What is creativity?

I think that fundamentally, creativity is the ability to imagine, and bring into existence, something that doesn’t yet exist.

If you look in the dictionary you will learn that creativity is:

noun

1. the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness.

Wikipedia will tell you that:

Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary work, or a painting).

Psychology and philosophy agree that creativity opens the mind. It can be said that a society that has lost touch with its creative side is an imprisoned society, in that generations of people may be closed minded. Creativity inspires collective thinking; it broadens our perspectives and can help us overcome prejudices.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of the book “Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention,” gives my favorite definition of the word. “Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives … most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity… [and] when we are involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.” Sign me up for more of that please!

Creativity can connect reflection with action: creativity goes beyond imagining, it is also about developing, bringing to life pictures, stories and innovations of our minds. It’s a part of our drive as humans—fostering resilience, sparking joy, and providing opportunities for self-actualization. It gives purpose to our daily reflections and purpose will influence our behavior, shape goals, offer a sense of direction, and create meaning.

Creative people, or rather people who have a relationship with their creativity, tend to balance intense energy with quiet rest, playfulness with discipline, fantasy with reality, and passion for their work with objectivity. Creative people possess certain traits or skills, they are always asking questions, coming up with creative solutions to problems and exhibiting playfulness. Forget the old adage that ‘curiosity killed the cat’, curiosity is vital for creativity and play. ‘Cultivating play’ is one of Brene Brown’s key guideposts to living a wholehearted life. That is, for living a successful, happy and healthy life. In The Artist’s Way program, we cultivate play by committing to weekly Artists Dates: participants report that regular artist dates make them feel far more grounded, whole, clear and confident.

Play helps us deal with difficulties, provides a sense of expansiveness, promotes mastery of our craft, and is an essential part of the creative process. Most important, true play that comes from our own inner needs and desires is the only path to finding lasting joy and satisfaction in our work. In the long run, work does not work without play. Dr. Stuart Brown (from Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul)

Many people feel that they have no or very limited creative ability—even some who work in creative fields—and it's true that certain individuals are more creative than others. Fortunately, however, creativity can be acquired and honed at any age or experience level. Creativity is a skill that is specific to an individual and is the skilled application of that skill in new and exciting ways. Some of our beliefs around creativity are inherited beliefs and no longer serve us, you’ve all heard of the ‘starving artist’ right? The hopeful suspicion that we are not stuck with our beliefs and the desire to be free of our limiting beliefs is often the motivating factor for engaging in a program such as The Artist’s Way. Working with a Master NLP Practitioner will also create the opportunity to address your limiting beliefs around your creativity.

While tempting to leave creativity to the artists, we need to remember that creativity leads to innovation and is therefore prized in competitive workplaces.

"Innovation is the implementation or creation of something new that has realized value to others." Shawn Hunter, author of Out Think: How Innovative Leaders Drive Exceptional Outcomes (Wiley, 2013)

If you Google creative careers you will get the usual suspects: actors, poets, songwriters, dancers, video game designers and the like. You will also find others you may not initially expect, such as: data scientists, business continuity planners, architects, dental technicians and medical dosimetrists. How then, could developing and investing in your creativity improve your career, workplace or business? What would it mean to you to have more innovation possible in your career, workplace or business?

To find out more about how you can develop a stronger relationship with a central source of meaning in your life: email Lisa at imaginalcoaching@internode.on.au, or message me via the socials.