What is Creativity?

Sunflowers - vincent van gogh

Many people equate artistic ability with creativity but you don’t have to be an “artist” to be creative. It’s a belief that’s simply untrue. Many of the world’s greatest innovations have come from the sciences and humanities.

We are all born innately creative, and exercise creativity throughout the day, but are often unaware we do it. We are blinded by the concept of what it means. None of us would exist if our primordial ancestors were unable to harness their creativity to fashion tools for their survival.

Creativity is a skill and talent to use your imagination to create something new - by identifying and solving problems, both esoteric and commonplace, from splitting the atom, to making a delicious meal from an empty fridge. Your friend, who makes you laugh from that quirky way of seeing life, is just as creative as any artist.

Creativity transcends the arts. When it comes to creativity, the activity in itself is incidental.

Creativity is that quality you bring to any activity you do that elevates the mundane into art and self-expression. It’s an attitude of openness, with yourself and the world around you.

In my years of teaching design, I observed that technical proficiency in art-making was not necessarily indicative of the creative capacity of a student. Many designs, whilst beautifully executed were often derivative in nature.  Conversely, some less technically gifted students produced work that was both unique and individual. Sadly these students were often insecure of their ideas or abilities because they compared themselves with the “artists” in the group, or images from the internet.

In some cases, the “artists” in the class were the most difficult students to teach. Their egocentricity hindered their learning, with many operating under the delusion that just because they were more technically skilful than their peers, they were somehow better and more creative. They missed the whole point of art and design, that technical skills are the outer expression of the underlying creative process.

Sir Ken Robinson, an education and creativity expert, identified three distinct but related concepts in the creative process - imagination, creativity and innovation.

“The first step is imagination, the capacity that we all have to see something in the mind’s eye. Creativity is then using that imagination to solve problems - call it applied imagination. Then innovation is putting that creativity into practice as applied creativity.” -Sir Ken Robinson, www.businessweek.com

Sir Ken Robinson further defines creativity as “the process of having original ideas that have value”. He posits the view that the current educational structure kills creativity, and requires a systemic change to meet the needs of 21st century.

The bestselling historian of 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind', Yuval Noah Harari, paints a bleak future for our children in the face of the escalating pace of technological change. In his new book, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, he predicts that artificial intelligence will give rise to a “useless class" of people as their jobs are replaced through greater automation.

“Children alive today will face the consequences. Most of what people learn in school or in college will probably be irrelevant by the time they are 40 or 50. If they want to continue to have a job, and to understand the world, and be relevant to what is happening, people will have to reinvent themselves again and again, and faster and faster.” - Yuval Noah Harari

However, he offers hope. Future jobs opportunities will be in areas where machines are unable to compete requiring creative, philosophical and empathetic skills. Employment prospects aside, the key to individual happiness lies in developing one’s creativity, to adapt to change, but more importantly, to provide people with meaning in their lives.

The Spiritual View of Creativity

Saraswati - Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning

“Anything can be creative - you bring that quality to the activity. Activity itself is neither creative nor uncreative. You can paint in an uncreative way. You can sing in an uncreative way. You can clean the floor in a creative way. You can cook in a creative way. Creativity is the quality that you bring to the activity you are doing. It is an attitude, an inner approach -- how you look at things.” –OSHO

Your creativity is already inside you waiting to be developed. From a tantric perspective, your creativity is the essence of your true being. It comes from your sexual energy, that power that brought you into the world, and which you also possess to create new life.

Artists are those that harness this power into art making. The ancient mystics harness this power towards enlightenment, viewing their lives as a dance, an expression of the divine within all of us. Their medium is the practice of dharma.

Dharma is a word that has multiple meanings. It can mean the Buddha’s teachings, one’s life path, or true calling, duty, righteous conduct and moral responsibility. In the concept of Purushartha, Dharma is regarded as the most important of the four goals of human life. It represents the overarching vision, the glue that holds the pursuit of material, sensual pleasure and spirituality together.  In short, dharma is your purpose for living.

The practice of dharma is the art of living, where the object of your creativity and self-expression is you. Buddhists believe that the ultimate goal is to become a Buddha, to realize your full potential as a human being, to be completely free from suffering from a realisation of the Four Noble Truths.

It takes great dedication and practice to realize enlightenment and walk the mystic path, but why not start small and simply explore your positive qualities, and minimize your mental and emotional hindrances to happiness?

Learn to meditate to develop your awareness and compassion. This is the main path the Buddha taught to attain liberation. But it's not the only way. Happiness can be found through harnessing one's passion, by applying mindfulness to one's creativity and walking the artist's path.

The first step is to rediscover your creative passion and apply it to your everyday life. The key word is “creative”. Remember the activity in itself is secondary. Many people have a passion for fine food, fast cars, or travelling. But how many people approach their passions from the view of an artist?

An artist is someone who turns whatever they do into a form of self-expression. They begin by opening themselves up to new experiences, or looking at was done before in a new way. They spend time developing and mastering the skills of their chosen activity. They gain inspiration from others that have gone before and continually seek to create something new.

You will know if you have achieved your potential when your individuality is imbued in whatever you create. No one paints like Van Gogh, sings like Aretha Franklin, dances like Mikail Baryshnikov or fights like Bruce Lee. They have embodied their art. Their personality and style are self-evident in their art medium.

The way of the artist is an exciting and fulfilling journey, with much to learn and gain. At the very least, you will never be bored because you are mindful of your dharma or purpose in life. It’s something that’s just for you to develop throughout your life, irrespective of where you live and work, or whom you date and marry.

At Dharma by Design, our goal is to share ways to understand and develop your creativity through the practice of mindfulness. One of the essential ingredients to happiness is to have a purpose. The purpose of design to solve problems and provide creative solutions to everyday life. Begin by following your curiosity. It's the key to your passion.