The Importance of Creativity

Albert Einstein once said: “Creativity is Intelligence having fun.” Imagine, a genius like Professor Einstein talking about how something such as Creativity helped him in his extremely successful life.  How someone accepts this information depends on a person’s mindset when thinking of Creativity or maybe just Art in general. Some people when asked to give a definition of creativity or art in general have a childlike way of thinking. They most likely picture a person, covered with paint, and probably wearing a barrette. Most likely they envision him to be standing in front of an easel intensely pondering how he can stroke or splatter his paint brush across a canvas in order to paint a simple bowl of fruit. Others may think of it as simply Arts and Crafts, and that it is an useless area to pursue because A. It’s not in high demand. And B. They would probably get paid better working at McDonalds. Others just give up before even considering it, thinking  simply that they can’t do it because they aren’t “Given the gift” so there’s no reason to pursue trying. If any of these descriptions is what YOU think when you hear the word “Creativity ”, don’t be discouraged because today I’m going to show you how those mindsets couldn’t be farther from the truth.
When developing the proper mindset and appreciation for creativity it is helpful to see the: When? Where? What? Why?, and How? of Art. Starting at the very beginning let’s look at When Art began or originated and Where it can be found.
If asked where it began or originated, most people in today’s world would say that men first expressed their creativity on the walls of caves and other formations during the supposed “Stone Age” which they believe took place millions of years ago when men were evolving into their human forms. Us as Christians know that, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. We know that our God is the greatest Artist this universe has ever known. In the beginning God Created the heaven and the earth…” Unless Picasso could create vibrant sunsets, birds that sing thousands of different melodies, and no two creature of the same shape, size, or color, I’d say that our Lord takes the prize for Greatest Artist. It seems so ridiculous to us Christians that the world would think that there is no God when His amazing Art is everywhere. He proclaims His glory from every sunrise to every sunset. Not only does God’s Art show us his glory and how incredible He is; it also inspires us to create our own art as well. 1 Corinthians 10:31 it says “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do it all to the glory of God.” It is our duty as well as our privilege to glorify our wonderful Savior. When we create Art we can not only glorify God but we can lead others to the Lord through our work. When God creates an artist, He does so with the talents and abilities necessary to see His beauty and truth in the world, and lead others to them.  Now you may be thinking, “There is so many kinds, styles, and types of art out there. Where do I even start? And How do I use my own individual creativity in these styles?” This brings us to our next point:

What is Art exactly and what is the reason for it?  The dictionary definition of art says that it is “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.” But the thing about art is that it is so diverse that there are as many ways to understand it as there are stars in the sky. One Russian Artist, Leo Tolstoy, writer of the famous “War and Peace” once said, “Art is the activity by which a person, having experienced an emotion, intentionally transmits it to others.”  Which is an excellent definition of the subject, and shows that the overall reason man creates is, because he feels something needs to be said or done and creates that feeling through his art. There are also many common definitions of art. A few to quote are: Art is any creative work of a human being, it is a form of expressing one’s self, it is the act of making something visually entertaining, or it is the activity which manifests beauty.  Now seeing how limitless art really is, we can see that it would take forever to pin and point out every single type of art and how that type is individually important.  Some people don’t realize that there’s more kinds of art besides just painting or sculpting. The possibilities are limitless but can be narrowed down to three main types: Visual Arts, Literary Arts, and Performing Arts. Visual Arts include Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Photography, Architecture, Sculpture, and Conceptual Art; just to name a few! All of these kinds are so diverse and complex that one could write a novel on just one of them.  Next we see Literary Arts which are also extremely diverse. Literary Arts are pretty self-explanatory. It includes any type of Literary work such as a novel, essay, or even a speech such as this one. Next Performing Arts.  Performing Arts are those which most likely take place up on a stage. Acting, scriptwriting, ballet, composing, and singing are excellent examples of Performing arts. These three main types of Art already hold thousands of possibilities and hold thousands more when adding style to them. Art Style is what discriminates a piece of art from another. A few art styles include Realism, Modernism, and Expressionism. When adding these styles to works of art you can create masterpieces. For example: Adding realism to a painting could make it look like an actual photo taken with a camera. Adding Expressionism through Interior design, one could create new and exciting pieces of furniture that no one has every seen before. Our modern technological advances have as one would say, “changed the game.” With our modern day technology we can create just about anything. With programs like Photoshop or Ned-Graphics, anyone can design anything from carpet and rugs to even 3d printed objects. Seeing how diverse this subject is, it is not hard to find hope that you too can find some area that interests you.
Fourthly, we can see our main point: why is Art so important, or creativity for that matter? From everything that we have already discussed one can most likely already see how creativity and art are very important but we haven’t even scratched the surface. It is simple math. Inspiration plus Creativity equals Art.  To simplify it even further, let’s look three basic things humans need for everyday life: Clothes, Food, and for most people of today, Music. Clothes are bought based on their comfortability, compatibility, and style. Where does style come from? A designer’s creativity in their digital design, and sewing.  Next Food. Food is eaten based on its taste. Where do these tastes come from? A Chef’s creativity in creating recipes. Music is listened to based on it’s message. Where does this message come from? A Songwriter’s creativity is his heart and situation. Creativity is essential to moving towards new ideas and new discoveries. The best way to use ones creativity is using it to serve God as we discussed earlier.  Adding your creativity to serving the Lord creates the greatest masterpieces. The greatest gospel songs were written because artists were inspired by God’s blessings on their lives or how he came through in a difficult situation. They then used that inspiration to create some of the greatest Gospel songs ever written. Marketing and Branding are also excellent examples of the importance of Creative Art. Without them, business cards, brochures, billboards, and even coffee mugs would look more or less bland and would cause of lot of businesses to have a lot less viewers and customers.
Finally, how can I express Art myself? The famous painter, Bob Ross once said, “Any way you want it to be, that’s just right.” That may be the simplest and best definition of an individual’s creativity ever given.  You are the only one limiting what you can do. Find some inspiration and create it your way. If your way isn’t like everyone else’s, that makes it just as special if not even better. And Remember like Fred Rogers, also known as Mr. Rogers, once said: “The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.”