Search results
- Dictionarycreativity/ˌkriːeɪˈtɪvɪti/
noun
- 1. the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness: "firms are keen to encourage creativity"
Powered by Oxford Dictionaries
People also ask
What is a product of creativity?
What does creativity mean?
What does it mean to be creative?
What is creativity & why is it important?
Learn the meaning of creativity as the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas, or to make something new or imaginative. See synonyms, antonyms, collocations, and examples of creativity in different contexts and domains.
- Overview
- Individual qualities of creative persons
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
creativity, the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form.
A number of personality characteristics have been shown to be associated with creative productivity. One of these is autonomy: creative individuals tend to be independent and nonconformist in their thoughts and actions. Equally important is mastery of a particular domain—that is, a sphere of activity or knowledge that requires a high level of ability. For example, in applying their knowledge of computers to the design of the Apple II, inventors Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak revolutionized the computer industry by appealing to individuals as well as businesses. French fashion designer Coco Chanel forever changed the way women dressed by designing simple yet stylish clothes. On the other hand, creative people may not have equally strong gifts across the spectrum of human ability. (A notable exception was Leonardo da Vinci, whose achievements in the visual arts, mechanics, and engineering disclosed the talents of a creative polymath.) Some creative people show an interest in apparent disorder, contradiction, and imbalance—perhaps because they are challenged by asymmetry and chaos. Creative individuals may also exhibit a high degree of self-assurance. Some possess an exceptionally deep, broad, and flexible awareness of themselves. Others are shown to be intellectual leaders with a great sensitivity to problems.
The unconventionality of thought that is sometimes found in creative persons may be in part a resistance to acculturation, which may be seen as demanding surrender of one’s unique fundamental nature. In fact, independence is critical to the creative process, in that creative people must often be able to work alone and must also be willing to express ideas or develop products that others might perceive as radical. It should be pointed out, however, that a nonconformist lifestyle is not essential to creativity; indeed, many creative individuals lead quite ordinary lives, expressing their autonomy mainly in their unconventional ideas and work. Another trait common among creative people is that of introversion. While this does not imply a lack of social skills, it suggests that creative people tend to be reflective and inner-directed; they look to their own intuition rather than depending upon interaction with others to inform their attitudes and responses.
A third crucial characteristic combines curiosity and problem seeking. Creative individuals seem to have a need to seek novelty and an ability to pose unique questions. In Defying the Crowd (1995), for example, the American psychologists Robert Sternberg and Todd Lubart likened the combined traits of autonomy and problem solving to buying low and selling high in the “marketplace of ideas.” By this they meant that the creative individual identifies a unique need—perhaps a problem or opportunity that no one else recognizes. This is the “buying low” phase, because it typically involves dismissing a popular solution and embracing an unheard-of solution or an idea that has no currency. When creative persons find a better solution, they then work toward “selling” others on the concept. This process can be seen in the work of inventors such as Margaret Knight, who designed a number of household and industrial devices, Raymond Kurzweil, who designed text scanners and speech-recognition software, and Dean Kamen, whose numerous inventions include medical devices, water-purification systems, and the IBOT, a motorized wheelchair.
High intelligence is common in creative persons, yet while they can meet the problems of life as rationally as anyone else can, their intellect does not rule at the expense of intuition or other seemingly nonrational influences. Most studies of the relationship of creativity to intelligence have also shown that extreme general intelligence does not necessarily kindle creativity. Findings such as these contributed to the “threshold” model of intelligence and creativity, which claims that, above a certain level, intelligence has little correlation with creativity—i.e., a highly intelligent person may not be as highly creative. It may be that intelligence sets the limits on the amount of information a person can learn and retain, while creative thinking provides the flexibility necessary for the original production of ideas. A distinction is sometimes made between convergent thinking (the analytic reasoning measured by intelligence tests) and divergent thinking (exemplified by a richness of ideas and originality of thought). Both seem necessary to creative performance, although the degree of each varies according to the task or occupation (i.e., a mathematician may exhibit more convergent than divergent thinking, while an artist would exhibit the reverse).
Psychological experiments in the fields of motivation and learning have demonstrated the power of novelty as an inducement to action. This stems from the tension that exists between the regularity of daily life and interruptions that bring possibilities of new experience. Psychological studies of highly creative people have characterized this tension in terms of such dualities as intellect and intuition, the conscious and the unconscious, mental health and mental disorder, the conventional and the unconventional, and complexity and simplicity.
Special offer for students! Check out our special academic rate and excel this spring semester!
Creativity is the ability to make or bring into existence something new, such as a solution, a method, or an artistic form. Learn about the personality traits, skills, and factors that influence creativity, and see examples of creative individuals and their achievements.
- Barbara Kerr
Creativity is the ability to discover new and original ideas, connections, and solutions to problems. Learn about the sources, types, and brain mechanisms of creativity, and how to foster it with practical strategies.
- Creative people embody complexity; they show tendencies of thought and action that are segregated in others, according to the pioneering creativity...
- The trait of Openness to Experience correlates with creativity, encompassing a receptivity to new ideas and experiences. People who are low in open...
- When we think of creativity, we often think of Mozart, Picasso, Einstein—people with a seemingly fated convergence of talent and opportunity. It's...
- People sometimes refer to “little-c” or “Big-C” to discuss different degrees of creativity. This framework was expanded into a theory called The Fo...
- Various lines of research have converged around common insights that provide steps to be more creative: 1. Aim for output: Creative geniuses often...
- Most of the time, ideas develop from the steady percolation and evaluation of thoughts and feelings. But every so often, a blockbuster notion break...
- Studies show that training can lead both children and adults to hone creative skills. Sessions may focus on identifying problems to solve, explorin...
- Several strategies can help build your creative muscle. One is to find a problem that needs solving, and another is to be open to new opportunities...
- Creativity may offer some surprising psychological benefits. It can contribute to the ability to make meaning—such as finding ways to successfully...
Creativity is the ability to create new ideas, forms, methods, or interpretations that transcend traditional rules or patterns. Learn more about the origin, history, and usage of the word creativity with Dictionary.com.
Creativity is the ability to form novel and valuable ideas or works using the imagination. Learn about the concept of creativity in different cultures, disciplines, and contexts, and how it differs from innovation and originality.
May 25, 2022 · Creativity is the ability to develop new ideas or utilize objects or information in novel ways. Learn about the different types of creativity, the personality traits that support it, and how to improve your own creativity.
The meaning of CREATIVITY is the ability to create. How to use creativity in a sentence.
