Understanding Creativity

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Are you creative? How do you know? Creativity is an abstract concept that can be challenging to define. Understanding the nature of creativity can help us to be deliberate in our actions that are aimed at creative accomplishments. Let's explore several ways of defining and identifying creativity. The simplest way to define a creative product is something that is useful and new. A more comprehensive definition of creativity comes to us from an article in the educational psychologist journal titled; why isn't creativity more important to educational psychologists? Potentials, pitfalls and future directions in creativity research. The article defined creativity as; the interaction among aptitude, process and environment by which an individual or group produces a perceptible product that is both novel and useful defined with a social context. This definition helps us understand what creativity involves. Aptitude or potential of what can be, the process, environment and usefulness of the product and the application of the product within the social context. You might invent an amazing product but if it's not accepted within a field or a society, then it will not succeed. An example of this comes from the 1950s when two engineers named Fielding and Chavannes invented 3D wallpaper by fusing together shower curtains. The idea was a flop since no one wanted 3D wallpaper. Next, they tried to rebrand the creation as greenhouse insulation. This was also a failure. A few years later, when IBM was ready to send out their first shipment of computers, they needed to keep them protected from damaged during shipment. Someone remembered 3D wallpaper and had the idea of using it as padding. This is how bubble wrap was born. This example demonstrates how a product can be creative but not useful upon its first application. It also highlights the process of creativity and how ideas develop over time. Perhaps a more actionable explanation of creativity comes from creativity and education consultant, Dr. Cindy Burnett, who said creative thinking is more than coming up with new ideas. It is about living life in a way that is open, authentic and curious. It is a mindset and approach to everything we do. We can deliberately apply this to our lives in ways that will lead to creative achievements. This shows us that creativity is not something we use only under special circumstances or something we pull out of our back pockets. It is a mindset and approach to everything we do. We must be open to new ideas and methods, alternative perspectives and information that challenges our assumptions. We must be authentic and true to ourselves and our intuitions. This includes candid feedback and open communication among coworkers. We must be curious and take in new information. Curiosity leads to new information, insights and new possibilities. All of these are habits and traits we can adopt that will lead to greater creativity. Take a moment and think about a creative product you've seen lately. What problem does it solve? What do you know about its creator and how they arrived at the solution to the problem? How can you begin to apply Dr. Burnett's explanation of creative thinking to your life. Now that you know how to identify creative products and think more creatively, let's dive into a more thorough investigation of the levels of creativity to help you identify it in yourself and others.