Defining Creativity
Recently on Copyblogger, Brian Clark posed one of the questions that I love most in this world: “What Does Creativity Mean to You?” I think my fascination with the question is the simple fact that there are millions of definitions for creativity - none 100 percent right or wrong. Each person has their own definition for what creativity means inside their own world.
I recently Mooched Jack Foster’s How to Get Ideas I’ve only read the first few chapters so far, but the first chapter alone is worth getting the book. In Chapter One, Foster seeks to define the abstract notion of an ‘idea.’ He includes contributions from former students, knowledgeable scholars and famous authors.
Each definition seems to ring truer than the one before it. Many have the same essence as the definitions of ‘creativity’ that Brian includes on his blog. But, all have something similar at their core — the concept of the unexpected.
Ideas do seem to come us at unexpected (and inopportune) times: in the shower, waiting in line at the bank, chatting on the phone with a friend. But, where the unexpected plays the biggest role is in content; our best ideas tend be the ones that are most unexpected by those around us.
Think of any advertisement you’ve liked over the years. What was the thing that appealed to you most? Was it funny, sad, inspiring? Why was it funny, sad, inspiring?
More than likely, your answer to the last question has something to do with the fact that it was different, unique…..UNEXPECTED.
My favorite explanation for ‘ideas’ from Chapter One of Mr. Foster’s book:
A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He does so by finding a likeness between things which were not thought alike before….The creative mind is a mind that looks for unexpected likeness. - Jacob Bronowski
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