What is Creativity?

Creativity is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as, “the ability to create”, and create is defined as, “to bring into existence” and “to produce through imaginative skill”.

So, to create is also innovate and invent something that did not exist before. This is an obviously difficult task. New technological advancements and the ideas that seem like they came out of the blue were always influenced by other events, ideas, entertainment, movies, etc.. And the cycle continues as you go back in human history. There was always a catalyst before there was a creation. For example, the technology in the futuristic science fiction show, Star Trek most likely influenced a lot of the tablets and smartphones that we have today.

Creativity is also said to require an “imaginative skill”. An ability to have thoughts and ideas that are out of the ordinary, extraordinary, if you will. Ideas that are whimsical, quirky, or even a little bit weird.

So, what is creativity?

This is a question that not many people are asking or even thinking about. On instinct, I think the first thing someone thinks about when talking about creativity is that creativity is subjective. It is of your own and their own personal thoughts and opinions. The most common association with creative subjectivity is in the visual arts. Painting, sketching, sculpting, etc.. When someone tells you that you’re creative, it’s usually because they think you’re good at drawing or you have some type of amazing artistic skill.

However, creativity comes in a plethora of forms and mediums. There’s more than just paint or markers or pens. There’s product design, media entertainment writing, electronic innovation, and even problem solving can come from a creative thought. A leader needs to be creative because they have to direct and assist their team to produce something to the best of all their abilities.

I’ve noticed that, sometimes, there is this stigma that someone can’t be both creative and intelligent. They are two ways of thinking that do not mix. Intelligent people are usually seen as better and the people that make the world go round, and creative people just make useless art that doesn’t contribute to society. It’s really not the case. In order for something new to be introduced into our lifestyle, there had to be a creative person to come up with an idea, then, if that creative person does not have the skills to bring the product to life, they bring in someone that maybe has the engineering intelligence to create a product that makes your life more convenient. Intelligence and creativity have to work together.

Again, I ask, what is creativity?

This is more of a rhetorical and philosophical question that doesn’t really have an answer because it deals so much with one’s own state of mind. Though, doesn’t everything?

However, if we were to boil it down to one ultimate meaning of every perspective, every definition, and every loophole that you can find when talking about creativity, it would be defined as this:

Creativity (noun): the ability to innovate, collaborate with another, and share it with the world.

As long as what you create is thoughtful, making the world brighter, making others laugh, and helping others, there is no limit as to what creativity is.

Here is this post in video form.

Thanks for reading!