A Discussion of Creativity by Andrea Zimon

Seth Apter is an author, among other things, who asked ‘Is creativity learned, built in, or both?’.

To me the answer is obvious but rather than answer that, let me lead with a response I frequently hear, when I say to people I am an artist which is some variation of ‘ I am not creative’.

And there is nothing that makes me gnash my teeth more.  

Because it is untrue. Who said artists garnered the market on creativity? Creativity is so much more than taking what is considered an artistic medium and putting it on the intended surface.

There is creativity in communication. I listen to subjects I am not interested in because the presentation is good. I listen to certain sport shows simply because the people who are speaking are interesting. I am not a sports fan. I don’t watch sports but if you are telling a good story I am in.  

I remember certain teachers not because I loved their subjects but they would slip sarcastic remarks or interesting stories into the discussion and that would cause me to pay attention to them. I had a science teacher made a comment about Hooke’s law comparing it similar to what we, as 14 year-olds, did to our parents. I do not use Hooke’s law in my life but I remember it.  Making an adolescent pay attention is truly an act of creativity.

There is creativity is engineering.  An architect is the obvious creative. But the engineer has the creativity to see that the structure keeps its form.  And he has to consider many other variables such as surface, materials, availability – just to name a few.

How about cars?  I love stories about the ‘creatives’ who take rusted hulks and return them to either authentic or altered beauty.  

I look at motorcycles the same as I look at pottery as beautiful and functional pieces of art.

Detectives need creativity to solve crimes because rarely is the answer handed to them.

My mother collected everything under the sun and she could take all this crap, organize it, and make it pretty so that I feel really confident that her house could have easily stood with the best homes in Better Homes and Gardens.

 My final story is about a friend’s husband who built a clock, a guitar, a lathe, a car, and high tech medical device. My friend informed me that he doesn’t call himself an artist. Well, he sure is creative.  

So to answer the question: creativity is built in and the skills are learned to hone that creativity. And practice is what makes you better and gives you passion to push on.  

Self portrait, digitally altered, based on the prompt 'my shadow side' taken from Seth Apter's book the Mixed Media Artist. The question in my discussion is taken from his other book, The Pulse of Mixed Media.