Table Of ContentPALGRAVE STUDIES IN
CREATIVITY AND CULTURE
The Art
of Serendipity
Edited by
Wendy Ross · Samantha Copeland
Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture
Series Editors
˘
Vlad Petre Glaveanu, Department of Psychology and
Counselling, Centre for the Science of Learning and
Technology, Webster University Geneva and University of
Bergen, Geneva, Switzerland
Brady Wagoner , Communication and Psychology,
Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
Both creativity and culture are areas that have experienced a rapid
growth in interest in recent years. Moreover, there is a growing interest
today in understanding creativity as a socio-cultural phenomenon and
culture as a transformative, dynamic process. Creativity has traditionally
been considered an exceptional quality that only a few people (truly)
possess, a cognitive or personality trait ‘residing’ inside the mind of the
creative individual. Conversely, culture has often been seen as ‘outside’
the person and described as a set of ‘things’ such as norms, beliefs,
values, objects, and so on. The current literature shows a trend towards
a different understanding, which recognises the psycho-socio-cultural
nature of creative expression and the creative quality of appropriating
and participating in culture. Our new, interdisciplinary series Palgrave
Studies in Creativity and Culture intends to advance our knowledge
of both creativity and cultural studies from the forefront of theory
and research within the emerging cultural psychology of creativity, and
theintersectionbetweenpsychology,anthropology,sociology,education,
business,andculturalstudies.PalgraveStudiesinCreativityandCulture
isacceptingproposalsformonographs,PalgravePivotsandeditedcollec-
tions that bring together creativity and culture.The series has a broader
focus than simply the cultural approach to creativity, and is unified by a
basic set of premises about creativity and cultural phenomena.
More information about this series at
https://link.springer.com/bookseries/14640
·
Wendy Ross Samantha Copeland
Editors
The Art
of Serendipity
Editors
Wendy Ross Samantha Copeland
Department of Psychology Technology, Policy and Management
London Metropolitan University Delft University ofTechnology
London, UK Delft, Zuid-Holland,The Netherlands
Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture
ISBN 978-3-030-84477-6 ISBN 978-3-030-84478-3 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84478-3
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The editors would like to thank all the contributors for their interesting and
thoughtful reflections.We hope that this is the start of conversation about
the role of chance in creativity. Special consideration must also go to the
members of the Serendipity Society who have provided many moments of
reflection since its foundation in 2016.Wendy also thanks Max, Sam,
Sophie andWill for their never ending patience as well asVlad Gla˘veanu,
and FrédéricVallée-Tourangeau for all their support. Samantha extends
similar thanks to Neil and Becca for their loving support, herWoodill
neighbours and many colleagues for their insights along the way.
Praise for The Art of Serendipity
“Serendipity is at the core of human existence. It can bring us joy, love,
and connection. It is about potentiality, about what could be. Cutting-
edge serendipity researchers Wendy Ross and Samantha Copeland have
brought together an array of inspiring serendipity researchers and prac-
titioners to reflect on how serendipity unfolds and what we can learn
fromit.Whetheryouunexpectedlystumbledoverthisbookorhaditon
your radar already, you will find it a beautiful gift that will trigger and
embrace your curiosity, imagination—and creativity. Good luck!”
—Prof. Dr. Christian Busch, Bestselling author,The Serendipity
Mindset:The Art & Science of Creating Good Luck; Program Director,
CGA Global Economy Program, NewYork University
“For anyone looking to increase their chances for the kind of surprises
in life that lead to meaningful breakthroughs, this book is for you. Ross
andCopeland’sworkshowshowtopositionone’sselfforchanceencoun-
ters and how to begin managing one’s own “luck.” The research in
this book helps us understand serendipity, and offers thought-provoking
vii
viii PraiseforTheArtofSerendipity
conclusions that suggest we have more control over the happy acci-
dents we experience than we might imagine. The overall concepts they
propose—the importance of knowing how to recognize an opportunity
andhowourweuseourtrainedskillstohelpusmakesomethingofthat
recognition—is uplifting, reassuring, and extremely hopeful.”
—Steven Fischer,Two-time Emmy Award nominatedWriter/Producer
“Chess play horses can jump, even aside. The Art of Serendipity is this
talent.AstheSofistsknew,youcan’tlookfortheunknown,becausethen
youdon’tknowwheretolookfor.Butyoucanstumbleontheunknown,
by doing a surprising observation, that you explain correctly. It can lead
tounsoughtfindings:aserendipitousdiscovery(inscience),invention(in
technique) or creation (in art). Serendipity, like stupidity, is an intrinsic
aspect of human behavior and a crucial, universal, funny phenomenon.
It is ‘l’imagination au pouvoir’ (Paris, 1968) for everybody, in its most
democratic form. Behaviorist B.F. Skinner advised: “When you run into
something interesting, drop everything else and study it!” More precise:
When you stumble on an enigma, an anomaly or a novelty, explain it,
and test your hypothesis. Planning is a must, but plans are not holy.
Choose your own track. Hamlet said: ‘Readiness is all.’”
—Pek Van Andel, Serendiptologist
Contents
On Creativity and Serendipity 1
Wendy Ross and Samantha Copeland
What’s ‘Inside’ the Prepared Mind? Not Things,
but Relations 23
Vlad P. Gla˘veanu
Metis and the Art of Serendipity 41
Samantha Copeland
Heteroscalar Serendipity and the Importance of Accidents 75
Wendy Ross
Space for the Unexpected: Serendipity in Immersive
Theatre 101
RoseTurner and Hayley Kasperczyk
Fostering Creative Opportunities by Embracing
the AccidentalWithin Practices of Making 127
Ana Piñeyro
ix
x Contents
Briefing for a Systemic Dissolution of Serendipity 157
Paul L. March and FrédéricVallée-Tourangeau
Accident and Serendipity in Music Composition,
Improvisation and Performance Art 191
Gerhard Lock and Jaak Sikk
The Anableps Guide to Serendipity: Intentional
Serendipity as Creative Encounter—A Decolonised,
Literary Perspective 221
Bem Le Hunte
The Pleasure of Not Knowing and the Importance
of Serendipity in Contemporary Art Practice 239
Andrew Sneddon
Problem Solving, Incubation and Serendipity 267
Ken Gilhooly
Serendipity and Creativity in the Arts and Sciences:
A Combinatorial Analysis 293
Dean Keith Simonton
Index 321
