Creativity

Creativity
The use of the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work.

I would expand this definition if I were writing a dictionary to include a lot more stuff.

I've found that when I talk about creativity, people have a lot of varying ideas about what it means to be creative.

Many people are quick to say that they are the most uncreative people on the planet because they don't paint, dance, play music or do photography. But if given a challenging problem, some will immediately see possibilities everywhere and come up with unique solutions.

Some of these same people who claim to be uncreative, cook some of the most imaginative meals, or  do other things that take your breath away.

Creativity comes in so many shapes and forms that it would be impossible to list them all. Some athletes use their bodies in creative ways to achieve near perfection in their sport.

Our carpenter who is 70+ years old, would never claim to be creative, but he is one of the most creative people I've ever met.

Whenever we ask him to do something for us, he will listen intently, then ask a few clarifying questions, and he gets this Zen-like look in his eyes as he visualizes the outcome. He builds a materials list, and time estimates, all in his head.

Then in a matter-of-fact way say, yes I can do that. And he then proceeds to do it better than we imagined.

He didn't finish high school, and has worked hard with his hands all his life. Is he creative? You bet.

I started down this path when someone sent me a link to the YouTube video below. It's called the Festival of Colors. The video sparkles in your mind like a mental LifeSaver.

I hope you enjoy it. Go forth and be creative.