Different creative pursuits require varying degrees of unconscious flexible thinking, in combination with varying degrees of the conscious ability to adjust it and shape it through analytical thinking. In music, for example, at one end of the creative spectrum are improvisational artists, such as jazz musicians.
(A) On the other end of the spectrum are those who compose complex forms, such as a symphony or concerto, that require not just imagination but also careful planning and exacting editing. We know, for example, through his letters and the reports of others, that even Mozart’s creations did not appear spontaneously, wholly formed in his consciousness, as the myths about him portray.
(B) They have to be particularly talented at lowering their inhibitions and letting in their unconsciously generated ideas. And although the process of learning the fundamentals of jazz would require a high degree of analytical thought, that thinking style is not as big a factor during the performance.
(C) Instead, he spent long, hard hours analyzing and reworking the ideas that arose in his unconscious, much as a scientist does when producing a theory from a germ of insight. In Mozart’s own words: “I immerse myself in music... I think about it all day long ― I like experimenting ― studying ― reflecting...”
* improvisational: 즉흥적인 ** immerse: ~에 몰두하다