What is Creativity?
On this page 5 headings
Start here You’re stuck in an auto in a huge traffic jam and getting late. So you pay the driver, get down, walk to the front of the jam, and take another auto from there. You just solved a problem in a new way. That means you are creative.
This week is taught by Prof. Shiva Subramaniam, who has taught creativity for about 30 years.
Rule number 1: everyone is creative
- There is nobody in the world who is not creative. Don’t say “my sister is the creative one because she paints.”
- When you think, parts of your brain light up. Thinking and creativity go together.
- The only difference is the score. Some people are at 4 out of 10, some at 6, some at 7. This course helps you move up the scale.
Everyday example Everyone can hit a tennis ball over the net. Some people, like Federer and Nadal, play much better. Creativity is the same: everyone has it, and practice makes you better.
Lesson 1: take up challenges. The professor had never taught creativity without seeing his students face to face. He still took up the challenge. Wanting to be creative is the most important thing of all.
Try this: look in the mirror and say, “I am a creative person.” Then name four things you have done that were creative. They don’t have to be big.
The definition
Creativity is bringing into existence something that did not exist before.
This is the classic definition. Examples:
- This lecture did not exist before. Now it does.
- You write a page on a blank sheet.
- You crumple paper into balls and juggle them.
Don’t worry about originality yet. Even if someone already made a chair or a mouse, your chair is still your creation. This is personal creativity.
Notebook exercises
- Keep a creativity notebook. This is the start of your creativity journey.
- Draw your name instead of writing it. (Prof. Shiva might draw a sheet of paper plus a hand waving “come here”, which is “vaa” in Tamil: Shee-vaa.)
- At the end of the course, write your own definition of creativity.
Why and when should you be creative? Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Abraham Maslow said all humans have five levels of needs.
| Level | Need | Examples from the lecture |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (bottom) | Physiological (basic) | Food, water, warmth, rest. We take jobs and build houses for these. |
| 2 | Safety | Locks, a watchman, a government job with a pension |
| 3 | Belongingness and love | Family, friends, WhatsApp groups. The fear of loneliness is one of our greatest fears. Social media is all about this need. |
| 4 | Esteem | Prestige and a feeling of accomplishment: a new car, a housewarming, your degree certificate |
| 5 (top) | Self-actualisation | Reaching your full potential, including creative work and finding meaning. A friend of the professor left everything at 35–40 to start a children’s home. |
Lecture example — the “top-end” car trap A car salesman showed the professor the top-end model first (about ₹11.5 lakh). After that, the basic model felt disappointing, even though it cost only about ₹5–6 lakh. This trick is called anchoring: the first number you see sets your expectation. (In the end, he just repaired his old car.)
So why be creative? Because you need creativity to meet every level of need: to earn money for food, to keep your family safe, to make friends and calm an angry parent, to win respect, and to reach your potential.
When should you be creative? Whenever you are trying to meet one of these needs, which means all the time.
Read more: the Jonah complex (Maslow’s term for the fear of our own greatness), and Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.
In one line: Everyone is creative; creativity means bringing into existence something that did not exist before, and we need it to meet every level of Maslow’s needs. Exam words: everyone is creative, classic definition of creativity, personal creativity, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, self-actualisation, anchoring, Jonah complex.