VIRB

Today, I read a compelling, and surprisingly well-written article in an online magazine that I follow on the topic of Web design. I think I saw a little bit of myself in it. At least, myself as I want to be.

Creativity is an inborn capacity for thinking differently than most, seeing differently, and making connections and perceiving relationships others miss. But most importantly, it is the ability to then extrapolate contextually useful ways of employing that data: to create something that meets a specific challenge. By this definition, creativity is merely a tool; it does not convey skill. For a dedicated few, though, this inborn capacity is then further augmented by certain disciplines, including:

• ongoing curiosity,


• the desire and habit of looking more deeply into things than others care to,


• the habit of comparing stimulus with result, and


• a habit for qualitative discrimination.

It is primarily these disciplines that set top creative professionals apart from those who are merely gifted. It is also these disciplines that help shape a designer's intuitive senses, which are vital to design craft, processes, and overall success. Being merely creatively gifted is no qualification for design expertise, and the idea that creativity is a magic bullet that anyone or any designer may employ to positive effect is a vacuous notion.

I consider myself to be a creative person. I also like to think that I practice (to some extent) those listed disciplines. I am a "creative professional" but I'm certainly not a "TOP creative professional" (yet). If nothing else, the article was inspiring, and helpful in understanding the appropriate ways of wielding creativity. Give it a read.

On Creativity by Andy Rutledge

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