What is creativity? Have you ever heard someone say that person is creative? Do we really understand what a creative person is? Some of those we call creative do not see themselves as creative? Others we do not see as creative may actually be? We do not consider people who are smart creative, yet someone who is creative could also theoretically be a smart individual. But somehow the society norm has mixed the definitions somewhat? Someone who is smart uses their knowledge to solve problems is often considered a creative problem solver but not particularly creative. If they solve a very important problem, we often elevate them to the brilliant status. Creative is reserved for lesser in the minds of society for some reason?

Someone who is creative can be considered to be a dreamer or artist of some type. Often a person we label as creative is merely a person we do not understand or who lives an alternative lifestyle to the social norm or perhaps is somewhat off in our perceptions of what people should be like. Creative people or those we call creative are not necessarily the people we call doers or achievers, not because they are not achievers, but rather because they are not blazing the trail to be awarded with items of acceptance. Such things are simply not important to them. Yet creative people often are doing something and pursuing it with greater vigor than the rest of us, as they are doing it for themselves and in doing so are more fulfilled than the rest of us. That would appear to be a smart way to live.

It is interesting that we do not always consider creative people smart, yet we know those who are musically inclined are smart or they would not be able to what they do. In fact artists are often much smarter than the rest of us. Those famous artists in our past periods whether it sculpture, painting or symphony are always called brilliant or geniuses, but never merely smart.

Many believe that being smart is someone who has one, two, maybe three areas of knowledge memorized or a few piece of paper stating so and can tell you anything about those subjects. This of course is our societal definition of a smart human. We are told education makes us smart but even Calvin Coolidge warns us of educated derelicts.

The creative problem solver or the sculptor who turns nothing into something, that is not only a creative person, fore that person is all of these things; creative, smart, brilliant and a genius? Yet we in the Western World are so quick to label each person, as we thrust him or her into a definitional category and right or wrong we reduce their value to the whole in doing so. I wonder why we do that? Maybe you are a creative person and you can tell us; think on it.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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