What is creativity?

One hears a lot about creativity, creative people, ideas or products. We often hear ‘you are the creative one’. But do we really know what creativity is? Amidst so many stereotypes and clichés, one might think that it is an innate characteristic. That either you possess it from birth or you will never have it. It is therefore important to understand where this ‘creativity’ comes from. Theetymon of the word implies an action that generates a result, hence something concrete and definable in terms of originality. It involves a transformation, that of elements already known and used being combined together in an unusual way to generate a new solution. Creative, indeed. The concept of creativity is not universal. It only has meaning when understood within a specific culture. In Western culture, for example, creativity is understood as solving problems in a new and useful way. In Eastern culture, on the other hand, it is seen as adaptation through change: creative people/things in the East are those who possess the ability to cope with situations and be flexible by building something new.

Creativity as meta-competence

Creativity is a foundational condition of existence, not just a tool to be used. It cannot be regarded as a competence on a par with the others that a person employs to deal with problems. It is an intrinsic human characteristic, but its use requires awareness and thinking about it in order to be used . Its use is only possible if different skills are combined simultaneously. That is why it can be called an indispensable meta-competence: it consists first of all of an attitude, a mental habit, a way of dealing with everyday problems.

Where does it come from?

The prevailing culture is still full of clichés and stereotypes about creativity, which often construct an incorrect perception of it. Here are a few examples:

• it is a natural talent that cannot be taught;
• it is exclusive to rebels and artists;
• it is a liberation without method, a madness;
• it is pure intuition or chance.

We must learn to think! We must be aware that a creative result comes from creative action, which in turn is the result of creative thinking.