What is Creativity and Why is it Important?

Most of the time, when people think of a creative person, they think of someone they would call brilliant, someone who always comes up with an inventive or artistic idea. Everyone has that one person in mind that always thinks faster and expresses their thoughts in a way that makes you ask yourself why you couldn’t come up with that same idea. Creativity, however, is in everyone. Yes, some people are more creative than others, but everyone has some degree of creativity.

Creativity is any innovative idea, device, or process. This means that just abstract or imaginative thinking is creative thought. Everyone has creativity every day. Simple examples of this everyday creativity include things like writing a song, making memes, graffiti art, and landscaping. Everyday creativity is most always expressed in some way. Even minor creative thoughts usually change the way we act. If I find that it is more efficient to drive on a different route than usual because of a car accident on the usual route, then I will express that creative thought by driving on that different route.

By expressing this creative thought with action, I produce innovation. Without everyday creativity, there is no innovation and there is no development of character. People rely on creativity to express themselves. How people express themselves is an essential part of their character. Also, think about the most creative person you know. What makes them creative? They are most likely creative because they constantly present an idea that is different than what you would think. The point here is that they are constantly giving thoughts, thinking abstractly and imaginatively, and using those thoughts to be innovative. Researchers have proved that if you constantly practice and train in creativity, your brain itself will change, and you will begin to automatically think creatively. Continuous delving into your creative thought process can help you become a more creative thinker. A more creative thinker is more prone to innovation. This is because innovation most often occurs because of creative thought. Therefore, you will become more of an innovator the more you think creatively.

Personally, I am more of a mechanical thinker. This means that I have of a certain process for how I think about things. When I face a certain problem, I usually remember how I solved a similar problem and use that process to solve the new problem. There is not much room for creativity there. However, what I have begun to do is to come up with different ways for solving the problem.

For example, one time I was driving in my car to school. After I was on the highway going approximately 65 MPH, I realized that my right side mirror was facing inwards. I had to find a solution without stopping because I was late to my first class. I thought for a while and then realized that I had an umbrella in the passenger seat. Keeping the strap on the umbrella, I rolled down the window and pointed it toward the mirror. I then released the umbrella such that it struck the mirror, popping it back into place.

I find that when I think creatively and consider all the possible ways of thinking about a problem or topic, I produce a process or a solution that is more efficient than all the other ones. In other words, I innovate by using my creativity to come up with something that is new and better. Innovation will not usually occur with creative thought and creative thought occurs more often when you intentionally think in abstract and imaginative ways.