights on creativity and leisure practices for goodness, health, and happiness.

Cross-disciplinarity

It is appropriate and timely to conduct cross-disciplinary research on creativity and leisure. Our existing knowledge of creativity informs us that all people have the potential to be creative in regulating their life. Some people will display professional or eminent creativity (Kaufman & Beghetto, 2009). What are components of creativity? Amabile (1983) suggests three components of creativity: Creativity-relevant processes, domain-relevant processes, and commitment to tasks. Other factors important for creativity include emotion, personality, efficacy, regulatory processes, team diversity, and supportive leadership. When does creative imagination emerge? How disciplinary education enhances or hinders domain-relevant creativity; and how leisure enhances cross-disciplinary creativity?

Aagaard-Hansen (2007) regards cross-disciplinarity as a general designation for three related concepts, i.e., multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity. Multidisciplinarity is about working in parallel or sequential from a disciplinary specific base to address a common problem. Interdisciplinarity describes working jointly but from a disciplinary specific basis to address a common problem. Transdisciplinarity refers to working jointly using a shared conceptual framework drawing upon disciplinary specific theories, concepts and approaches to address a common problem. Multidisciplinarity requires collaboration within a discipline doing parallel tasks toward a common goal. It demands collaboration in the form of coordination. Interdisciplinarity requires cooperation across two or more disciplines for reaching the goal. We put in some effort in defining common goals. Moran (2002) highlights that "interdisciplinarity to mean any form of dialogue or interaction between two or more disciplines: the level, type, purpose and effect of this interaction remain to be examined." (p. 16) Cross-disciplinarity is a gradual process in which the research group moves in the direction of integration (Aagaard-Hansen, 2007). For the fields of creativity and leisure, disciplinary integration is essential for making inquiries, posing research questions, and generating new knowledge. Cross-disciplinary integration is an essential process of knowledge creation.

An Introduction to the Inaugural Issue

Garry Chick is a professor of the Pennsylvania State University, USA. He is an anthropologist, and a leisure field specialist. Chick is an advisor of this journal. Ai-Girl Tan is the chief editor of this journal. After two email exchanges, Chick accepted Tan's invitation to take up the role of a journal advisor. He submitted an article to the inaugural issue entitled "Culture and leisure: Reflections from an anthropologist" (see Chick, this issue). In the subsequent issues, researchers of the fields of leisure and creativity will review articles presented in the inaugurated issue. They will discuss the importance of disciplinary and cultural integration of the fields of creativity and leisure. They will highlight cultural and disciplinary integration in knowledge creation.

Our inaugural issue collects two articles. These articles discuss on disciplinary integration. Ai-Girl Tan is a faculty of the Psychological Studies Department of the Nanyang Technological University Singapore. Tan presents her views on creativity in leisure. She integrates theory of care and framework of positivity to the framework of constructive creativity (see Tan, this issue). Yuh-cheng Fan is a faculty of the Department of Leisure Management of the Minghsin University of Science and Technology Taiwan. She was a graduate of the fields of Philosophy and East Asian Studies. Fan shares her views of culture and leisure from the philosophical perspectives (see Fan, this issue). Fan is the co-editor of our new journal.

In March 2011 the department of leisure management of the Minghsin University of Science and Technology organized an international symposium. The title of the symposium was "The 2011 International Leisure City Development Symposium." Fan was the coordinator of the event. Researchers and leaders of the fields of leisure and creativity participated in the event. They delivered keynote addresses and shared their reflections. The keynote speakers were academics and leaders of the fields of leisure and creativity. They were from the United States of America, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Roger Coles is a professor of the Central Michigan University USA. He read a paper entitled "Leisure and wellness from a North American Perspective" (Coles & Schilling, this issue). Derek Casey is a leader of the World Leisure Organization. He resides in the United Kingdom. Casey shared his views on the relevance of leisure to the strategic development of communities, cities and countries (see under report session, Casey, this issue). Peter Chen is also a leader of the World Leisure Organization. He resides in New Zealand. Chen shared his insights into leisure and quality of life (see under report session, Chen, this issue). Coles, Casey and Chen are members of the international advisory board of this journal. Ai-Girl Tan presented a paper on creativity and leisure from the Singapore perspective. The keynote speakers joined the experts from Taiwan (e.g., K.T. Fann and Y.C. Fan) in a panel discussion. They shared their reflections on leisure city development in Asia and the world (see under report session, Fann, this issue).

The inaugural issue includes three shorts reports. The first report is related to the 2011 International Leisure City Development Symposium. Selected views on leisure city development are included into this report. The second report informs us of the main program of the 33rd Annual Conference of Japan Creativity Society entitled "Japan Revival and Creativity: Care and Design." The conference organizer M. Oku is a member of the journal advisory board. The third report highights main activities of an International Symposium in Honor of Kurt A. Heller's Scientific Contributions on his 80th birthday celebration. The symposium aimed to reflect upon Heller's contributions to the fields of high ability, creativity, talent development and excellence. Kurt A. Heller is a member of the journal advisory board.

Invitation to Forthcoming Issues

Our journal encourages submission of original manuscripts. The manuscripts can be full papers or short reports. They can focus on developing knowledge of creativity and leisure by proposing new theories or frameworks of creativity and leisure. The manuscripts shall discuss the need of suggesting new methodological orientations or disciplinary and cultural integration in creativity and leisure studies. They shall examine how creativity and leisure activities can enhance motivation, interest in task engagement, imagination, regulatory processes, problem solving and quality of life. The manuscripts shall investigate advantages and limitations of cross-disciplinary and intercultural research approaches to studying creativity and leisure. All manuscripts shall prepare according to the American Psychological Association format. They will be peer-reviewed. Authors and reviewers can refer to guidelines for manuscript submission and peer-review published in the website of the journal.

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