| This dissertation explored experiences of imagination in the lives of artistic professionals in Los Angeles, California. Imagination was viewed as a complex inner process, forming content in the mind without any immediate input, while artistic creativity was considered to be productive activity with an original manifest product. Little prior research had been done in the field of psychology on the experiences of imagination in artists. The research question was: How do artistic professionals describe the lived experience of imagination in their creativity?;Semi-structured interviews were employed. Thirteen artistic professionals living in Los Angeles were interviewed for 1--1.5 hours each in a public space. Participants were working artists involved in creative collaborations aged from their 30s to their 70s. Participants responded to an open call through online artist-based forums and groups. Data analysis involved Kvale's (2007) thematic content analysis, including the processes of (i) coding, (ii) condensation, and (iii) interpretation. The method added conceptual insights from Moustakas's (1990) heuristic research, including self-dialogue, tacit knowing, intuition, and indwelling. Transcribed interviews were emailed to participants for their approval.;Results yielded the following: (i) Eight domains of experiences associated with imagination and creativity, with a total of fourteen primary themes and two subthemes. Domains involved experiences of imagination with self, others, the creative process, and spirituality, along with imagination and creativity related to the senses, dreams, hardship and survival, and play. (ii) Descriptions of imagination and creativity as personal experiences with intrapersonal, inter-personal, and transpersonal facets. (iii) Symbiotic relations with imagination and creativity vis-a-vis the act of applying imagination to play and to art. (iv) Indications that an imaginative experience can often, but not always, lead to creativity. (v) And a final integrative model based on results, called Integrated Model of Experiences of Imagination and Creativity .;Findings contributed to understanding the experiences of artistic professionals where imagination is viewed as a subjective and personal experience associated with creativity. Recommendations for future research include qualitative interviews with artists on imagination and play, imagination and healing, imagination and ordinary/extra-ordinary states of consciousness, imagination, and spirituality. |
