Creative mortification is when someone or something kills your creativity… forever. In a paper published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, Beghetto defines creative mortification as, “The loss of one’s willingness to pursue a particular creative aspiration following a negative performance outcome.” Creative mortification would be if someone says your art sucks, so you stop pursing a career in the arts altogether. Or if you quit your job after that brainstorming session because you thought you weren’t creative or smart enough to hack it in that particular … [Read more...]