What Is Creativity?
A question with many answers
Creativity is notoriously tricky to define. It has as many definitions as there are people who try to define it. A simple dictionary.com search tells us creativity is "the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination". Creativity scholar Ghiselin Brewster defines it as “the process of change, of developement, of evolution, in the organization of subjective life.” Some say these definitions are too broad and that we distort the meaning even further by commonly using the term creativity to refer to any device used to “[release] impulses or [relax] tensions”. Still others are under the impression that creativity refers to refined verbal skills or adeptness in organization, and some simply associate creativity with the outlandish and crazy. (Kneller)
​
For the purpose of this investigation into creativity I put forth this definition: the inspired act of creating something new to us. This can refer to the unbidden idea that springs forth to change the way we view the world or to “a rearrangement of existing knowledge … that is itself an addition to knowledge,” as put forth by creativity scholar George Kneller.
This definition may seem too broad to some, but I believe it is broad enough to encompass the many styles of creativity without sacrificing the integrity of the definition. The definition I put forth both preserves the essential novelty Kneller argues for in saying creativity adds to knowledge, while also removing the ability to define creativity as any mere artistic release since the material that comes out of the activity must be new to us. Others may argue that intention to create must be present, however, in my personal experience and in the experiences of those I have talked to creativity often comes when one least expects it. One may simply be drawing the same flower one always does for artistic release and simple pleasure when suddenly the idea to change something comes and the flower takes on new attributes - if it even remains a flower. This is a creative act and yet it was unplanned.
Another important thing to note about defining creativity is the accepted definitions of "little-c" creativity and "Big-C" creativity. The first refers to everyday acts of creativity done just for oneself, and the second refers to what Tamlin Conner and Paul Silvia call "domain changing... creative masterpieces"in their study "Creative Days: A Daily Diary Study of Emotion, Personality, and Everyday Creativity". In this study we will be looking at "Big-C" creativity, more specifically the creative process of dancers creating choreography.
The Role of Skill
In response to those who feel skill is essential to creativity I propose this compromise. Skill is the bridge between what your mind sees and how you present it to the world. One can be creative without possessing skill, however as choreographer Twyla Tharp said in The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life, A Practical Guide, “weather or not God has kissed your brow [with a creative idea], you still have to work. Without learning and preparation, you won’t know how to harness the power of that kiss” (Tharp, 8).
Skill is the craft aspect of creativity which allows the creator to release the ideas bursting forth from their mind and comes to the aid of the creator experiencing block. Things can also be crafted by skill alone. Songs can be formulated, paintings laid out, and according to our definition this would qualify as creativity. I do not dispute the potential for creating out of skill, and many would argue these are the workings of creativity. For the purposes of this exploration we are hoping to get a look at creativity that burst forth in the mind and is aided by skill into being a fully developed idea. However, it must be acknowledged that such things are not controllable and the creative works we look at will vary in ratio of skill to inspiration.
Creativity in Society
Society is currently obsessed with creativity. I see new magazines boasting of secrets to creativity nearly every time I go grocery shopping. But for all the new tricks and tips I see popping up in the media, society has perpetuated several myths of creativity that create the idea that not everyone is creative.
Ask the average college student if they are creative and they will likely say no. I've even asked some of my fellow art inclined people and sometimes they say no. Yet I find creativity on college campuses inspiring in amazing ways. One of my favorite places to encounter creativity in the dining hall. Ask a college student how to get the most out of their dining hall, and doubtless they will have at least one unique idea on ways to make the best of what's offered. I have seen genius uses of the panini press and know a few secret recipes for trail mix or better tasting hot coco. These little things come from seeing a few things and wondering what happens if you mix them. Sure maybe the first combination isn't right, but the end result can be quite creative and tasty and is a great representation of how creativity can be found in the most mundane experiences. “Creativity permeates all aspects of human activity; including our everyday business and communication”, states Gudmund Smith and Ingegerd Carlsson in their book The Creative Process: A Functional Model Based on Empirical Studies from Early Childhood to Middle Age. Yet despite this children frequently learn by the age of seven that they should stifle their creativity to conform to societal convention. Purple horses and green cats are no longer acceptable by that age and become a sign of inability to draw rather than unique perspective. In fact as Susan Kolodny points out in her book The Captive Muse: On Creativity and Its Inhibition once they begin school childrens paintings become largely the same. She acknowledges that there may be a developmental explanation, but in her personal search for a preschool that would allow her son to draw in his own creative way she came across many schools with strict art programs that graded students on accuracy from a young age.
As a society we place importance on correctness and conformance and while these traits are not inherently bad when implemented for safety and functionality they stifle original thought and creative perspective.
How To Build Your Creative Confidence - David Kelly
In this video David Kelly discusses how many children learn to think they aren't creative and how this affects our world.