Essays · · Updated
What Is Creativity?
Not a talent some people have. A mental muscle every human can develop, at any age.
Greg Murray, Founder, Human Creative Coaching
In short
Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas, and it is not limited to art. It is your ability to solve problems, produce original ideas, and connect distant regions of knowledge. Intelligence raises creativity only to a threshold; beyond it, flexibility of thought matters more. Creativity can be taught and practiced, and small shifts in routine grow it.
In this piece
Cre·a·tiv·i·ty. It shapes our conversations, relationships, and work. When IBM surveyed more than 1,500 CEOs worldwide, they named creativity the single most important leadership quality for navigating complexity.2 So whether your goal is thriving friendships, a rewarding personal life, or a fulfilling career, expanding your creativity has a profoundly positive effect.
What is creativity?
"The use of imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work." Yet creativity is not bound to art. Akin to innovation, imagination, and inventiveness, creativity is linked to your problem-solving ability, the production of original ideas, and connecting different realms of information and concepts. Each of us uses it, to varying degrees, in our personal, professional, and relational lives.
Creativity grows as information connects across distant regions of your thinking. Neuroscience backs the picture: creative cognition involves the brain's default (imaginative) and executive (evaluative) networks working together, not one region "being creative."1 The differing levels of creativity you and your colleagues experience reflect how freely thought moves from one seemingly unrelated region to another. And, as research on cultivating creativity shows, it is a mental muscle humans can develop through subtle shifts in daily experience, at any age.4
Creativity is a mental muscle. It grows at any age.
Why should I care about creativity?
Intellect and creativity have a curious crossroads. Intelligence raises creativity up to a threshold; beyond it, the two show little correlation.3 Intellect is the ability to understand and retain information. Creative thinking provides the flexibility to produce something original with it.
The innovation that produced the original iPhone required immense creativity. The yearly upgrades require some innovation but focus far more on developing previously original ideas.
Can creativity be taught?
Yes, and practiced, and it has mental health benefits. A few subtle shifts in your normal routine grow the creative mind almost seamlessly: take a new route home, try new words in conversation, order a different meal, go somewhere you've never been, allow yourself to feel and experience life deeply. The possibilities for growth are endless. So what's holding you back?
Closing
We hope your life bursts with even greater color and possibility. For more on the subject, read the pieces on creativity and mental health, expanding your imagination, and overcoming creative blocks.
Questions I hear
What is creativity?
The use of imagination or original ideas to make or solve something. It shows up in art, but also in problem-solving, leadership, relationships, and everyday decisions.
Are creative people more intelligent?
Only up to a point. Intelligence supports creativity to a threshold; beyond it, flexibility of thinking matters more than raw intellect.
Can creativity be learned?
Yes. Creativity develops through practice and novelty at any age. Small changes to routine, new inputs, and permission to experiment all grow it.
References
- Beaty, R. E., Benedek, M., Silvia, P. J., & Schacter, D. L. (2016). Creative cognition and brain network dynamics. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20(2), 87–95. DOI
- IBM Institute for Business Value. (2010). Capitalizing on Complexity: Insights from the Global Chief Executive Officer Study. IBM. Source
- Jauk, E., Benedek, M., Dunst, B., & Neubauer, A. C. (2013). The relationship between intelligence and creativity: New support for the threshold hypothesis by means of empirical breakpoint detection. Intelligence, 41(4), 212–221. DOI
- Miller, D. L. (2015). Cultivating creativity. The English Journal, 104(6), 25–30. Source
This article is written from a coaching perspective and is for general information. It is not psychotherapy, counseling, or medical advice, and it is not a substitute for care from a licensed professional.
Greg Murray · TPRAT certified, TLP Director, TPRAT co-facilitator. Coach to founders, executives, and artists. Writes here about what actually changes a person.
