Fact Number Five: It originates from the Latin term ‘creō’

The lexeme in the English word creativity comes from the Latin term creō “to create, make”: its derivational suffixes also come from Latin. The word “create” appeared in English as early as the 14th century, notably in Chaucer, to indicate divine creation (in The Parson’s Tale). However, its modern meaning as an act of human creation did not emerge until after the Enlightenment” (Mark Runco, Robert S. Albert, 2010).

Fact Number Four: There are 4 different types

Initially, Psychologist Howard Gardner stated there were only 2 c’s. The “small c”, which referred to creativity in daily activities and the “Big C” referring to creativity in influencing creative contributions. Creativity scholars Kaufman and Beghetto (2009) further defined another 2 more c’s to this list; “mini c”, learning process, and “Pro c”, professional level expertise. Therefore there are four different types of creativity; ‘Mini C Creativity’, ‘Little-c Creativity’, ‘Pro C Creativity’ and ‘Big C Creativity’. This model is very useful in understanding that you can purposely work toward either a small, mini, pro, or big C creative level.

Fact Number Three: Everyone can be creative

You have probably heard the quote, “The creative adult is the child that has survived” by Ursula K. Le Guin (2013). Well, Sir Ken Robinson builds on this by saying, ” ..we are all naturally creative, yet by the time we reach adulthood, our creativity has been ‘educated out of us’ by the barriers of school, society and corporate business (Mark McGuinness, 2009). René de Ruijter (2018) says that creativity is a skill that can be learned and believers everyone is capable;

“..the fact is, almost every person in the world is capable of creative thought. Creative thinking is a skill. A skill that can be trained and a skill you can improve. Like any skill, some people will have more talent for it than others, but everyone can learn to be creative”.

Fact Number Two: No Failures with Creativity

Many of us have felt like we failed at some stage in our life but it is how we react to these situations that matters most. Thomas A. Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Henry Ford also said, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Pablo Picasso said that “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.” Failure may not be a negative setback but a part of the creative process.

“When you are being creative it is important that you do not try and think in terms of success and failure. When you fail at something that is also a good thing as it means that you have tested it. If you have not made any mistakes then it simply means you have not tried anything new” – (Viral Novelty, 2014)

Fact Number One: Trauma inspires Creativity

Some of the greatest creative minds that the world has ever known have had this in common. Artists such as Frida Kahlo, Robin Williams, Edvard Munch, Louise Bourgeois and Vincent van Gogh to name only a few, have faced trauma which they channneled through their art. Trauma refers to a distressing or disturbing experience. Shirley Hayes wrote ‘Trauma and Memory: Healing Through Art’ and she explains, “Death, loss, stress, and grief can create trauma. The fine arts are commonly used as a means of therapy for trauma” (Shirley Hayes, 2015). John Paul Titlow further builds on this;

“They experienced some kind of major loss or trauma (quite often, the death of a parent or another loved one) that had an impact on their artistic endeavors. It’s no coincidence, either. Psychologists call this phenomenon “post-traumatic growth.” In the face of a major loss, our brains often explore new creative outlets as part of the “rebuilding” process of our lives, especially as our perspectives, priorities, and ways of thinking about things shift around. Post-traumatic growth has been explored in hundreds of scientific studies, including a 2004 study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress showing that 70% of survivors experienced some kind of positive psychological change after a traumatic experience” (John Paul Titlow, Fast Company, 2016).