What is, for all you, the creativity?

[Frank Vale]

Who of us, is able to define a correct definition of creativity?
More people indetify this resource in "technology, advartising, fashion and marketing" fields.
But this is not true. It's a mistake.
I study the process creativity maind and I assure you that creativity it's another thing.

[Marci Segal]

Hi Frank - Great question - would love to know how you define it. For World Creativity and Innovation Week April 15 - 21 we use the following definition: Creativity involves using knowledge, imagination and new decisions that result in novel and relevant outcomes. Simply said we say creativity is new ideas and new decisions. Does this align with your experience?

www.creativityday.org

[Cathy]

Because this is a computer based forum I am always inclined to hit "Google" for some help and he/she doesn't let me down.
I must admit that now as a student at University and faced with any topic I look first to Wikipedia...not because I intend to use it in an assigment but as a starting point for 'keywords' to search for on my University library website.

I have changed over the years as to whether creativity means this or that...just because as I age and in my new capacity as student (I'm in my late 50s, late starter!) I see how the definitions can change. Nearly everyone who is concerned with Creativity and the associated strings will have different views.

http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/creativity/define.htm

3 different authors with slightly different ideas on the matter

http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/creativity/survey.htm

Students responses….how many seem the same but different.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity

Of course Wikipedia has to add its 2 pennysworth! Definitely a good many resources here to sink ones’ teeth into!

http://www.uwsp.edu/Education/lwilson/creativ/define.htm

and on and one Google finds more definitions, finishing for me with a dictionary type definition @
http://www.answers.com/topic/creativity

[Robert "Alan" Black]

Frank

A few years ago Andy Alenikov a Russian who became an American a few years ago edited a book, 101 Definitions of Creativity. You might find it interesting.

I did my doctorate and was a colleague of the late E. Paul Torrance for many years.

I do not focus on specific, definitive, sole definitions of creativity any more than I do love, beauty or happiness.

My focus is on using a working definition of creative thinking

a. the production of new ideas (at least for the person creating them)
b. the combination of previous ideas in new ways (at least for the person creating them)

I do not focus on BIG "C" creativity...ideas never seen or heard of before in the world.

Also I work from the premise that creative thinking is available to all human beings from birth in varying ways and in varying degrees.

Creativity, creativeness nor creative thinking are directly related to inherent, born or developed talent.

Alan

[Frank Vale]

Thank you very much for your replay. All your answer are correct but nothing of the definitions that I have read is explicative for understand how the mind function in the creativity process. Unfortunately you can not read the book "LE IDEE CHE VERRANNO" Italian Editor "Franco Angeli" www.francoangeli.it because this book is wrote in Italian linguage only, but it has an very good definition and a new technique for stimulate the creative process called "FinFout". The Author open the question realtive of: who deside that one idea is creative? When you are really creative? What mean to be creative? and more other questions. I invite you to read this very educational book. Thank ... and sorry for my bad English.

[Kevin Byron]

Hi Frank,

I have a very simple definition of creativity: "Creativity is about what you do with what you know" - what you do implies what happens internally in your mind with your knowledge - both consciously and unconsciosly - and what you manifest externally in the world with what you have done with your knowledge. Conventional education concerns getting the knowledge in your mind in the first place and that doesn't happen unless the imagination has been engaged. In other words facts don't exist in isolation they need the personal internal and external context - what you do with what you know !

Cheers,

Kevin

[Frank Vale]

Hi Kevin, very nice your definition "Creativity is about what you do with what you know". But don't describe exactly the mechanism of the creative process even though the knowledge is the most important component of the process. Here I haven't got in my hand the definition that I rid into italian book, but tomorrow I will quote the opinion of the author

warm regards
Frank

[Marci Segal]

Kevin

Appreciate your wording - what you do with what you know. Opens doors for introducing knowledge, reflection, tools to manipulate thinking, seeking others' inputs and opportunities for development of choosing.

Thanks!
Marci
www.creativityland.net

Kevin Byron said:

Hi Frank,

I have a very simple definition of creativity: "Creativity is about what you do with what you know" - what you do implies what happens internally in your mind with your knowledge - both consciously and unconsciosly - and what you manifest externally in the world with what you have done with your knowledge. Conventional education concerns getting the knowledge in your mind in the first place and that doesn't happen unless the imagination has been engaged. In other words facts don't exist in isolation they need the personal internal and external context - what you do with what you know !

Cheers,

Kevin

[Kevin Byron]

Hi Frank,

In terms of process, "What you do with with what you know" could be re-phrased on an impersonal level as "What your brain does with what you know" and what the brain does is make new connections - literally - with knowledge but when those connections don't chime together the connection is weakened. When we take new facts in they are only retained if embedded within the existing complexity of networks. This is acheived by finding some relationship - often by association (applying imagination) - with existing networks. In fact it's a lot more abstract than that because the brain doesn't store ideas like a computer it stores potential in the form of templates that are reduced versions of patterns of connection potential. If two patterns are activated by external stimulus and they connect to give a new idea they become a new template but the previous other two still exist as independent templates.So the number of associatios one can have with one idea multiplies and multiplies.

This is a material description of creativity which I find necessary but inadequate to explain it all. If we bring the human experience back into the description we find a filtering mechanism that seems to be able to make judgements on ideas and experience 'Eureka' moments when two ideas chime loudly together. I'm not sure we understand that aspect of creativity which is often why people attribute insights to an ethereal external agency......and why defining creativity will continue to be an interesting international sport.


Cheers,

Kevin


Frank Vale said:

Hi Kevin, very nice your definition "Creativity is about what you do with what you know". But don't describe exactly the mechanism of the creative process even though the knowledge is the most important component of the process. Here I haven't got in my hand the definition that I rid into italian book, but tomorrow I will quote the opinion of the author

warm regards
Frank

[Kevin Byron]

Hi Marci,

Nice to hear from you and thanks for your comment - as you demonstrate this basic defintion is a springboard to many other definitions of creativity.

Best wishes,

Kevin

Marci Segal said:

Kevin

Appreciate your wording - what you do with what you know. Opens doors for introducing knowledge, reflection, tools to manipulate thinking, seeking others' inputs and opportunities for development of choosing.

Thanks!
Marci
www.creativityland.net

Kevin Byron said:

Hi Frank,

I have a very simple definition of creativity: "Creativity is about what you do with what you know" - what you do implies what happens internally in your mind with your knowledge - both consciously and unconsciosly - and what you manifest externally in the world with what you have done with your knowledge. Conventional education concerns getting the knowledge in your mind in the first place and that doesn't happen unless the imagination has been engaged. In other words facts don't exist in isolation they need the personal internal and external context - what you do with what you know !

Cheers,

Kevin