Furor Poeticus: Fine Art Exposure’s Impact on Creativity on Demand

Abstract

Fostering employee creativity is crucial for the success of modern organizations. One emerging avenue of inquiry on promoting employee creativity has examined how physical spaces can increase creativity, and initial work suggests art exposure could elicit greater employee creativity. However, some researchers posit that art may not be equally inspirational for all. In this study, I examine how, why, and for whom art exposure can foster individual creativity. I propose and show that the effects of art exposure on creativity are dependent on the individual’s perception of creative ability - that it can be learned (growth mindset) and that they are competent at it (creative self-efficacy). I find that exposure to fine art (rather than ‘boring’ or no art) engenders greater creativity on demand and that the effect is greater for those with a more growth-oriented mindset or high creative self-efficacy, while fixed mindset serves as a detriment to creative efficacy.