5 Core Principles of Creativity
Creativity and its Principles
Creativity is an expansive topic that could never be covered in any amount of books, as it is ever expanding and constantly morphs into a new shape, moulded by the individual's unique consciousness. While trying to cover all it entails is impossible, we will today look at at least 5 of its core principles. Principles that permeates all of creativity. Before we delve into it first let's take a closer look at what creativity exactly is.
Creativity as defined by Encyclopaedia Britannica is: "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." We often think of creativity in terms of artistic expression, labelling ourselves or others as either non-creative people or creative people. But truth is that all people are creative at least to some extent and we all engage with it on a nearly daily basis. When we are faced with a problem, and we set out to solve it we engage with creativity. Some problems may require more thought and creativity to be solved, and at other times barely any is needed. Creativity is a trait that helps us solve problems quicker and more effectively - no matter what that problem is. Without further a due let's dive into 5 core principles of creativity, starting with it's flexibility.
1. Flexibility
Flexibility is the ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. This is a core principle to creativity as there is a constant need to adapt one's approach and thinking towards certain problems but also to be able to quickly solve new occurring problems. The creative mind is open to change and constantly evolving, this allows it to best approach new things without being hindered by prior experience and be limited in its thinking. When working to solve an existent problem new hinders are bound to appear, being able to quickly adjust to these is a core part of being creative. The creative mind is flexible and will try different work arounds for different problems. If creativity was rigid it would be narrow and would struggle with adapting to new challenges. Flexibility aids with finding new paths and coming up with new ideas. However flexibility needs to be controlled and directed through focus. Consider water; which is a flexible and adaptive element, it goes wherever it sees fit, without intention behind it it can flood cities and be destructive. Creativity however has another intrinsic trait which helps it with this and that's its ability to be intentional.
2. Intentionality
Creativity is solution oriented and focused, a sharp creative mind doesn't get distracted by "why" and "how" it only focuses on solving what is at hand. It is unlimited and directed at the task at hand. It does not concern itself with worst-case scenarios and impossibilities. This quality can be the most valuable asset but also be detrimental. The archetypical image of a dreamer who conjures up the seemingly impossible in his mind, leaving him with failure after failure comes to mind. Some people are so creative they come up with new ideas constantly, and without their feet on the ground they get lost in vanity projects, trying to achieve the impossible. However this is also the greatest asset of humanity, as without this focus of creativity and ability to disregard the seemingly unachievable we would not have been able to perform some of our greatest achievements. If we would have been content with our lack of wings and accepted that we would never conquer the sky we wouldn't have planes. Instead the creative mind said "this is a problem that I will solve" and it set out to work its magic.
This intentionality of the creative mind is one of our greatest assets in our day to day. By being solution oriented we solve problems in our everyday lives instead of letting them conquer us. The creative mind isn't distracted by worst-case scenarios and instead focuses on solving the task at hand, and with its flexibility and focus it sets out to solve any other problems that may arise. The creative mind is because of this mostly positive, almost to a fault. However if not paired well destructive creativity may arise. Negative creativity is a dangerous thing and humanity has displayed it throughout its history. The intention behind creativity comes from us and we would do well to develop good morals and ethics along with our creativity and use it as a force of good. With its intention and focus creativity often conjures up innovative solutions.
3. Novelty
Novelty is the ability of creativity to conjure up new and genuine thoughts and ideas. It is this imaginative trait of creativity which lends it an edge when it comes to being ahead of the curve as well as coming up with unique solutions. Novelty also allows creativity to tackle each problem with a different set of skills, it is a cross-pollination of ideas that culminate into what creativity might be best known by: the ability to manifest the unique. Often when we think about creativity what comes to mind is people coming up with new ideas, new trends and new ways of doing things. All these things are inherit to the novel aspect of creativity. Novelty can come from many things one of the most notable is creativity's ability to blend concepts together.
Blending conceptuality means taking two seemingly incompatible ideas and combining them into something new. Within music this is very apparent, where two or more genres are often mixed together to create a new and unique sound, birthing a whole new genre. The capability to co-join two different components expands the arsenal of creativity's ability to present novelty. Creative ideas and people are always at the forefront of inventions and new breakthroughs and it is because of this trait of creativity. Novelty however requires an open mind, and to not be hindered by mental limitations imposed by peers, culture and other external factors.
4. Open-mindedness
Open-mindedness is the ability of creativity to approach things with a wider perspective, which allows it to see beyond horizon. It is this trait that has allowed us have new inventions and it is the forerunner to novelty. Our brains are in reality unlimited but because of our need to navigate this physical reality certain limitations are put on us. Our senses do not allow us to take in impressions, but rather limits which impressions we take in, allowing us to coherently experience our surroundings. It is the reason we can allow hold a conversation in a room filled with hundreds of people all having different conversations. Our ears pick up on all the sound, but filters most of it out. Creativity however is less filtered. It is more open and susceptible to impressions. This open-mindedness is a key-component to creativity as it allows for novelty to shine and it is a great help in problem-solving. This open-mindedness also relates to the intuitive nature of creativity.
Creativity is almost entirely intuitive, meaning it's experienced more like a feeling rather than a set of logical algorithms taking place. Creative people often have a hard time to pinpoint what exactly makes them creative, to them it often seems like an intrinsic trait they have. These people are great at listening to and following their intuition, they trust their gut and their instincts when it comes to creative solutions and ideas. This intuition does away with logical questioning and immediately guides the individual towards piecing the puzzle together.
5. Unity
Unity is the ability to conceptually combine and unite seemingly contradicting concepts and ideas. This is the what allows for all the other previously stated principles to really shine, as without unity ideas are just combined into something which can be without harmony. Going back to the example of music, it isn't as simple as just blending to genres together to make a whole new style of music, there has to be a unity between the combining elements and they need to work together. Unity is what allows for the open-mindedness to actually yield good and productive results. In terms of food, you can combine two flavours together to make a new meal, but if there's no unity between the elements the meal will not taste good. Unity makes it so the creative end result is positive and harmonious, this is what makes good creative ideas really stand out.
New inventions are made everyday, but lacking in unity either with itself or the world around it, a lot of these ideas and inventions end up being completely useless and at worst; a waste of creativity and imagination. Unity is thus our final core principle and it is what unites all the other principles into great creativity.
Conclusion
In conclusion: creativity is a difficult concept that has many principles and concepts to it. It is still today widely argued, but five of those core principles we can find in all of creativity is: flexibility, intentionality, novelty, open-mindedness and unity. It is the flexibility of creativity that lends it its versatile purpose and allows it to be useful in several aspects of our lives. Intentionality is the drive of creativity and what focuses and directs it into where it is most needed. Novelty is what brings new ideas and inventions, and opens up all kinds of doors when it comes to problem-solving and much more. Open-mindedness allows for a wide range of approaches and experimentation, allowing novelty to really shine. Ultimately creativity is brought together by unity, ensuring that it is useful and allowing the rest of the principles to work their wonder in harmony.
