I was re-reading some old posts yesterday, and found one I wanted to update: Definitions of Creativity on January 5, 2009. The original list included general statements, whereas the list below are specific definitions I've culled from a variety of resources.
Having or showing imagination and artistic or intellectual inventiveness. Drs. Richard Paul and Linda Elder, from Critical and Creative Thinking. I've found lots of links that suggest the words "artistic or intellectual inventiveness" come from Webster's Dictionary, but the copy staring at me from my desktop has the vanilla definition: "The ability to create."
Nothing more than going beyond the current boundaries, whether those are boundaries of technology, knowledge, current practices, social norms, or beliefs. Creativity is nothing more than seeing and acting on new relationships, thereby bringing them to life. Joseph V. Anderson, from "Weirder than fiction: the reality and myths of creativity", Academy of Management Executive, 6:4 (1992), page 41.
Generating new ideas and concepts, or making connections between ideas where none previously existed. Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer, SmartStorming
Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual. Arthur Koestler, novelist
Creativity is the ability to find new solutions to a problem or new modes of expression; thus it brings into existence something new to the individual and to the culture. Dr. Betty Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
I define creativity as the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. Innovation is the production or implementation of an idea. If you have ideas, but don't act on them, you are imaginative but not creative. Linda Naiman, author of the blog Creativity At Work
Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being. Creativity requires passion and commitment. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of heightened consciousness: ecstasy. Rollo May, The Courage to Create
Creativity is that act of combining previously unconnected ideas, information and elements to make something new and appropriate. Innovation is the process of turning new ideas into practical reality. James Kelly, UK creative director, Weber Shandwick
