From Brains to Music: a Multi-Faceted Discussion of Creativity with Dr. Anthony Brandt

Dr. Anthony Brandt, is Professor of Composition and Theory at Rice University and is co-founder and artistic director of the contemporary music ensemble Musiqa. He has co-authored (with neuroscientist David Eagleman) a book titled: The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World. He has received numerous awards and recognitions and has been featured in TIME, Harvard Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal. In our interview, Dr. Brandt discussed his life as a musician and composer, his study of creativity, and his excitement for the future of creativity studies.

He uses his experiences as a musician and composer to highlight the important role that creativity plays in our lives, providing examples that illustrate multiple understandings of creativity. Dr. Brandt argues that the ability to select unexpected outcomes may be the “secret sauce” that has allowed humans to become the imaginative, creative species that we are. Further, an additional process occurs that helps explain creative acts and thinking. As Dr. Brandt said:

Complete reference, and link to article below:

Richardson, C., Henriksen, D., Mishra, P. & the Deep-Play Research Group (2020). From brains to music: A multi-faceted discussion of creativity with Dr. Anthony Brandt. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00546-9