A Look at Creativity
Creativity is a wonderful, ever-burgeoning phenomena through which something original and something valuable are formed. Something that arises from the blue, out of nothing. It is the spontaneous emergence of the self. It is the inner light at the end of the tunnel; a threshold beyond all description. Creativity is the state in which one’s inner creative mind is opening and revealing its secrets. The created object can be a tangible or intangible object.
The famous writer, pages, recognized as the father of modern poetry; speaks of creativity as, “the ecstasy of the mind.” He clarifies this ecstatic state as, “the joyous expectancy of the coming recognition.” Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds of the century also spoke of creativity as, “the play of light.” More recently, the philosopher, Kurt Goldstein, speaking of creativity as, “the turning of thought.” Perhaps it is our ever-changing culture, which has seen creativity to transform not only our mind but our entire culture as well.
Creativity can be defined as, “a power to create or produce something by using one’s imagination.” A more useful definition, perhaps, would be, “the ability to generate ideas and thoughts through the use of one’s mind.” However, most people today would agree with the more popular usage, “the ability to think creatively and enjoy one’s creative efforts.” It is this creative surge in each of our souls, which allows us to unleash our inner creativity.
A key feature in creativity is, “the urge to produce new things or overcome previous limitations.” In order to unleash our creativity, it is necessary to first put our thoughts, ideas, concepts, and feelings into words. This is called, “putting the ideas in motion.” Another aspect of creativity is, “the joy of developing new resources such as new information or tools.”
When these creative ideas are put into words, they form the basis of the creative process. Creative thinking is the avenue for innovation and creation. Furthermore, “art forms” includes all of the artistic expressions developed by human beings; from music to literature, sculpture to dance, and even visual art to photographic art forms. The term, “art forms,” does not refer to any particular style or method. Some artistic expressions may appear to follow a particular pattern, while others may seem to break all of the rules of traditional art forms. Nevertheless, there is still a great amount of creativity in all of these art forms.
A major portion of the human population falls within the category of creativity. Some individuals can be easily classified as creative and others are not. If an individual is creative, it could be said that their mind and spirit are in constant motion, seeking novelty, different perceptions, and constantly seeking out new ways to express themselves. These individuals are the ones that are often gifted with such a high level of skill that they are able to teach their fellow students about creativity and its importance. Additionally, there are many scientists that believe that creativity arises from the brain, rather than being the result of surrounding stimuli.
The major component of creativity is innovation. Innovation is the development of something from scratch, as opposed to copying an existing idea or style. However, copying is not necessarily considered to be creativity. For example, if a person finds a beautiful vase that they believe can enhance their home decor, they might take it home, create a card or slip an image of it into a painting that they already have.
Creativity affects every aspect of our lives. It has been shown that people with higher degrees of creativity tend to make more money, obtain better jobs, and do better at their jobs. Furthermore, research has also shown that creativity can be contagious, and that the presence of creativity in a workplace can greatly improve the quality of that workplace. In fact, many businesses and schools have found creative activities to be a key part of the learning process.
