Creativity isn’t just about the arts

If I could tell you only thing about creativity, it would be this: creativity is not just for the arts. They’re prefaced as the ‘creative arts’ for a reason.

I divide creativity into two main categories: artistic and strategic. Sometimes, the arts even creative. They’re talented for sure, and they’re skilled, absolutely. While it takes gargantuan levels of creativity to write a song or a symphony, it takes a different set of talents and skills to sing that song. That’s not at all a disparage of singing; whose life hasn’t been deeply affected by a beautiful voice? But the way I describe creativity, the beautiful voice alone isn’t creativity per se.

strategic creativity is the one we use most often in day to day life. It comes in billions or trillions of forms. It’s stretching your last dollar at the grocery store at the end of the month. It’s getting the word out about a new business. Or it’s getting your kids to eat their vegetables.

So whenever a new student or client tells me they’re not creative, I beg to differ. They might not be artistic, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have the capacity for deeply creative thinking.