What is creativity?

I hope that all of you can help me answer this question.

Creativity is a concept with a meaning that seems to fluctuate… quite a lot.

Even a simple google search comes up with suggestions that point this out; clearly people think the answer varies depending on the context.

If this isn’t your first visit to my site, you will know that I write about creativity and creative process a lot.

But that doesn’t mean that I think I have the definitive answer to this question, which is why I am here to ask for your help.

Later this month, I am launching a new element to my site that centres around the concept of creativity. A sort of ‘creativity gym’ if you like.

In order for this to be the best it can be, I am looking for input to answer the question I originally posed to google.

As a writer who rarely comments on blogs, I’m leaving room for two options here. The first one is to vote in the below poll. The answers I have provided there sum up the two main arguments that I have found for the definition of creativity.

The first of these arguments says that creativity is inherently linked to the act of creating; without producing a product, there is no real creativity.

The second argument is that creativity is a way of thinking, a cognitive approach that allows problems to be solved in an innovative way.

This is not a ‘right or wrong’ answer scenario. I am simply looking for what people think.

If you have more to say, and the time to do so, feel free to answer in the comments. Both contributions are wonderfully useful to me, and if I could send thank you cookies to all of you who participate, I would. But lock down is rather getting in the way of that.

So tell me; what is creativity according to you?