Creativity

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The dictionary gives the definition of creativity as follows: the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. And often our understanding of creativity is exactly that ~ coming up with imaginative ideas that subsequently are expressed creatively; through painting, writing, sculpting etc.
Yet, if we look at all the instances and situations in our day to day lives where we come up with original ideas and innovative ways to deal with the matters at hand ~ it seems like our creativity stretches well beyond the arena of the arts.

When we use our creativity, we create. We bring something that wasn’t there before, something new into the earth plane. And this something new can be a thought, a joke, a project, a way of dealing with a specific situation ~ and of course any expression through art.

Looking at creativity from this perspective, it seems that we are more likely to use the word ‘creativity’ when it is related to any form of art. As soon as we start using our creativity in our day to day lives or in our jobs we tend to choose different words like innovative, resourceful, or even visionary.

Creativity is something for artists. And artists are often seen as a breed all their own. Perhaps not willing to live conform the expectations of others. Not having the same perspectives on life in general most of us non-artists have. Their creativity is not limited to their expressions in their chosen form of art ~ their creativity has become their way of life...
While some artists manage to have great financial success ~ for a lot of artists the creative flow is prioritized over monetary gain; ensuring a somewhat less than optimal income.

It is not necessarily what we would want for our kids. Ideally, we would wish our kids to ‘fit in’ and to ‘do well’. So at a certain age we start telling our kids that there is a big difference between the real world and whatever they experience in their imagination. And as the imagination is deemed less and less important in life ~ the creative flow starts to wane as well.
In a sense, the more our kids adapt to what is expected of them in the ‘grown-up world’ ~ the more they seem to lose the capability to see things differently, innovatively... The more they adapt ~ the more their originality is pushed aside. And with that creativity is pushed aside as well.

This means that the way we relate to creativity is more complex than one would have thought at first glance. Although we can watch the expression of somebody else’s creative flow in awe ~ on average we ourselves would rather fit in...
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