Creativity vs. Imagination
Creativity can be taught because the mechanics of the process are known to an extent. You go from point A to point B, but in a surprising matter, and the two only look connected after the journey is made. There is an intuitive leap, a combination of two or more elements that haven’t been combined before, and/or an “aha!” moment after months or years of hard work. You (or your workplace) can set up the environment to help you be more creative.
What gets lost in the shuffle of much academic study and many creativity experiments is the imagination. Imagination is difficult to study because it’s hard to measure. While creativity is the expression or the outcome of a new thought or of two things coming together in a new way, imagination is what’s behind the curtain.
Was Mozart more imaginative than Van Gogh or Edgar Allen Poe more creative than Mrs. Winchester? Would you really want to try to rank the top 10 most imaginative people in the world? Sure, Leonardo da Vinci would probably be in position #1, but where would you put Aristotle, Archimedes, Walt Disney, Marconi, Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington Carver, Madame Curie, Michael Jackson, Mary Shelley, or anyone else for that matter. What criteria would you use to suggest that one was more imaginative than another? Because imagination cannot be measured in any significant way, it cannot be managed, and studying it is difficult.
Imagination is what helps those who are considered creative stand out from those who are trying to become more creative. It is the talent behind the craft. Everyone can become more creative just like everyone can become better at any skill -- through practice and correct application of creativity techniques. But can everyone become more imaginative?
Steve Jobs said that creative people aren’t more intelligent, they just have more experiences and they think deeply about those experiences. They think about what they see, hear and learn. They ask questions about everything around them. Imagineers are infamously curious.
You can improve your imagination by getting more experiences and more knowledge. Read more fiction. Go to worlds you haven’t invented. Read words and feel the imagery and emotions they evoke. Think about how words can alter your mood and perception. Then learn something you never thought about learning before. It won’t be easy, but few things worth attaining are. Become Alice.
Steve Jobs said that creative people aren’t more intelligent, they just have more experiences and they think deeply about those experiences. They think about what they see, hear and learn. They ask questions about everything around them. Imagineers are infamously curious.
You can improve your imagination by getting more experiences and more knowledge. Read more fiction. Go to worlds you haven’t invented. Read words and feel the imagery and emotions they evoke. Think about how words can alter your mood and perception. Then learn something you never thought about learning before. It won’t be easy, but few things worth attaining are. Become Alice.
Curiosity didn’t kill the cat. It made the feline more imaginative until it reached self-actualization and in transcendence, left uncomprehending humans behind, who were too busy being afraid of what they could accomplish if they were more curious.
Not understanding something shouldn’t be the point wherein you run away; it should be the point where you seek to find the answer. Think deeply, ask questions and seek out answers, like a child exploring the edges or looking at a bug or feeling the grass. Improve your imagination and your enjoyment of the world.