Creativity and the Performing Artist: Behind the Mask

Creativity and the Performing Artist: Behind the Mask synthesizes and integrates research in the field of creativity and the performing arts. Within the performing arts there are multiple specific domains of expertise, with domain-specific demands. This book examines the psychological nature of creativity in the performing arts.

The book is organized into five sections.

Section I

discusses different forms of performing arts, the domains and talents of performers, and the experience of creativity within performing artists.

Section II

explores the neurobiology of physiology of creativity and flow.

Section III

covers the developmental trajectory of performing artists, including early attachment, parenting, play theories, personality, motivation, and training.

Section IV

examines emotional regulation and psychopathology in performing artists.

Section V

closes with issues of burnout, injury, and rehabilitation in performing artists.

Discusses domain specificity within the performing arts

Encompasses dance, theatre, music, and comedy performance art

Reviews the biology behind performance, from thinking to movement

Identifies how an artist develops over time, from childhood through adult training

Summarizes the effect of personality, mood, and psychopathology on performance

Explores career concerns of performing artists, from injury to burn out