As an educator interested in heutagogy, this intrigued me. Central to Edwards’ approach is the Creator’s Cycle. In his three phases, we see how one becomes a creator.
Creativity begins with ideation; creators identify and refine the idea that will focus their work. This sure seems reasonable; educators understand the importance of interesting and relevant problems. Without these, nothing much happens. “What happens when we don’t have an idea?” is the approach Edwards takes. Innovation and understanding the problem as others understand it and collaborating with other creators to define your idea are approaches to certainty what matter for Edwards.
Once the idea is clear, creators begin working on the idea or solving the problem. It becomes a teacher for the creator who learns deeply about the problem. One of the most important lessons one learns is the extent to which they did not understand the problem. Aesthetic creators are open to the lessons taught by the idea and problem and adapt to their deeper understanding.
The final stage of the Creators Cycle is the exhibition. This is the product of the creative work. The field need not matter. Aesthetic exhibits are not created for economic purposes, although they may lead to profit. For an idea and action to be creative, other must be able to experience something they could not previously. This is the value creators add to the world.
