When we consider the importance of creativity we are apt to think of it only in the context of art. Though important, art is only a small part of creativity. We use creativity in every aspect of our lives, everyday.
Our ability to express our deepest feelings is at the core of the importance of creativity. As humans we have a very strong need to express ourselves and we’re happiest when other people understand what we are trying to get across to them. We find all kinds of ways to do this.
Speech is probably the first and foremost means we use to communicate what we want others to know. Most often it is simple and very straight forward. “Pass the salt,” no way to interpret that incorrectly.
Yet when we want to get something specific across we know we have to put a little more into it. Even the most smooth-spoken person takes the time to consider his words and actions when there is something specific he wants people to know. He knows words can be golden and the exact right ones will change the prospective of the people he is trying to reach. That’s when he taps into his creativity to find a way to say what he wants, in a way that will get everyone’s attention.
It’s the same for all of us when we want to reveal something from deep inside ourselves.
This is when the importance of creativity becomes most evident. We think of endless ways to say something when we want to say it ‘more’.
The simple yet absolutely profound ‘I love you’ is the topic of more books than we can keep track of. The rose has been the symbol of this declaration since forever. How many times have you thought, “Everyone gives roses, I want to say it ‘more’ than everyone else does,”?
You use your creativity and find a way to express exactly the depth of your feelings. You search for something unique and meaningful that ties you and the other person together in a way that is singular to the two of you.
Perhaps when you first met one of you was holding a violet, which the other one happened to bump. It was a disaster which you turned into a special moment, which turned into many special moments.
Looking back at that time later, you don’t want to say “I love you,” you want to say “I love you more than anybody else, remember how special that first meeting was?” Instead of traditional roses, you may choose violets set in a crystal vase in the shape of a train, because it was how you met and you feel deeply about that time. It’s important to you to express yourself in a special way, otherwise you would simply say it.
The importance of creativity can easily be seen in the different ways people choose to express themselves.
People have used their creativity to come up with endless ways to get their messages across, and we’re still thinking of new ones. We certainly don’t let words limit us.
It’s important to be able to tap into your creativity in order to let people know what is important to you in a way that satisfies you. It is important to be able to express your feelings when words aren’t close to enough.
We express ourselves in the form of paintings, music, sculptures, even graffiti. I could fill a page with the different mediums people use and still miss some. They are all meant to get something across to others and they satisfy us because we feel we’ve gotten our message out to others.
Art would seem to be the most obvious way to express ourselves in certain situations…but we don’t limit ourselves to the world of art.
Our creativity is evident in the clothes we wear, the style of our hair, the cars we drive. Whole industries have been built in order to give people the outlet of expressing themselves in their everyday lives. It is that important.
We gather things that mean something to us, things that ‘say’ something about us. And almost everything we acquire, we add a touch of ourselves to it. Even if it is only the way we display our treasures, in some form we mark them as specifically ours.
And we use our creativity to do all those things in just the way that satisfies us.
Creativity is an outlet.
You don’t always want people to know up front what is at the deepest core of yourself, but there is still the need to get it out. How is that best done? Again the importance of creativity is at the forefront. You find ways to express what you want to get out through your creativity.
In this context it isn’t necessarily important to get your message out crystal clear. Sometimes it is enough that you know what you mean, and in that context often it is vitally important that only you know what you are truly expressing. That is the beauty of creativity, it can take any form you need it to take.
Your expression can be loud and out in the open, or it can be subtle, an innuendo that is evident only to yourself. Creativity can be relaxing or invigorating. It can be an outlet for feelings whether they are happy or sad, angry or content and anything in between. Creativity can be used as a business, or a hobby, just for fun, or as a form of therapy, simply work or play.
Creativity can just be a natural part of your life that you don’t bother sticking a label on. You may not even be consciously aware that you are bringing it into practice.
Creativity should be encouraged and nurtured from the moment we take our first breath.
Even as babes we begin to take in the world around us and strive to communicate with it, to draw things from it that we need or want. We should continue to explore it with enthusiasm till we take our last breath. It has so much to offer that to ignore our creativity, in whatever form we use it, is to lose out to a deeper extent than we can imagine. Our lives are enriched by creativity and how we use it.
There are so many aspects of our lives that creativity touches that the importance of creativity defies logic. We are human, we need to express ourselves as much as we need the air we breathe.
Creativity isn’t just art. It is our very essence.