University of Helsinki
I have just finished reading a very interesting book about landscape photography by Alain Briot. It has several chapters on the creative process in photography. The parallel with creativity in science is remarkable and a lot of what he writes about is very useful to those doing scientific research.
One example: creative vs. critical modes. If one tries to be creative and critical at the same time one doesn’t get any original work done.
My interpretation: When writing a first draft just let your ideas flow, just write what crosses your mind without stopping to check their soundness. After your flow of ideas dries out, switch to critical mode and be ruthless criticizing and editing what you have written. If new ideas are born, switch back to creative mode. And so forth.
The same applies to designing new experiments, etc. First design your experiment without thinking too much about how easy or difficult it would be to put the design into practice. When you are finished with your first draft design, switch to critical mode. And so forth.
Even when working in groups these modes or roles should be kept separate, otherwise creativity gets stifled.
Even if you are not as much interested in photography as I am, this book could make for some interesting reading.
The book is Mastering Photographic Composition, Creativity, and Personal Style by Alain Briot. The link is to amazon.com
Highly recommended.