This article presents an investment theory of creativity. The theory comprises 6 resources for creativity – intellectual processes, knowledge, intellectual style, personality, motivation, and environmental context. Creative performance results from a confluence of these elements. Main features of each resource are explained and the manner in which the 6 resources combine is discussed. Then a preliminary empirical study that tests aspects of the investment theory is briefly presented. Next, the development of creativity in terms of the 6 resources is described. Finally, potential criticisms of the investment theory are addressed. The goal of the theory is to understand in a cohesive way the foundations of creativity. To the extent that true creativity seems rare, it may be because many people are not willing to invest in it and because so many resources must converge in order to generate it.
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