What is creativity, and why is it Important?

The concept of creativity is probably familiar to most readers, as it seems to have been around for ages. For example, the person who was so tired from lifting weight invented the wheel or thought that carrying a rock is too much effort for when you need fire, so he created the lighter. Even in early 19th century England, the quest for new ways to torture prisoners led to the invention of what we know today as the treadmill (yes, the one from the gym). Nevertheless, this concept is used in radically different contexts and cases, while its exact meaning remains vague and unclear. 

Creativity can appear in many different ways, such as when you suddenly need a temporary solution for a button that just fell from your shirt or in the most hypnotizing melodies composed by Beethoven and Mozart. Many things that seem to have been part of our lives forever are products of creativity: the poems on Edgar Allan Poe, the Mona Lisa, the internet, aviation, social networking, electricity, smartphones, and the guitar solo in Hotel California. 

Just like all good things in life, creativity also has a dark side. It has helped win elections and wars, gain power, and manipulate people. However, it has also helped the human race overcome crises and make progress over time. We have been reaping the fruit of creativity in different fields: the fight against global warming, developing economies, healing diseases, and saving lives. If you think of it, a series of creative events – big and small, has led to this moment when you can read these words. 

I have been studying and researching creativity since 2011. In my Master's Degree thesis, I defined creativity as a new product (idea, action, or object) that is both new and valuable. For something to be creative, it must answer each of these criteria:

  Originality – the product must be innovative and original. A product that imitates an existing object – cannot be creative. For example – a painter that paints a human portrait or a carpenter building a table. As tricky as these jobs are, they are not creative. However, if the products are creative if expressed in an original way (like Picasso's portraits of Salvador Dali's clocks).

Relevance – In a sentence: In The product must set a milestone. It does not necessarily say that it should solve any problem, rather than suggesting a new unique observation on an existing matter. It could be a protest expressed in a new form of art, an answer to a humanitarian crisis, or offer new ways to use existing objects (like the bubble wrap). 

Value - The value of the product must contribute to the issue it is needed. For example, during the cold war, the need to stay connected in a mass missile attack led the US army to create the internet. That creation led to whole new products such as social media, eCommerce, and the hi-tech industry. 

And why Creativity is it so Important?

It seems that creativity is an essential part of our lives. In many aspects, creativity has become a working tool that drives innovation. Ironically, we still don't know much about creativity or how to use it. In many cases, we might even damage our ability to be creative. As the world moves quicker than before, creativity is crucial for success—creativity is inseparable from flexibility, problem-solving, story-telling, innovation, and many other essential qualities that we wish ourselves.

So what's Next?

In my posts, I will discuss the concept of creativity, trying to understand as much of it. By answering questions such as how we can measure creativity and whether it is a quality that we are born with - or is it possible to learn how to be creative? I will tell you how creativity changed the world, break myths regarding creativity, understand the current need for creativity, and more.