Looking into creativity: Forced to see with two different eyes

As we travel through education and life, hopefully were are challenged to be creative in multiple ways, to challenge what has been put before us, and change the things we do not like, but what is creativity? What is 'being' creative? Are creativity and artistic synonymous, or just related? Do you need one to be the other, or can they inherently be independent.

The Assignment: 

Create an inspirational poster, you know those useless hanging cats " hang in there', or the mountains with a message of hope. Does any one really use these? I am usually a little more sarcastic in my work, but the internal battle that I have been fighting has really got me questioning what is creativity. 

What you see is what you get

I an ashamed to say, with all this gripping about creativity, that yes, I borrowed a few images and just did a little PhotoShop magic to create the image for the poster. A perfect example of what creativity to me, is not. I would have preferred to create the images my self, but time and blah, blah, blah keep us from doing everything that we wish to do. Perhaps that is why so many people use gif's instead of creating their own. This week I spent more time messing around with creating my own gif's than is probably necessary. Creating gif's still requires that you 'borrow' images (unless you are really handy on Ps or other digital media), so I am not sure, though I feel better about creating my own that I would call this 'creating' very creative.  

So what is creativity? 

The good ole' dictionary lists creativity as: 

1.

the state or quality of being creative.

2.

the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination:

the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.

3.

the process by which one utilizes creative ability:

Extensive reading stimulated his creativity.

So I being creative is orginative; productivity, than nothing that I have described above bridges on creativity, or is it? Feel like your reading the speech of a politician, I kind of feel like my thoughts on creativity are just that way. 

Some question the creativity of artists, actually if probably happen more so than not. And thus tags along the question of what is art. 

This week in Italy, famed artist and creative genius Christo and Jean Claude created a floating pier on Lake Iseo, connecting multiple small islands with 100,000 meters of yellow fabric. Some say it is a waste of public funds. Ask any of the 10k plus a day visitors, and I am sure that they would tell you different. 

What does it even matter

Maybe this is the great thing about creativity, and art, we all get to choose what we think is creative and what is not. As Lankshear and Knoble have said about digital affinities, there is no administrator, or leader, we all have a voice. And all this digital stuff, is just another way for people to express and transcend ideas, which makes the process creative even if the end product is a little borrowed. We all wish to be heard, seen, and now followed. Though I prefer the real world to any affinity space, it is a freedom that is acquired through these spaces that I believe is a draw for so many people, including myself. 

"Our work is a scream of Freedom" - Christo

http://www.dictionary.com
http://christojeanneclaude.net/mobile/projects?p=the-floating-piers#.V3VM1iMrLow
Lankshear and Knobel (2008) Ch1: DIY Media: A Contextual Background and Some Contemporary Themes

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/is-christos-latest-masterpiece-a-major-waste-of-money_us_57714901e4b0f168323a2f7a