creativity is more important than knowledge essay

Which Is More Important: Creativity or Knowledge?

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Which is more important: creativity or knowledge? Find here the answer! This creativity vs. knowledge essay explains the relationship between imagination and intelligence and gives examples.

Introduction

• Creativity vs. Knowledge

Works Cited

Schools are institutions that are set up with the aim of impacting students with knowledge. This being the primary focus of most education systems, generating new knowledge through creativity becomes secondary to most scholars. This leads to the question of which, between knowledge and creativity, is more important? This question is more relevant to students in higher institutions of learning since this level of learning is developed enough to generate creative thinking, in addition to impacting students with knowledge.

Creativity Is More Important than Knowledge

As such, a college student should ponder on this question, considering that such a student is almost ready for the job market. As a college student, creativity is more important than knowledge since creativity allows one to explore ideas with no boundaries, it gives birth to innovation, and it provides room for developing practical solutions to real life challenges, unlike knowledge which is limited to one’s expertise and experience.

While knowledge is limited to one’s skills, creativity has no boundaries since it goes as far as one’s imagination can reach. Knowledge hardly goes beyond one’s training or experience in a certain field, whereas creativity/imagination follows intuition and transcends one’s acquired skills (Ox and van der Elst 84).

Creative minds do not necessarily focus on achieving good grades in school. This is because good grades do not always imply creativity; instead, good grades are usually a reflection of one’s knowledge in a given subject since schooling systems are more oriented on impacting knowledge than creating an environment that enhances creativity.

Knowledge is determined by set standards and systems, but creativity transcends these systems since a creative mind is more flexible and imaginative. With specific focus on great people like Albert Einstein, who came up with the laws of relativity, it is very clear that Einstein exercised more creativity than knowledge in coming up with the laws (Gardner 108).

Although it is acknowledgeable that his prior knowledge in the field of physical science created an environment for developing the laws of relativity, his sense of imagination was far much important than the acquired knowledge. It is for such a reason that college students should be more creative, other than just acquiring knowledge in their course of learning.

Creativity births innovation since it is not bound by experience, unlike knowledge that is limited to acquired skills and experience. Creativity encompasses the intrinsic motivation to pursue a certain interest, and this gives birth to innovation. Creativity allows college students to think in a flexible and imaginative way such that when a motivating environment is provided, students can end up creating very impressive solutions to problems. Global success is pegged on innovation.

Virtually every sphere of life in the current world is competitive in its own way. This calls for innovative minds in order to emerge successful (HR Focus 8). On the other hand, new ideas cannot be generated by relying on knowledge alone since knowledge is limited to the skills that are acquired through a formal or informal process of learning.

As such, creative thinking remains to be the solution to innovation in the current world. It is said that contemporary organizations are encouraging creative thinking as a way of remaining competitive. College students can supplement the existing gap in innovation by being more creative, in addition to being knowledgeable in their fields of study. To a college student, divergent and convergent thinking are a recipe for success, even outside college (HR Focus 8).

Creativity holds promise to providing solutions to the numerous challenges in the work environment and the larger society. Combining expertise with imagination, which encompasses flexible thinking, would help explore problems beyond the limited human understanding and develop effective solutions.

Colleges, among other institutions of higher learning, should offer the best platform for developing individual creativity. College students have the right environment to develop creativity since university-level education encourages individual learning more than pedagogical structured learning.

The wide access to information and elaborate interaction and networking available in colleges should ignite students to be more creative and become problem solvers. Moreover, college students should realize that they are under preparation for the great roles they will later play in the society, especially in their places of work (Livingston 60). For this reason, creativity is far much important than knowledge to a college student.

Combined knowledge and creativity can generate greater achievement, thus the importance of both cannot be underestimated. For instance, while someone like Einstein used imagination to come up with the laws of relativity, he also relied heavily on his immense knowledge of physical science to draft these laws (Gardner 104). Thus, while it is right to argue that creativity is more important than knowledge to a college student, it does not mean that knowledge has no place in fostering creativity.

In fact, it is right to argue that creativity is boosted by one’s knowledge, thus a very thin line exists between knowledge and creativity. Creativity comprises of expertise, flexible thinking and imagination, and motivation. Hope (39) acknowledges that creative potential is build over time and calls for consistent study with a particular goal in mind. The study must be focused on a specific field for creativity in that field to be developed.

This implies that knowledge must be acquired under certain structures, such as schooling structures, to develop creative potential. An environment that does not foster creative thinking kills creativity. In addition, creativity is developed by acknowledging knowledge in a particular field (Ox and van der Elst 84). As such, college students cannot afford to ignore the need for structured learning and pursue creativity solely. Such an approach may not give birth to creativity since creativity is built on knowledge.

The world today is need of creative and innovative minds for global success to be achieved, and creative college minds can meet this need. To a college student, creativity will help in thinking and developing solutions beyond one’s acquired knowledge and skills.

Moreover, creative college students will find relevance in the present work environment since they will be able to come up with innovations. This notwithstanding, it is important for college student to acquire knowledge since creativity in any field is catalyzed by accumulated knowledge in the field of study.

As a college student, imagination should be given a priority in the course of acquiring knowledge if one wants to be creative. Moreover, college education should foster flexible thinking and provide a motivating environment that will give birth to creativity. Creativity among college students should be encouraged than the sole pursuit for knowledge in order to develop solutions that are so much needed in the working world and the society at large.

Gardner, Howard. Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Gandhi . New York, NY: Basic Books, 2011. Print.

Hope, Samuel. “Creativity, Content, and Policy.” Arts Education Policy Review 111.2 (2010): 39-47. Print.

HR Focus. “Creativity and Innovation: Must-Haves for Global Success.” HR Focus News Briefs (2007): 8. Print.

Livingston, Larry. “Teaching Creativity in Higher Education.” Arts Education Policy Review 111.2 (2010): 59-62. Print.

Ox, Jack, and van der Elst Judith. “How Metaphor Functions as a Vehicle of Thought: Creativity as a Necessity for Knowledge Building and Communication.” Journal of Visual Art Practice 10.1 (2011): 83-102. Print.

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Which one is more important – Creativity or Knowledge?

Knowledge is the information that we have through the experiences of our predecessors and our own at present. Information of all things discovered or experienced is knowledge. But, creativity is needed to put that information together to come up with new results and solutions.

Knowledge, no doubt has a role to play. Without knowledge, creativity does not have any substance to work with. Creativity puts together already available information in a manner to come up with new solutions to new problems. Without the 2 working in tandem, nothing new could have been created.

Let’s discuss a simple example that all of us must have surely come across: In school, we all knew that one guy/girl who would mug-up the whole book from top to bottom. No question would be left in the book which was not known to him/her. And there would be another guy/girl who would not toil so much. He/she would only understand how to solve the questions, the methodology, and the reasoning behind all of it. Come maths exam. Let’s say a few questions were asked which were not in the book. The first guy/girl would cry foul over not being able to solve the questions since they were “out of syllabus”. While the other guy/girl, though slower in speed, would solve all the questions(even the new ones) and get a better score than the latter.

In light of the above discussion, it can be concluded that knowledge is definitely required but only knowledge in isolation cannot help us. Knowledge has to be accompanied by creativity in order to make true progress in life. These rules apply to every sphere of our life.

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Which Is More Important: Creativity or Knowledge? Essay

1. introduction.

The essay titled "Which is more important: Creativity or Knowledge?" explores the importance of creativity and knowledge and discusses their interplay. The introduction provides background information and clarifies the purpose of the essay. The first section focuses on the importance of creativity, defining it and highlighting the benefits it brings, such as problem-solving abilities and innovation. The second section discusses the significance of knowledge, defining it and outlining its advantages, including serving as a foundation for creativity and enhancing critical thinking and decision-making skills. Additionally, knowledge is emphasized as a way to become an expert in a specific field. The final section explores finding a balance between creativity and knowledge, discussing their interplay and how to cultivate a harmonious relationship. This includes encouraging lifelong learning and fostering a creative environment.

1.1. Background information

In the late 19th and early 20th century, a period of change known as the Industrial Revolution was taking place in the United States. This was a time when the nation was shifting from a rural agricultural society to an urban industrial society. People were leaving the farms and countryside and moving to the cities to work in factories. They were leaving a life that had been basically unchanged for the past hundred years. It was a time of great innovation and new ideas. People were building railroads, constructing great buildings, developing new machines and finding new, faster, and better ways to manufacture things. But many people were not happy about the changes that were taking place. They missed the simple way of life and living off the land. They felt that life in the cities was crowded, dirty and had few real benefits. And they could see that the workers in the factories were leading lives of hard work and drudgery. They also saw that a few people, the owners of the factories and the machines, were becoming very rich. These observations set the stage for a conflict that was going on in many people's minds. Is it better to have the creative, imaginative ideas and the ability to make them work - a kind of knowledge that we refer to as "know-how" - or is it better to have a great deal of information and know the facts - a kind of knowledge that we refer to as "knowledge-that?" As we consider the knowledge and creativity components associated with the Industrial Revolution and with other periods in history, it is important to remember that new ideas can occur at any time. Sometimes great ideas have come from the most unlikely places. And sometimes great ideas have come from people who, like Thomas Edison, have spent long hours and a lot of hard work getting knowledge and putting it to use.

1.2. Purpose of the essay

The purpose of the essay is to discuss the two concepts of creativity and knowledge. The essay begins by defining what creativity is and what it means to be creative. According to the essay, creativity is the ability to introduce new ideas, new solutions to old problems, and to make something new. In order to emphasize why creativity is important, the essay gives an example that shows the importance of creativity in a real-life situation. Then, the essay moves to the definition of knowledge and how knowledge can be obtained. Knowledge is defined as facts, information, and skills obtained by a person through experience or education. There are mainly two ways in which knowledge can be obtained, one is learning from experience and the other one is learning from education. The essay states that knowledge plays an important role in helping a person develop his full potential. Next, the essay lists a few types of knowledge such as knowledge from experience and knowledge from education and shows the differences between them. After that, the essay explains how knowledge can help to boost a person's creativity. The essay argues that while some people may think knowledge is useless in fostering creativity, it is actually a precondition of creativity by providing the necessary materials and tools to develop creativity. However, the essay also shows the limitations of knowledge in fostering creativity, where turning knowledge into creativity requires certain personality traits like 'conscientiousness' and the possession of knowledge itself can hinder the development of creativity. Next, the essay discusses the relationship between knowledge and creativity. It argues that both knowledge and creativity are products of humans. And it is not necessary to create a clear distinction between knowledge and creativity because they often intersect with each other in a dynamic way. The essay goes on to propose that in any study of human activities, either individual or collective, the interaction of knowledge and creativity should not be overlooked. By doing so, the essay concludes that in fact, knowledge and creativity should be considered together in any study of human activities and this interaction and dynamism lead to the development of human cultures throughout history.

2. The Importance of Creativity

The significance of creativity is unmistakably highlighted in everyday living, in problem-solving skills and innovation in businesses, and also in a society filled with high-technology advancement. Defined by an educator, Sir Ken Robinson, creativity is now as significant in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status. Creativity can be recognized as a problem-solving skill which is very important in our life. Every day, we are demanded to work out problems such as how to organize our work, children, or time. To solve all these challenges, we have to think of many potential outcomes until we come up with a suitable solution. This is when we step on creativity. All the hard work, failures, and researches are summed up to invent new products, services, technology, or work methods, and these have changed the world and improved human lifestyle. For example, the smartphone that we can't live without now was a creative invention by Martin Cooper. He was an American engineer who first invented the first handheld portable mobile phone in 1973, and he got the patent on it in 1974. So, it's obviously shown that knowledge alone doesn't guarantee a good invention, but through combining research, learning, and creativity can give benefits to both the individual and the end users. Moreover, creativity also can bring a big difference in the form of a new solution, development, or invention, which shows the outcome of creativity. By doing different things and finding a different way to achieve certain goals, it makes the possibility of a wide range of options that are offered. It's very supportive of the statement given by Robert E. Franken, who was an author for two creativity guidebooks. He claimed that "creativity is the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems." Therefore, creativity is the seed of any invention; it's the push for improving satisfaction and a good lifestyle. Lastly, Randy Kersch, Creative Director of Jones Kersch Industries, once said that "innovation is the creation and implementation of new ideas in the marketplace."

2.1. Definition of creativity

What do we mean by 'creativity'? There have been many descriptions and definitions of creativity. For some, creativity is about originality, coming up with brand new ideas. For others, it's about taking existing ideas and creating something new and useful. But when we think about creativity, it's to do with a person's unique ability to express themselves, understand and interpret the world around them. It's the ability to see things differently, to see things in new ways, making new connections between different ideas. So, it follows that creativity isn't only about one branch of the arts - like painting or music. When we're being creative, we can express ourselves through all sorts of different subjects, whether it be through gardening, design technology or a piece of music. Music, for example can be thought of as a very creative subject, but because of its mathematical structure - counting beats, following rhythm patterns - it also offers children the chance to study something in a very logical way. So music can promote logic and creative science. This is a crucial part of creativity - you take something that is very logical or scientific, and make it into a creative process for yourself. This allows you to make new connections, exercise your ability to think in new ways and develop your brain in different ways. So when we're being creative, we're not simply making 'something', but we're developing our ability to see things in new ways. And this process of 'creation' allows us to transform things, to take one idea and make it new and useful. So in turn, this transformation of things is one of the most important parts of the creative process.

2.2. Benefits of creativity

In addition to enhancing knowledge and understanding, there are strong personal, social, cultural, professional, and economic benefits to cultivating creativity. Cultivating creativity in education also has its own range of advantages: there is strong evidence that it can improve motivation and engagement and also boost the acquisition of skills and knowledge through a more enjoyable learning experience. Through participating in engaging creative practices, the essay titled "Which Is More Important: Creativity or Knowledge?" explores the importance of both creativity and knowledge. It begins with an introduction that provides background information and states the purpose of the essay. The importance of creativity is then discussed, including its definition and the benefits it brings such as problem-solving abilities and innovation. The significance of knowledge is also explored, including its definition and advantages such as providing a foundation for creativity, enhancing critical thinking and decision-making, and developing expertise in a specific field. The essay then delves into the interplay between creativity and knowledge and discusses how to cultivate a harmonious relationship between the two. This includes encouraging lifelong learning and fostering a creative environment. Overall, the essay highlights the importance of both creativity and knowledge and emphasizes the need to find a balance between the two.

2.2.1. Problem-solving abilities

Problem-solving is a universal job skill that applies to any given position and will increase a candidate's hireability. The phrase "creativity in problem-solving" most often refers to the ability to effectively employ inventive skills in finding a solution to a given problem, regardless of the magnitude or complexity of the problem. Creative problem-solving is learning or teaching how to solve difficult problems in life. With a better problem solver, we will have better lives. To bring out this ability of problem-solving in an individual, especially our younger generation, it is important to encourage them to be creative. When they do their math, don't just ask them to solve the equations. Instead, ask them to come up with as many methods as possible on how to solve the given math problem. Also, think that it is important to let them know that "there is no such thing as a meaningless contribution". Make sure that teachers give appropriate and positive feedback and suggestions. In addition, we can also engage in certain creative activities like drawing, painting, crafting, and writing. Usually, when someone engages in different kinds of creative activities, it will definitely enhance the creative problem-solving skill. When they are on a project of their own interest and passion, there is always a motivation that drives them to look for solutions. Moreover, creative thinking and creative problem-solving can also be achieved by experiments on our mistakes, learning from experiences of the past and beginning to seek out the ways of getting resources for effective measures that are to be taken. This type of approach is important especially for successful life where only creative solutions of problems. Success will be possible. This is the reason that it is important to stress that there is no exclusive right way to practice creativity in solving the given problems, and certainly the Internet is a proper place to do so. But all it needs is the willingness and comfort of sharing and exploring new ideas and solutions. Help others to learn about creative problem-solving techniques. What an individual knows, it will add. Additionally, if someone shares what he knows in creative problem-solving techniques, which can be fruitful to others and let them be successful. On the other hand, if someone finds interest in some new creative problem-solving methodologies, just go ahead and explore. This is really a reality that with the advent of modern technology, creative problem-solving can be learned or taught through the help of the Internet. It will guide someone through the ways of creativity in problem-solving and this is what technology has provided for people today.

2.2.2. Innovation and advancement

So much of the literature regarding the importance of creativity has underscored its role in advancing innovative systems and processes for a broad range of industries. As it turns out, the relationship between creativity and innovation is often characterized as cyclical; while it is certainly the case that providing a solution to a given problem is a product of creative endeavor, it is also the case that the act of exploring that problem and the solution's nature is itself the ebb and flow of the procedural and generative process creativity. In other words, the nature of the innovative task - to analyze the solution and offer critique, or likely to attempt a more innovative solution - is reliant upon the type of creative thinking employed. This reiterative approach is not simply the hallmark of creative strategies but is dependent upon an innovative ethos that sits at the core of creative cultural reliance in general. For societal and cultural progression, not only is there reliance upon a workforce that can accommodate change and offer lateral solutions to problem solving through creative processes, but there exists a requirement to foster an environment built upon continual improvement through the pursuit of new and progressive pathways. Such attitudes and practices are reflective of the transformative nature of creativity and its inseparable relationship to advancement; as history has shown, each great technological or social leap forwards has been greased by the wheels of a particularly unique kind of innovative criteria which does not seek a singular fixed answer, but entertains the present and the well-argued through the applications of creative scientific and theoretical practice to question and critique accepted norms. Creative thinking is not simply focused on the generation of solutions. When placed in a contemporary global context that is increasingly cerebral and information based, the ability to critically assess given parameters and then search for a mode of solution that goes beyond what has been accepted is undoubtedly the golden ticket of advancement. In being encouraged to look for the next possible effect to a given cause, to question more and more the validity of what is and to critically analyze the possibility of what could be, we see critical thinking and creativity not as polarized modes of thought but as collaborative methodologies that give acceleration to the sustainability of real progress. Creativity is no longer to be perceived as an outward expression but is understood to also reside in the actions of conception and interpretation. From this, to understand why creativity is vitally important, we should recognize the drive and effect that creative thinking fosters when working to some form of innovative progress. Indeed, it can be postulated that the act of utilizing creativity as the natural course for progression both engages the mind to stay within problem exploration and can lead to the fruition of substantial and seminal creative discovery.

3. The Significance of Knowledge

The understanding of knowledge encompasses it as a foundational support to creativity. Knowledge is not limited to a repository of recognized facts. Its significance can be linked to individual development as one acquires more knowledge. According to Schneider (2000), to admire a creative space programmed for children, there is a need to respect the knowledge base to ensure successful creative expression. He further elaborated that "to provide for students, to give them what we think they need in terms of objects or materials, to offer components or to provide raw materials for some creative activity, does not do justice to children's ability to create" (as cited in Schneider, 2000). This stance underscores the principle of knowledge in promoting creativity. As apparent in predefined knowledge, creativity thrives in the disintegration of norms. When knowledge is employed to critique and transform established information, it relates to 'critical thinking', and that it fosters more 'with critical knowledge of self'. Knowledge often imparts discipline specific literatures. Mastery of a particular discipline often serves as a medium to platform an individual's originality and ability to explore further frontiers for new and challenging applications. This is in line with Besemer and O'Quinlivan (as cited in Lee, 2005) where it was proposed that "knowledge provides the brain with the source to think creatively, and that knowledge orientates people to think creatively in certain environments" because 'when people are open to new knowledge, there is the potential for creative outcomes'. It is fair to assume that the knowledge here functions as a prototype, signifying that with proper base support, what we all need next is the 'openness' to new knowledge and the 'courage' to try new things. These expert opinions essentially address the central idea that under current exponential expansion of knowledge, creativity does suffice. However, it is essential to understand that with growing knowledge, the requirements for work and life in the future will demand more than just creative solutions. In essence, the degree of critical creative thinking necessitated is equally important. And, in the realm of probability and informed option selection, the critical thinking aspect seems to claim the prominence vis-a-vis creative thinking, emphasizing on the fact that probability is not always an uncertain measure. Yet, we cannot adopt this as a blanket statement in every scenario demanding a selection. Students equip with a rich knowledge base tend to generate more questions and arguments, as knowledge is often a stimulus for critical thinking.

3.1. Definition of knowledge

One key direction that the response to the title question 'Which is more important: creativity or knowledge?' could take is settled in the importance of the terms themselves. Whereas it is genuinely easy to see what is planned by creativity, we must be clear approximately the idea of information and why it is assumed more important than this. The essayist does moreover clear up various sorts of knowledge, such as experiential, envisioned and demonstrated knowledge. I think this highlights an basic component of the talk almost information, speculatively recommending that knowledge can as it were be important in case it moves forward something indeed better than itself, such as substantial and significant advancements in a field. Nonetheless, it too appears the inadequacy of information without a better understanding as to what creativity comprises - of course, there's continuously a chance for the answer to go in a more balanced course close to clarification and analysis of why a relationship between the two terms is a more fitting topic to be investigated.

3.2. Advantages of knowledge

Greater knowledge is associated with many advantages in life. Knowledge can be gained in many different ways and it can benefit individuals in various areas. Firstly, many historical examples have shown that a solid knowledge base is crucial in the process of creation. Take the scientific revolution in the 18th century as an example. What really set off this era was not only the urge of combining observations and past knowledge to understand the world better, but also the extensive existing knowledge. Without the incredible amount of knowledge that researchers, such as Darwin and Newton, have accumulated over the years, it could be much more difficult to start any 'revolution' at all. In addition, knowledge is like a torch which can guide us to explore the unknown. When the extinction of the Neanderthal was discovered by a group of curious and knowledgeable archaeologists, a multidisciplinary discussion was launched regarding the reasons leading to the extinction. It was the combination of the accumulated knowledge - the known social structure of the Homo sapiens, the change of climate at that time, and many other different pieces of evidence - that brought about what is now known as the 'overkill' theory, which enhanced our understanding in the intelligent level comparison between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. Also, a Religious Studies teacher in 'A' Level once told me that the Latin word 'scientia' means 'knowledge'. She stated that this is because the main focus of Science, which the word originates from, is to increase our understanding of the surrounding by 'accumulating what is known'. I definitely agree with her view. Having knowledge can enable us to do new things, and in similar cases, creativity arises from the different ways we can do those new things. Also, when creating, we will without doubt make use of our existing knowledge developed from past experiences. This is known as 'tacit knowledge'. Tacit knowledge is something that we tend to take for granted, but it is actually a very important asset for a creator. For example, when designing a flyer using the knowledge of concise wording obtained from Media Studies and the color-matching skill learned in Art can help to create a better visual impact on the audience. In addition, gaining further new knowledge is just as important in the progress of creation as existing knowledge. It's knowledge that eradicates the vicious cycle of a single ruler who perpetuates that he or she will always be right without the need of providing any satisfactory evidence to the public. With knowledge, people will start to question and use their own reason; autocracy can then no longer manipulate them. Mengzi, a great ancient Chinese philosopher, first put forward this point by using a child analogy 'the people' and 'the ruler'. He stated that if a child holds a belief in the almighty power of the ruler, being taught that way from the very beginning, he will never gain his own knowledge. However, if the superior status of the ruler is doubted, new understanding and hence knowledge can consolidate his independence in thinking. This suggests that it is the gaining of knowledge that undermines despotism.

3.2.1. Foundation for creativity

The foundation for creativity is the most important reason why knowledge is so essential. Creativity is identified as a vital element of knowledge; it is a highly important element for knowledge. First and foremost, foundation is defined as self-esteem, an essential aspect of the knowledge base: something from which data, skills, and all the experiences can be drawn. Knowledge is the foremost thing to realize the creative ideas. It helps us for the better understanding, demands, and needs. In fact, we can also find that most of the creations are originally derived from the knowledge. It is impossible to create something new without having a base. For example, all inventions and discoveries are based on knowledge. The knowledge provided a base; so that, creativity has been applied to create a new thing. When we have the knowledge, it would be easier for us to generate new ideas. With the knowledge, the ideas will become more sophisticated. Moreover, the knowledge could be used over and over again. Nowadays, a lot of information is available. We need the skills to critically analyze and use the information. One important point is creativity is combined with knowledge and experience. This means that one should not be afraid to discard something that is not working and be prepared to search for new ideas. The knowledge becomes the foundation for our next new ideas. It is important to realize that knowledge is not static. Knowledge is growing and it is the power to change. This could also be the main foundation to enhance creativity through the search of knowledge. The curiosity is triggered by the knowledge. The desire to know more and to get a better understanding will keep the mind active. The process of discovery would lead to new ideas. So, when the new ideas are being created, the creativity will start to work and the phase of creation is now begun. Furthermore, knowledge opens the door to imagination. The buildup knowledge will become the resource for the imaginative processes. In contrast, knowledge will become the key to translate the imagination into reality. Only by having the knowledge on the certain issue, one can get the clear picture of the issue. Therefore, the practical solution is more possible. Michael Michalko, the author of the creativity books, said that knowledge is the most creative thing. This statement is supposed to be agreed. If someone who is creative is doing something that never be done before, that means the creative person is using the knowledge to create a new thing. With the knowledge and the creativity, the ultimate accomplishment will certainly be achievable. Last but not least, it is clear that the foundation of knowledge greatly brings up creativity. Many scholars use the 'know-how' as the knowledge. In fact, the 'know-how' is the professional knowledge. With different and innovative 'know-hows', the professionals will become more productive and more efficient. This is because people can do projects in the way that it has been proven to be successful and the risk of failure will be minimized. On the other hand, it is not possible to stop the idea flowing with created 'know-how'. As a result, many new creative ideas can be found in these professions. So, having knowledge means mastering the expertise of a certain field. Once someone becomes an expert in the particular field, the given advice and the opinion on the field will be listened. This will yield to the new invention or any improvement on the old ways to handle the same knowledge. In this case, the creation is highly expected to happen when knowledge exists.

3.2.2. Critical thinking and decision-making

Another key advantage of knowledge is that it fosters critical thinking and decision-making skills. Critical thinking is the ability to apply and consider various forms of knowledge in a disciplined way. It involves analysis, reasoning, resourcefulness, creativity, evaluation, and making conjectures and decisions. Critical thinking is pivotal, especially in the world of creativity, because it can help to avoid creating repetitive or even obsolete work. When creative people have the ability to apply critical thinking processes to their work, it can make that work more relevant and advanced. Friedrich Froebel, the founder of the first kindergarten, believed that all humans are inherently creative and that education should focus on the satisfaction of a child's mental and emotional needs. He proposed that young children should be engaged in active, self-directed learning for a portion of the day, with the teacher serving as the facilitator of learning. Froebel recognized that children often learn through a spiral process, in which they first have a concrete experience and later reflect on that experience, followed by an abstract process that allows them to apply the knowledge gained through the reflective process; this is how knowledge and creativity are related. On the other hand, decision-making is the mental process resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. Every decision-making process produces a final choice. Knowledge and experience, in particular, are the keys to developing critical thinking. When you have knowledge and experience, you can make better decisions since you have the intellectual underpinnings to enable you to firstly generate options, i.e., different, action-oriented ways forward, and secondly, assess how to select the best solution and therefore take the most appropriate actions. When decisions are to be made, the knowledge on what has led to choosing a specific action is important for drawing conclusions and reflective practice. If we observe professionals in any given field, we can see a clear example of how knowledge and critical thinking and decision-making are interwoven. For instance, doctors have to know all the specific details about a particular illness before being able to effectively assess symptoms and identify a diagnosis. At the same time, they will need to critically evaluate all decisions in order to decide what the best course of action might be and finally make a decision that they will be able to justify to colleagues and the patient. All in all, it is knowledge and experience which provide the framework for enabling us to achieve success in our decision-making.

3.2.3. Expertise in a specific field

It is mentioned in the table of contents that knowledge offers many advantages, and one of them is the development of expertise in a specific field. In modern society, this point is especially significant as technological advancement and globalization have led to the rise of highly specialized areas of research and work. In academic research circles, it is important to have a deep understanding of a narrowly defined area so that one can contribute to the field's body of knowledge. For example, in the field of English literature, the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing offers several grants to support projects in which the knowledge and expertise of the applicants in the specific area of focus are assessed and judged. Expertise is obviously needed to further a scholar's own career, but is also - and perhaps more importantly - necessary for maintaining the standards of the discipline. In addition, expertise in a field can be applied in a practical setting, and in many cases having such knowledge is essential for performing a task. For instance, in the medical field, the expertise of surgeons is vital as the success of an operation directly depends on the surgeon's ability to apply his or her knowledge in a specific area. Knowledge in a given field can also assist professionals in making sound decisions in the workplace. It can lead to the development of new techniques or the discovery of new possibilities that were previously overlooked, and this, in turn, can foster creativity and innovation. Spending time documenting simple knowledge can provide the opportunity to better understand what is known and what areas are still obscure. In other words, the author of something new in the world, informed by the expert's knowledge, can move the field forward decisively. Such pushing of the boundaries of knowledge often manifests in published journal papers, and so expertise often becomes associated with getting work into the public eye and establishing authority in the field. From what is discussed in section 3.2.3 so far, it seems that knowledge and creativity are connected and complement each other. We analyze the interplay between creativity and knowledge and study how to find a balance in the next section. Sounds like an interesting essay? It is not always easy to form a judgment about which is more important, knowledge or creativity. But in life, most of the time, it is a product of the correct application of both that brings us the success.

4. Finding the Balance

It is said that "both creativity and knowledge are important." This is easier in theory than in practice. Not forgetting the key to the above statement, it is essential to seek to find and integrate creativity and knowledge in work and personal life. According to a study conducted by neuropsychological researchers, the balancing point between creativity and knowledge is defined by their synchronization. When knowledge is used, neural creativity can be fostered. This shows that knowledge is not something that kills creativity as one might think. In fact, it is able to drive and direct that creativity into something that is concrete and effective. Also, when knowledge primes conceptions for categories and maps, the creative thinking that results provides flashes that may be assembled into new ideas. Scientists had long realized that the brain does not work in the form of isolated centers. It is the linking and integration among several brain areas that matter. Thus, working with certain knowledge nurtured creative growth in a more significant way. On the other hand, the intentional use of divergent thinking can free the mind to generate many ideas from a single starting point. The subsequent use of convergent thinking enables one to apply logic and knowledge to arrive at a single solution that can be addressed. This only serves to explain the vital role creativity plays as an accelerating factor to formal knowledge and learning. In addition to the above benefits of creativity's profile, the problem-solving abilities and solutions founded in creativity can avert life's possible problems and obstacles. In general, when we say creativity always equates to innovation - doing something new or different. This reflects that creativity is enjoyable when the mind is left free to let spontaneous and 'natural' solutions to flow. Knowledge is not about control, whereas creativity involves uncalculated syntax to suffers the same fate with knowledge. It is this element of 'surprise' that is often the focus of creative thinking which has a meaning of opening up one's mind to accommodate a new idea that might break down present knowledge or norms on hand. With such characteristics of both creativity and knowledge, it is a political fact that finding a way to balance between them is essential. An individual should realize that given workmanship operative and inert entities from life deserve a new perception to work with. This is because the construction of meaning is viewed as a dynamic creative process that evolves in developmental times. This suggests that giving work and receiving knowledge is a sort of creativity, and creativity itself is a process of the fresh making of knowledge. The bottom line is, both creativity and knowledge are important but it is the integrating of both in finding the balance to ensure a conducive and effective approach towards work and life. Startup businesses embrace such elements of creativity and knowledge cultures. This is because they find success amidst chaos and limited resources thanks to the presence and fine management of balancing between creativity and knowledge.

4.1. The interplay between creativity and knowledge

Instead of seeing knowledge and creativity as two competing forces, we should see them as being used and exercised in tandem with one another. In fact, the various examples of the interplay between knowledge and creative thought are more often than not borne out of the two coexisting within the same processes. For example, considering a musicologist's knowledge of composition techniques in the 20th century, and then actual composing practice, creative decisions are informed by that knowledge. A similar parallel can be drawn to someone working in - quite literally - a more practical form of creative art; a chef draws on culinary knowledge in making creative decisions about what ingredients go together well and what foods might be popular. The everyday analogy to such highbrow examples of the interplay between knowledge and creativity in specific fields is problem-solving. For example, considering a scientist working on a cure for a specific illness, they draw on the knowledge of others and of what is known in that field. However, in a situation when a solution is not immediately obvious, creative thought is required to act as a catalyst to find a way through the problem. In this sense, creativity can be seen as more of a 'discovery'. New solutions to problems can in turn create yet more research questions or new problems - thus improving our knowledge. Knowledge can mean anything from a discovery, to information that is specific to a single person. So, that being said, the clear indication is that for any one person, knowledge must come first. But if we take a step back and consider the wider impact of creative thinking as a force that shapes human development and knowledge, we might find that creativity takes pride of place. Indeed, it has long been noted that the most successful thinkers in any discipline are those who are able to approach a particular problem in a way that is creative and original. When applied, creativity brings about an alternation to a set pattern of knowledge: this means that new knowledge is formed as a result of creative thinking. This is a view that is now supported by cognitive science- Holyoak and Thagard (1997) described creative thought as an 'inter-translation' of knowledge from one representation to another, but it gives rise to something new and is unique. This is fundamentally important in any scientific or artistic discourse. Every great advance made in science or in the arts is in fact a creative act. Therefore, creative thinking and actions are 'new': it brings about the end of a specific strand of knowledge and an eventual change/progression of an entire domain. So, from the conclusions of many studies, creativity is something that is not just desirable. It's actually typically defined as an act of altering the expanse of knowledge in that domain and has the unusual ability to change the world around us. Knowledge is certainly very important - after all, it's the foundation of the creative process. But as much as accumulating facts and figures is all very well, a more important skill is being able to find ways to apply that knowledge in a useful way- if not for the benefit of the individual then in a broader sense. It stands to reason that one of the main advantages of education should be to teach this method of creative thinking at a young age, so that children can grow up able to make well-thought out creative decisions for themselves. Every individual can learn to start moving forward with their own ideas, take risks and be curious. This makes creativity a valuable experience, which can in turn lead to something that is more relevant to those who may not overtly see the benefits to creative acts- the forming of new knowledge and as a consequence, new creative acts. So in that sense, creativity can 'steer the way' towards the formation of new knowledge.

4.2. Cultivating a harmonious relationship

Both overwhelming the reader with the necessity of creativity or the significance of data can create chaos. According to my research, many specialists appear to agree that a harmony between those two important components of development and enhance 'instruction' should be taken care of. Creativity and data, once in a while alluded to as collected information, have been increasing its significance in the advanced world. From one viewpoint, data conventionally has assumed a substantial part in the instructive framework and society especially. It is characterized as actualities, information, and aptitudes acquired through experience or training; the theoretical or practical comprehension of a subject. Without data, development will be very inconceivable on the grounds that it fills in as the establishment of imagination and the harbinger of new contemplations and contemplations. Then again, creativity is not quite the same as data in various techniques. It is characterized as the inclination to create new and novel thoughts; the capacity to create original and modern thoughts or things. As an imaginative individual increases aptitude in utilizing creative methods, those novices would then be able to create their very own original work utilizing those procedures. Imagination could be considered as an 'reward' of data and now and again, a harmonious relationship can be kept up. Both data and creativity are significant and every one of them is supplemented to one another. Educators should structure their training in manners enable guardians to have a harmony between the scholastic information on subjects to show the educational programs and the unlimited conceivable outcomes presented by kids' creative deduction. While empowering and advertising children's creative brains through diverse exercises, for example, craftsmanship, music and mold exercises, such equalization can help keep up inspiration and mindfulness in learning and by the meantime improve kids' interest towards the scholarly areas. Continuous use of invention and substantial conceptualization of critical and boundless trade ideas among scholars.

4.2.1. Encouraging lifelong learning

Firstly, it is important for adults to set an example to the younger generation by embracing lifelong learning themselves. This may involve attending adult education classes, obtaining further qualifications or learning a new skill. Secondly, embracing challenges and being open to new experiences is essential in developing a mindset that is both knowledgeable and creative. By overcoming various challenges and trying new things, individuals are able to slowly adapt to an environment full of change - a skill that is essential in today's fast-paced society. Moreover, being able to adapt and act upon new experiences will undoubtedly create a more versatile set of skills, enabling the use of knowledge and creativity in tandem. Next, the essay moves on to describe the conditions needed to enable lifelong learning. It argues that individuals need to have both autonomy and ownership of their own development, whilst being free from excessive pressures such as targets or restrictive timescales. This point is particularly relevant to the workplace, where cramming knowledge for an exam or completing tasks in order to meet tight deadlines only promotes short-term retention of information as opposed to a deeper understanding and ability to apply that knowledge creatively. At the same time, independent learning neither constitutes effective learning; it is emphasized that individuals should be given access to the guidance and support that they may need. For example, line managers or supervisors should be able to assist employees in planning their own development, identifying suitable opportunities for learning and providing constructive feedback along the way. This point reinforces the view that lifelong learning can only be fully realized if the 'lifelong' aspect of learning is shared and properly facilitated by various parties, all of which are with the combined interests of promoting both personal and professional development. Finally, cultivating a pleasant and positive learning climate is recognized as one of the most effective ways in fostering a love for learning that can last throughout an individual's lifetime. As per the viewpoints of Professor Alane Jordan Starko on the topic of creativity and lifelong learning, the essay mentions that a harmonious climate consists of the acknowledgement of individual ideas, respect for various viewpoints and an enjoyment of learning for its own sake. Such climate, according to the work of Professor Starko, is conducive to the development of creativity, since it builds up a number of creative habits of mind over time; these habits include creative self-discipline, confidence and most importantly the love of learning.

4.2.2. Fostering a creative environment

Fostering a creative environment involves allowing people to take intelligent risks and encouraging their creative ideas. This may mean shaking up the status quo by allowing for a degree of chaos and risk. Research has shown that ideation and creativity can be improved by as much as 33% when individuals are given the freedom to work on what they want, in the manner they want. Additionally, the sharing of new ideas and different experiences in a creative process can only lead to better methods, solutions, and products. It's important to also provide a space in which people are free from prejudice and discrimination. Creativity, innovation, and thinking differently are things that should be taught and encouraged at all levels in education and embraced as core life skills in the world of work. A focus on a diverse workforce and diverse creative functions is seen as a benefit, but it is not always noted that valuing diversity and running a recruitment drive based on wanting to hire a 'diverse team' may not actually always lead to a range of people with different backgrounds and experiences. In a scientific study conducted by Kang, Milkman, and Chugh (2014) titled 'Reap the future', the team found from four separate studies that individuals of higher and lower power stood to gain in creative output by enacting 'the future' in the present day. While a creative environment is imperative to maximize an individual's ability to create, it is also beneficial for effective and practical teamwork. Engaging in team-building exercises and constructing a team plan based on restoring creative thought processes and embracing change may support in facilitating a successful background for creative collaboration and optimum idea development in a group setting. Pioneering companies that have fostered a creative environment include Google, Johnson & Johnson, and Intel. These companies have introduced schemes such as '20% time', a project that allows employees to spend 20% of their working hours on whatever they want. Such innovative strategies, research shows, have been attributed to 50% of the company's revenue and creating substantial job satisfaction for employees. It is clear that the implementation of creative strategies such as '20% time' and 'blue sky' thinking, meaning thinking without any barriers or limits, not only promotes a high incentive for individuals to succeed and expand their knowledge but creates room for diversity and expansive idea sharing that benefits the function as a whole.

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The science behind creativity

Psychologists and neuroscientists are exploring where creativity comes from and how to increase your own

Vol. 53 No. 3 Print version: page 40

• Neuropsychology
• Creativity and Innovation

Paul Seli, PhD, is falling asleep. As he nods off, a sleep-tracking glove called Dormio, developed by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, detects his nascent sleep state and jars him awake. Pulled back from the brink, he jots down the artistic ideas that came to him during those semilucid moments.

Seli is an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and also an artist. He uses Dormio to tap into the world of hypnagogia, the transitional state that exists at the boundary between wakefulness and sleep. In a mini-experiment, he created a series of paintings inspired by ideas plucked from his hypnagogic state and another series from ideas that came to him during waking hours. Then he asked friends to rate how creative the paintings were, without telling them which were which. They judged the hypnagogic paintings as significantly more creative. “In dream states, we seem to be able to link things together that we normally wouldn’t connect,” Seli said. “It’s like there’s an artist in my brain that I get to know through hypnagogia.”

The experiment is one of many novel—and, yes, creative—ways that psychologists are studying the science of creativity. At an individual level, creativity can lead to personal fulfillment and positive academic and professional outcomes, and even be therapeutic. People take pleasure in creative thoughts, research suggests—even if they don’t think of themselves as especially creative. Beyond those individual benefits, creativity is an endeavor with implications for society, said Jonathan Schooler, PhD, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “Creativity is at the core of innovation. We rely on innovation for advancing humanity, as well as for pleasure and entertainment,” he said. “Creativity underlies so much of what humans value.”

In 1950, J. P. Guilford, PhD, then president of APA, laid out his vision for the psychological study of creativity ( American Psychologist , Vol. 5, No. 9, 1950). For half a century, researchers added to the scientific understanding of creativity incrementally, said John Kounios, PhD, an experimental psychologist who studies creativity and insight at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Much of that research focused on the personality traits linked to creativity and the cognitive aspects of the creative process.

But in the 21st century, the field has blossomed thanks to new advances in neuroimaging. “It’s become a tsunami of people studying creativity,” Kounios said. Psychologists and neuroscientists are uncovering new details about what it means to be creative and how to nurture that skill. “Creativity is of incredible real-world value,” Kounios said. “The ultimate goal is to figure out how to enhance it in a systematic way.”

Creativity in the brain

What, exactly, is creativity? The standard definition used by researchers characterizes creative ideas as those that are original and effective, as described by psychologist Mark A. Runco, PhD, director of creativity research and programming at Southern Oregon University ( Creativity Research Journal , Vol. 24, No. 1, 2012). But effectiveness, also called utility, is a slippery concept. Is a poem useful? What makes a sculpture effective? “Most researchers use some form of this definition, but most of us are also dissatisfied with it,” Kounios said.

Runco is working on an updated definition and has considered at least a dozen suggestions from colleagues for new components to consider. One frequently suggested feature is authenticity. “Creativity involves an honest expression,” he said.

Meanwhile, scientists are also struggling with the best way to measure the concept. As a marker of creativity, researchers often measure divergent thinking—the ability to generate a lot of possible solutions to a problem or question. The standard test of divergent thinking came from Guilford himself. Known as the alternate-uses test, the task asks participants to come up with novel uses for a common object such as a brick. But measures of divergent thinking haven’t been found to correlate well with real-world creativity. Does coming up with new uses for a brick imply a person will be good at abstract art or composing music or devising new methods for studying the brain? “It strikes me as using way too broad a brush,” Seli said. “I don’t think we measure creativity in the standard way that people think about creativity. As researchers, we need to be very clear about what we mean.”

One way to do that may be to move away from defining creativity based on a person’s creative output and focus instead on what’s going on in the brain, said Adam Green, PhD, a cognitive neuroscientist at Georgetown University and founder of the Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity . “The standard definition, that creativity is novel and useful, is a description of a product,” he noted. “By looking inward, we can see the process in action and start to identify the characteristics of creative thought. Neuroimaging is helping to shift the focus from creative product to creative process.”

That process seems to involve the coupling of disparate brain regions. Specifically, creativity often involves coordination between the cognitive control network, which is involved in executive functions such as planning and problem-solving, and the default mode network, which is most active during mind-wandering or daydreaming (Beaty, R. E., et al., Cerebral Cortex , Vol. 31, No. 10, 2021). The cooperation of those networks may be a unique feature of creativity, Green said. “These two systems are usually antagonistic. They rarely work together, but creativity seems to be one instance where they do.”

Green has also found evidence that an area called the frontopolar cortex, in the brain’s frontal lobes, is associated with creative thinking. And stimulating the area seems to boost creative abilities. He and his colleagues used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to stimulate the frontopolar cortex of participants as they tried to come up with novel analogies. Stimulating the area led participants to make analogies that were more semantically distant from one another—in other words, more creative ( Cerebral Cortex , Vol. 27, No. 4, 2017).

Green’s work suggests that targeting specific areas in the brain, either with neuromodulation or cognitive interventions, could enhance creativity. Yet no one is suggesting that a single brain region, or even a single neural network, is responsible for creative thought. “Creativity is not one system but many different mechanisms that, under ideal circumstances, work together in a seamless way,” Kounios said.

In search of the eureka moment

Creativity looks different from person to person. And even within one brain, there are different routes to a creative spark, Kounios explained. One involves what cognitive scientists call “System 1” (also called “Type 1”) processes: quick, unconscious thoughts—aha moments—that burst into consciousness. A second route involves “System 2” processes: thinking that is slow, deliberate, and conscious. “Creativity can use one or the other or a combination of the two,” he said. “You might use Type 1 thinking to generate ideas and Type 2 to critique and refine them.”

Which pathway a person uses might depend, in part, on their expertise. Kounios and his colleagues used electroencephalography (EEG) to examine what was happening in jazz musicians’ brains as they improvised on the piano. Then skilled jazz instructors rated those improvisations for creativity, and the researchers compared each musician’s most creative compositions. They found that for highly experienced musicians, the mechanisms used to generate creative ideas were largely automatic and unconscious, and they came from the left posterior part of the brain. Less-experienced pianists drew on more analytical, deliberative brain processes in the right frontal region to devise creative melodies, as Kounios and colleagues described in a special issue of NeuroImage on the neuroscience of creativity (Vol. 213, 2020). “It seems there are at least two pathways to get from where you are to a creative idea,” he said.

Coming up with an idea is only one part of the creative process. A painter needs to translate their vision to canvas. An inventor has to tinker with their concept to make a prototype that actually works. Still, the aha moment is an undeniably important component of the creative process. And science is beginning to illuminate those “lightbulb moments.”

Kounios examined the relationship between creative insight and the brain’s reward system by asking participants to solve anagrams in the lab. In people who were highly sensitive to rewards, a creative insight led to a burst of brain activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, the area of the brain that responds to basic pleasures like delicious food or addictive drugs ( NeuroImage , Vol. 214, 2020). That neural reward may explain, from an evolutionary standpoint, why humans seem driven to create, he said. “We seem wired to take pleasure in creative thoughts. There are neural rewards for thinking in a creative fashion, and that may be adaptive for our species.”

The rush you get from an aha moment might also signal that you’re onto something good, Schooler said. He and his colleagues studied these flashes of insight among creative writers and physicists. They surveyed the participants daily for two weeks, asking them to note their creative ideas and when they occurred. Participants reported that about a fifth of the most important ideas of the day happened when they were mind-wandering and not working on a task at hand ( Psychological Science , Vol. 30, No. 3, 2019). “These solutions were more likely to be associated with an aha moment and often overcoming an impasse of some sort,” Schooler said.

Six months later, the participants revisited those ideas and rated them for creative importance. This time, they rated their previous ideas as creative, but less important than they’d initially thought. That suggests that the spark of a eureka moment may not be a reliable clue that an idea has legs. “It seems like the aha experience may be a visceral marker of an important idea. But the aha experience can also inflate the meaningfulness of an idea that doesn’t have merit,” Schooler said. “We have to be careful of false ahas.”

Boosting your creativity

Much of the research in this realm has focused on creativity as a trait. Indeed, some people are naturally more creative than others. Creative individuals are more likely than others to possess the personality trait of openness. “Across different age groups, the best predictor of creativity is openness to new experiences,” said Anna Abraham, PhD, the E. Paul Torrance Professor and director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at the University of Georgia. “Creative people have the kind of curiosity that draws them toward learning new things and experiencing the world in new ways,” she said.

We can’t all be Thomas Edison or Maya Angelou. But creativity is also a state, and anyone can push themselves to be more creative. “Creativity is human capacity, and there’s always room for growth,” Runco said. A tolerant environment is often a necessary ingredient, he added. “Tolerant societies allow individuals to express themselves and explore new things. And as a parent or a teacher, you can model that creativity is valued and be open-minded when your child gives an answer you didn’t expect.”

One way to let your own creativity flow may be by tapping into your untethered mind. Seli is attempting to do so through his studies on hypnagogia. After pilot testing the idea on himself, he’s now working on a study that uses the sleep-tracking glove to explore creativity in a group of Duke undergrads. “In dream states, there seems to be connectivity between disparate ideas. You tend to link things together you normally wouldn’t, and this should lead to novel outcomes,” he said. “Neurally speaking, the idea is to increase connectivity between different areas of the brain.”

You don’t have to be asleep to forge those creative connections. Mind-wandering can also let the ideas flow. “Letting yourself daydream with a purpose, on a regular basis, might allow brain networks that don’t usually cooperate to literally form stronger connections,” Green said.

However, not all types of daydreams will get you there. Schooler found that people who engage in more personally meaningful daydreams (such as fantasizing about a future vacation or career change) report greater artistic achievement and more daily inspiration. People who are prone to fantastical daydreaming (such as inventing alternate realities or imaginary worlds) produced higher-quality creative writing in the lab and reported more daily creative behavior. But daydreams devoted to planning or problem-solving were not associated with creative behaviors ( Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts , Vol. 15, No. 4, 2021).

It’s not just what you think about when you daydream, but where you are when you do it. Some research suggests spending time in nature can enhance creativity. That may be because of the natural world’s ability to restore attention, or perhaps it’s due to the tendency to let your mind wander when you’re in the great outdoors (Williams, K. J. H., et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology , Vol. 59, 2018). “A lot of creative figures go on walks in big, expansive environments. In a large space, your perceptual attention expands and your scope of thought also expands,” Kounios said. “That’s why working in a cubicle is bad for creativity. But working near a window can help.”

Wherever you choose to do it, fostering creativity requires time and effort. “People want the booster shot for creativity. But creativity isn’t something that comes magically. It’s a skill, and as with any new skill, the more you practice, the better you get,” Abraham said. In a not-yet-published study, she found three factors predicted peak originality in teenagers: openness to experience, intelligence, and, importantly, time spent engaged in creative hobbies. That is, taking the time to work on creative pursuits makes a difference. And the same is true for adults, she said. “Carve out time for yourself, figure out the conditions that are conducive to your creativity, and recognize that you need to keep pushing yourself. You won’t get to where you want to go if you don’t try.”

Those efforts can benefit your own sense of creative fulfillment and perhaps lead to rewards on an even grander scale. “I think everyday creativity is the most important kind,” Runco said. “If we can support the creativity of each and every individual, we’ll change the world.”

How to become more creative

1. Put in the work: People often think of creativity as a bolt of inspiration, like a lightbulb clicking on. But being creative in a particular domain—whether in the arts, in your work, or in your day-to-day life—is a skill. Carve out time to learn and practice.

2. Let your mind wander: Experts recommend “daydreaming with purpose.” Make opportunities to let your daydreams flow, while gently nudging them toward the creative challenge at hand. Some research suggests meditation may help people develop the habit of purposeful daydreaming.

3. Practice remote associations: Brainstorm ideas, jotting down whatever thoughts or notions come to you, no matter how wild. You can always edit later.

4. Go outside: Spending time in nature and wide-open spaces can expand your attention, enhance beneficial mind-wandering, and boost creativity.

5. Revisit your creative ideas: Aha moments can give you a high—but that rush might make you overestimate the merit of a creative idea. Don’t be afraid to revisit ideas to critique and tweak them later.

Further reading

Creativity: An introduction Kaufman, J. C., and Sternberg, R. J. (Eds.), Cambridge University Press, 2021

The eureka factor: Aha moments, creative insight, and the brain Kounios, J., & Beeman, M., Random House, 2015

Creativity anxiety: Evidence for anxiety that is specific to creative thinking, from STEM to the arts Daker, R. J., et al., Journal of Experimental Psychology: General , 2020

Predictors of creativity in young people: Using frequentist and Bayesian approaches in estimating the importance of individual and contextual factors Asquith, S. L., et al., Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts , 2020

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Creativity or Knowledge – What do you prefer?

“ Which is better Knowledge or creativity? ” is a question that is hard to answer because both things have their own impact. Both are used to find the solution to the problem. Creativity and knowledge are like two rooms the creative side is filled with ideas, thoughts, and imagination while the other room is having information, a set of facts, and figures. The end goal of both things is the same but the way of reaching to goal is different. A creative person refers to identifying a new way of doing the work to find something new. On the other side people who prefer knowledge always follow a predefined way to achieve the end goal.

Both things are applicable to all fields and help a person grow. But there is some philosopher who thinks that in order to achieve true creativity a person needs to detach himself from knowledge. Where some people argue without having knowledge about something how you can achieve pure creativity? For example ” A person wants to create a new dish but without the knowledge of cooking, spices how he or she will able to create a dish?” Now let’s find out which one is more important creativity or knowledge.

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What is knowledge.

All of us possess some kind of knowledge whether it’s related to education, art, sports, or any other domain. Knowledge can be defined as the information or fact that we have learned about a thing. It is the most basic but the most important need of a person’s life. Knowledge is the application of the information which is already known to the person. For example, solving a math problem by using predefined formulas. Acquiring Knowledge is an ongoing process it starts from birth and remains till the last breath. In-can be gained from two sources mentioned below

Many times people confused knowledge with reading books or having a classroom education. But it is more than that, “ a lifelong journey without any stop “. It can be earned in many ways – from education, from videos, from friends, from mistakes, and from the experiences of others. Knowledge not only teaches us what to do, and how to do it but also what not to do.

Also Read:- Online Education Group Discussion | Cryptocurrency As Investment in India

Why having Knowledge is essential?

“ There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance. ” – Buddha

• Having knowledge helps a person grow as a person and makes us gentle human beings.
• Gaining new knowledge developed new skills and opens the gate to new opportunities for us.
• In comparison to creativity using knowledge is reduce the chances of risk. The reason being the knowledgeable approach uses facts and figures and previously used information to find the solution.
• Knowledge provides quicker solutions in comparison to creativity.
• Having a good amount of knowledge in a particular subject will also improve the ability of thinking of a person.
• As all of us know that knowledge is the basic need of every creature for survival. Like human beings, animals also acquire knowledge from their parents.
• For getting the success we need to face new challenges every day and knowledge helps us in developing a zeal to learn.

What is Creativity?

Creativity can be defined as the process of creating or generating something new or capable provide new solutions to problems. It does not have any boundaries and also the outcome of creativity is not predictable. In order to become a creative person, one needs to see things from a different perspective. Creative skills not only required how many solutions or ideas you can provide but the uniqueness of each idea or solution. Also, one does not need any knowledge to become a creative person but it’s better to have it.

Creativity is something that makes people say “wow” reason it offers something new to us in a unique way. Imaginative and innovative skills make a person playful, curious, and responsible but also put them in an uneasy state. It does not guarantee success but the ideas or solutions generated from creativity have more impact. Creativity is the only way to find solutions that are unknown to us.

Why Do People Favoring the Creativity over Knowledge?

“ Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.”  – Bruce Garrabrandt

• Creativity provides you with a way to express yourself in a different way. It helps us stand apart from the crowd of people.
• It removes anxiety and stress, according to some psychological reports creative people are happier than others.
• Solutions that come from creativity are more feasible and have a great impact on others.
• Creative skills help all of us to find the things which are unknown to us. And that’s why the creative person survives easily in the toughest situations.
• It creates a limitless world for you as all of us know there is no boundary for creativity. It enables the imagination beyond knowledge to find solutions.

Which is More Important Creativity or Knowledge?

As said earlier in this article both things have their own impact and help a person to grow. Based on the nature of the problem both creativity and knowledge are used. If a person wants to create a painting then creativity skills are a must for him on the other side if a scientist wants to create a rocket then he or she needs in-depth knowledge of rocket science. In most cases, both things are used together in order the get the best result. Knowledge will help you with all the information and creativity will use that available information to create a new solution. It’s like inventing a new bike for an engineering student after gathering information about it through formal education.

Knowledge may limit the world for you but it’s the best tool to find the answer to the question of what not to do. While creativity may not guarantee success but the ideas, and innovation are way more impactful than existing solutions. Both can be used separately but for reaching new heights in creativity one needs to gain proper knowledge. And for the best use of knowledge, you need creative skills. So both things are significant and complete each other.

• Personal and Shared Knowledge Words: 1650
• How Do We Evolve Knowledge? Words: 1376
• Objective Knowledge Based on Experience and Culture Words: 2056
• Knowledge Management in Business Words: 548

Imagination Is More Important than Knowledge: Essay Example

Imagination is more important than knowledge: essay introduction, imagination is better than knowledge: essay body, imagination is more important than knowledge: conclusion.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge,” is a famous quote of Albert Einstein. There are only a couple of words in this line, but if we think logically, it encloses the whole world. Imagination is a bequest of life and is indeed far more significant than knowledge. If we have the capability of imagining things, we can craft our world.

Imagination is not significant just for us as individuals but also for the community in general. It can also be interpreted as the fundamental element of theology and can be better articulated through contemplation. There have been great philosophers in the past who imagined the unattainable, and today our societies have certain values that are very relevant.

Simultaneously to be very dominant, imagination is also very risky. It all depends on the direction towards which we orient our imagination. Just like in the case of fire, if it becomes uncontrollable, it spells havocs, but if it is harnessed properly, it contributes to the development and wellbeing of the people. So our imagination should be oriented towards the positive or constructive direction rather than the negative or destructive one.

On the one hand, where positive approach in imagination improves life values, standards and progress, the negative approach is bound to lead the individuals towards fake things and feelings such as panic, intolerance, nervousness, etc. In the negative imagination, people lose their interface with the truth.

All the inventions and developments that have today become inseparable parts of our lives are results of positive imagination only. Some people imagined these things and converted them into reality. Human beings owe the transformation from Stone Age to being civilized to positive imagination. This is what positive imagination can do.

Knowledge is also important because simply by imagining things, one cannot convert them into reality. An intellectual mind is required for such tasks. But without imagination, knowledge would be of no use. We would be stagnant as far as development is concerned.

Like for instance, if Thomas Alva Edison were aware of the light (current) generating system but didn’t have the foresight to make useful things, then today we would not have the so important thing called bulb. Imagination is the foundation of contentment and pleasure in our lives. It provides us with lots of amusement, leisure and above all makes us more lively and humane.

Knowledge can be gained from various textbooks and lectures, but what about innovation? Unless we combine innovation and knowledge, there is no point in studying. Innovation comes from imagination, and imagination cannot be learned at schools or colleges. To put it more strongly, imagination is a revolution – in a good sense – and dominant, whereas knowledge is merely an attained instrument.

It is always good to acquire knowledge, but having the ability to imagine is far more important and inevitable. By acquiring knowledge, we learn things, but my imagination, we learn how to comprehend the things that we have learned. This comprehension further increases our knowledge.

Above all, the knowledge that we acquire is again a result of imagination. We don’t get knowledge out of knowledge but out of imagination that guides us to knowledge. So imagination is a sort of concierge to knowledge. We cannot gain knowledge unless we have imagination. So imagination is more important than knowledge.

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Why Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge

Table of contents, imagination as the source of innovation, imagination as a bridge to understanding, imagination's role in shaping the future, imagination as a catalyst for exploration, references:.

• Einstein, A. (2011). The Ultimate Quotable Einstein. Princeton University Press.
• Lehrer, J. (2012). Imagine: How Creativity Works. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Levine, J. M. (2019). Imagining the Impossible: Magical, Scientific, and Religious Thinking in Children. Oxford University Press.
• Martindale, C., & Hines, D. (2001). Creativity and Knowledge: A Challenge to Theories. Psychological Science, 12(1), 68-73.
• Sawyer, R. K. (2012). Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation. Oxford University Press.

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March 20, 2010

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Albert Einstein: “Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge”

Albert Einstein wants you to know that everything is NOT relative, America is a great country, and he might have been a happy, mediocre fiddler if he hadn't become a genius in physics.

Jeff Nilsson

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In this 1929 interview with a Post reporter, Albert Einstein discussed the role of relativity, why he thought nationalism was the “measles of mankind,” and how he might have become a happy, mediocre fiddler if he hadn’t become a genius in physics.

When a Post correspondent interviewed Albert Einstein about his thought process in 1929, Einstein did not speak of careful reasoning and calculations. Instead —

“I believe in intuitions and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am… [but] I would have been surprised if I had been wrong “I am enough of the artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Something else that was circling the globe in that year was Einstein’s reputation. At the time of this interview, his fame had spread across Europe and America. Everywhere he was acclaimed a genius for defining the principles of relativity, though very few people understood what they meant.

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Imagination may have been essential to his breakthrough thinking, but Einstein’s discovery also rested on his vast knowledge of physical science. Knowledge and imagination let him see the relationship between space, time, and energy. Using mathematics, he developed a model for understanding how objects and light behave in extreme conditions — as in the subatomic world, where the old Newtonian principles didn’t appear to work.

Whenever Einstein explained his work to the popular press, though, reporters got lost in his talk of space-time continuum, absolute speed of light, and E=Δmc 2 . So they used their own imaginations to define relativity. One of their misinterpretations was the idea that relativity meant everything is relative. The old absolutes were gone. Nothing was certain anymore.

It was a ridiculous interpretation that could only have made sense if newspaper readers were no bigger than a proton, or could travel near the speed of light.

This misperception was so common that the Post writer used it to start his interview.

“Relativity! What word is more symbolic of the age? We have ceased to be positive of anything. We look upon all things in the light of relativity. Relativity has become the plaything of the parlor philosopher.”

Einstein, as always, patiently clarified his concept.

“‘The meaning of relativity has been widely misunderstood, Philosophers play with the word, like a child with a doll. Relativity, as I see it, merely denotes that certain physical and mechanical facts, which have been regarded as positive and permanent, are relative with regard to certain other facts in the sphere of physics and mechanics. It does not mean that everything in life is relative and that we have the right to turn the whole world mischievously topsy-turvy.'”

The world of the early 20th Century certainly felt like it was being inverted — with or without relativity.  Even as Einstein was developing his theory about the space-time continuum and the nature of light, old Europe was dying in record numbers. Just a few weeks before Einstein released his general theory of relativity in 1916, the German Imperial Army began its assault at Verdun. In the ensuing, ten-month battle, France and Germany suffered 800,000 casualties. Four months later, the British launched their catastrophic attack at the Somme and suffered 58,000 casualties in a single day.

The survivors of these debacles were disillusioned by the waste of this war, and the peace that followed. The youth of Europe and America were looking for new truths. The old ones seemed empty and especially lethal to young men. They saw how noble sacrifice could be used for political ends. And they had seen how virtue and faith fared against massed machine guns.

This “Relativity” they read about seemed promising, if it meant that thousands wouldn’t have to die needlessly, of that could live beyond the limiting moral codes of their parents.

Einstein, himself, didn’t indulge in any of this relativism.  He was a man of strong beliefs, not equivocations. For instance, his love of music was absolute.

“‘If… I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. I cannot tell if I would have done any creative work of importance in music, but I do know that I get most joy in life out of my violin.'” “Einstein’s taste in music is severely classical. Even Wagner is to him no unalloyed feast of the ears. He adores Mozart and Bach. He even prefers their work to the architectural music of Beethoven.”

He disagreed with the traditional Jewish concept of free will.

“I am a determinist. As such, I do not believe in free will. The Jews believe in free will. They believe that man shapes his own life. I reject that doctrine philosophically. In that respect I am not a Jew… Practically, I am nevertheless, compelled to act as if freedom of the will existed. If I wish to live in a civilized community, I must act as if man is a responsible being.”

He never expressed any belief in a personal God, but he believed in the historical Jesus — not the popularized prophet such as appeared in a best-selling biography by Emil Ludwig.

“Ludwig’s Jesus,” Einstein replied, “is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot .” “You accept the historical existence of Jesus?” “Unquestionably. No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life. How different, for instance, is the impression which we receive from an account of legendary heroes of antiquity like Theseus. Theseus and other heroes of his type lack the authentic vitality of Jesus.”

Einstein was no relativist on the subject of nationalism, which he saw grow violent and intolerant from his Berlin home.

“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.”

It was different in the United States, he believed.

“Nationalism in the United States does not assume such disagreeable forms as in Europe. This may be due partly to the fact that your country is so immense, that you do not think in terms of narrow borders. It may be due to the fact that you do not suffer from the heritage of hatred or fear which poisons the relations of the nations of Europe.”

Three years later, Einstein fled Germany to seek asylum in the United States, where he became a citizen in 1940. (Not for the last time, America was enriched by the intolerance of other countries.)

It is interesting to see how Einstein viewed America three years before he made it his new home.

“In America, more than anywhere else, the individual is lost in the achievements of the many. America is beginning to be the world leader in scientific investigation. American scholarship is both patient and inspiring. The Americans show an unselfish devotion to science, which is the very opposite of the conventional European view of your countrymen.

“Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves. It is not true that the dollar is an American fetish. The American student is not interested in dollars, not even in success as such, but in his task, the object of the search. It is his painstaking application to the study of the infinitely little and infinitely large.”

The only criticism Einstein could find for America was its emphasis on homogenizing its citizens into a single type.

“Standardization robs life of its spice. To deprive every ethnic group of its special traditions is to convert the world into a huge Ford plant. I believe in standardizing automobiles. I do not believe in standardizing human beings. Standardization is a great peril which threatens American culture.”

Read “What Life Means to Einstein,” by George Sylvester Viereck. Published October 26, 1929 [PDF].

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Albert Einstein= AE Elon Musk= EM E=Δmc2 Thus: AE=EM

I can be updated with any new informations regarding Albert Einstein discovery about Physics

Without imagination, there would be no knowledge. If imagination didn’t exist, the computar wouldn’t exist. None of Alberts’ creations would exist. The lightbuld wouldn’t exist, NOTHING would exist. If there was no imagination, everybody would the same, there would be no such thing an opinion. Life would be boring. That’s just the final truth. Goodbye.

Is imagination no longer relative to science?

Just check out the major U.S. search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask) for the search term: A concept of space and time You will find the same imagination-based essay at the TOP of each list of many millions of web sites.

Strangely, reference to this same concept has yet been hard to find in any scientific journal. What happened to imagination?

Albert Einstein did theorize Relativity as a fact. And it should come as no surprise That humans seek by thought and act To make the concept fit the way That each one imagines as true. And so the term gets lots of play As all the many think and do, And play with truth as though a toy. In time and space he occupied, What in his life was greatest joy? To which Dr. Einstein replied,

“My sweetest relativity -” “Making music with Mrs. E.”

Not sure what the inclusion of “d” represents regarding Einstein’s mathematical expression of energy’s relationship to matter. The revised formula sounds a lot like a new rap group. Acceptance of the reality of Relativity does not foster moral ambiguity–unless, of course, you believe a hammer is the same thing as a guiding principle. This is one of Nilsson’s better articles–though I’ve always liked all things Einstein. Had a grandfather who resembled the humble genius quite closely.

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Essay on Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge

Students are often asked to write an essay on Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge

Understanding imagination and knowledge.

Imagination and knowledge are both important. Knowledge is the collection of facts and information, while imagination helps us create new ideas.

Imagination’s Role

Knowledge’s limitations.

Knowledge has limits. It’s confined to what we’ve learned and experienced. It doesn’t allow for new possibilities like imagination does.

While knowledge is important, imagination is more so. It leads us to new discoveries, innovations, and a better future.

250 Words Essay on Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge

The supremacy of imagination, limitations of knowledge.

Knowledge, though vital, is inherently restrictive. It is confined to what is already known, discovered, or understood. Our knowledge is based on past experiences and learned information, which, although crucial, can limit our perspective to the existing reality.

Unleashing Potential with Imagination

Contrarily, imagination is boundless. It enables us to envision scenarios beyond the constraints of reality, paving the way for groundbreaking ideas and extraordinary innovations. Imagination fuels creativity, leading to advancements in diverse fields like technology, arts, and science.

The Interplay of Imagination and Knowledge

Despite their disparities, imagination and knowledge are not mutually exclusive. Knowledge serves as a foundation upon which imagination can build. It provides the raw materials that imagination can transform into novel concepts.

In conclusion, while knowledge equips us with the tools to understand and navigate the world, it is imagination that empowers us to reshape it. Emphasizing the importance of imagination doesn’t undermine the value of knowledge; instead, it encourages us to transcend the known and explore the realm of possibilities. Hence, imagination, with its ability to envision, innovate, and inspire, holds a higher pedestal than knowledge.

500 Words Essay on Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge

The power of imagination.

Imagination is an integral part of human cognition, serving as a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. It is the mental faculty that allows us to transcend the confines of our immediate reality, enabling us to explore limitless possibilities. Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”

Imagination Versus Knowledge

On the other hand, imagination is boundless. It is not confined to the realm of the known but ventures into the unknown, the unexplored, and the yet-to-be-invented. Imagination fuels innovation, pushing us to challenge the status quo and create something new. It is the driving force behind scientific discoveries, technological advancements, and artistic creations.

The Role of Imagination in Progress

Imagination plays a pivotal role in societal and technological progress. The greatest inventors, scientists, and artists were not just knowledgeable; they were imaginative. They dared to envision a different world and then used their knowledge to make it a reality.

Imagination in Education

While knowledge provides the foundation, imagination allows students to go beyond rote learning and engage in experiential and creative learning. It promotes a deeper understanding of concepts, facilitating the application of knowledge in real-world scenarios.

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How We Can Bring Creativity and Imagination Back to the Classroom

Why is learning with imagination just as important as having knowledge? Why must both teachers and learners use imagination in learning? Let’s examine how imagination and knowledge support each other in the quest for authentic learning.

Imagination is defined as “the faculty or action of forming new ideas or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.” On the other hand, knowledge is about facts and information. It encompasses the skills we acquire through experience or education -- the  theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. How do these two divergent ideas compliment each other in learning?

Our Imagination Changes

Imagine is organic; it grows  as our knowledge grows. Knowledge feeds the imagination which spurs us on to seek new knowledge. Ultimately, this is the cycle of discovery and learning that we strive for in education. An imaginative student, for example, would be free to take risks and be a leader, and to state opinions rather than just correct answers. In the same way, an imaginative teacher can also take risks, be a leader, and be adaptable to the changing needs of their students.

What happens to our imagination when we get older? It seems that for most of us our imagination slips from what it used to be when we were children.The grand explanations for a question as simple as, “What do you see outside?” can be full of detail. You can see the creativity and glow on their face.That’s the kind of imagination I wish I still had. Listening to my students go all out with their imagination is overwhelming. And don’t get me wrong here. I don’t mean “overwhelming” as in I can’t take the storytelling, I mean that it’s amazing how they think and where they allow their brains to go. It’s like watching your own kid experience something for the first time. The way their eyes open wide  with interest and excitement. It’s what we used to have before the real world and life or “adulting” took over. When we were kids we didn’t have the worries of bills, our job, expenses, and drama. We were free to imagine what we wanted without having to weigh the pros and cons. 

How Do We Get Our Imagination Back?  

Imagination is not dead. Imagination could sometimes be confused with creativity, but they are different. Imagination allows us to think of things that aren’t real or around us at any given time while  creativity allows us to do something meaningful with our imaginations. One can argue that we are moving from the information age into the imagination age. Imagination is not dead; it is being re-created into something just as mystical or as creative as having superpowers.

The imagination age is driven by technological trends like virtual reality and the rise of digital platforms like YouTube, all of which increase demand for user-generated content and creativity. It is also driven by automation, which is taking away a lot of monotonous and routine jobs, leaving more high-ordered and creative jobs. Thus, imagination begins to be repurposed and rethought, especially in the classroom.

In the imagination age, we can collectively imagine and create the future we want to inhabit before we lose that chance. This isn’t just about generating utopian visions to make ourselves feel better about the challenges we face. We have the unique opportunity to prototype and test ideas that can alter our lives. 

Automation has a role to play in the outsourcing process. A recent study found that jobs involving data collection, data processing, and predictable physical work are most likely to be automated and outsourced to technology. In contrast, the hardest activities to automate are those involving complex expertise in decision making, planning, human interaction, imagination, or creative work. Unsurprisingly, humans continue to outdo machines when it comes to innovating and pushing intellectual, imaginative, and creative boundaries.

Recognizing the Economic Value of Imagination

One of the tragedies of traditional education is that it was designed for the industrial age. But now, we’re not only living in the information age, we’re already moving on to the imagination age. Most traditional schools have failed to keep up with the effects of exponential growth in  our world. Instead of putting an emphasis on grades or content knowledge, we need to start putting an emphasis on 21st century survival skills. This includes keeping up with the increasing economic value of imagination and creativity.

Contrary to popular belief, imagination and creativity are not completely intuitive/innate and not just critical for those officially in creative jobs. Like any other skill, these abilities can be cultivated and are critical for success for individuals regardless of professional backgrounds. Entrepreneurs, scientists, writers, corporate leaders, and innovators can all gain from enhanced creativity and imagination.

Ways to Improve these Creative Abilities in Young Minds

• Place an increased focus on multi-disciplinary thinking, where students are taught to make cross-curricular links and see problems from different angles and contexts.
• Encourage students to not be passive consumers of information but to be involved in creative processes as active doers, using the knowledge they gain to actively solve problems. 
• Provide forums for other imagination-enabling activities. These can include self-reflection, creative writing, listening to inspiring non-lyrical music, immersing oneself in creative films or books, and so on.

Imagination is More Important Than Knowledge

By getting ahead in the imagination age, our students can shape the future. There is more than just economic value to be gained from the emergence of the imagination age. Before we go about shaping the future, we first need to decide what kind of future we want to live in. This is where imagination is a powerful force. In the words of the prime minister of Dubai, his highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, “The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it. It’s not something you await but rather create.” The ability to envision radical and exciting futures, for ourselves as individuals and collectively as a species, is a fuel for human progress. After all, it is the reason Albert Einstein famously said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

In many ways, we are already living in our imaginations. Consider this: every invention or human construct—whether it be the spaceship, an architectural wonder, or a device like an iPhone—once existed as a mere idea, imagined in someone’s mind. The world we have designed and built around us is an extension of our imaginations. The actual jobs that will be available are ones that you do need a different kind of education for -- and that's what we need to pay attention to. Educators will have to step out of what is comfortable to them and embrace the idea that the world is changing.

Encourage Asking, Exploring and Doing

Stifling creativity leads to problems in the classroom. Bored students stop learning: they act out, drift off, or shut down. But “getting up and doing” creates positive change. Within teach for the test, learning by memorization, and standardized curriculum, we have lost imagination and creativity. Students have learned to follow by rote and perform rather than ask and explore. Getting creative does not have to cost money. Creativity is not going to take away from what we are paid to do. In the end, it will pay off, with happier students who are actually learning in a healthy environment.

Aubrey Jones Special Education Teacher https://justmeghansthought.blogspot.com/ Twitter: @spedteacheriam

I am a special education teacher. I don't believe in labels or excuses but empowerment, growth and opportunity for each and every student. Each story is a chance to learn and can contain a meaningful lesson if we just take the time to listen.

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Why Creativity is More Important than Knowledge

And should be nurtured..

Joshua Reingold

Age of Awareness

When students go through school, the focus of the curriculum is usually on teaching as much information as humanly possible. When retained, this could be called “Knowledge” and, if one pays attention, they might graduate high school or college somewhat knowledgeable.

However, little effort is put into developing a student’s creativity or out-of-the-box thinking. I say this because most of the problems one solves are fairly specific to one particular subject and usually aren’t anything to be concerned about in the real world (at least as a problem that exists in itself). This is, in my opinion, a mistake as creativity is a great way for students to develop a way of scientific thinking and empirical reasoning.

I shall give a brief comparison before getting into specific examples. One can imagine a student in high school who is given two different problems

• For the first, they must find the area under the curve of a certain function
• For the second, they must find the best angle to hit the cue ball in a game of pool after being given a difficult arrangement.

The former problem will require more math but might appear abstract and not relevant whereas the latter involves less math but is something that…

Written by Joshua Reingold

I am a Computer Science graduate with decent knowledge in different STEM fields and some non STEM fields. I also have some knowledge in Martial Arts.

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Why science needs imagination and beauty

How do the best scientists solve life’s greatest mysteries? A Nobel Prize winner takes you inside his mind and explains why the key is imaginative play.

Albert Einstein famously said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” They’re both important, says physicist and Nobel Prize recipient Frank Wilczek , but knowledge without imagination is barren. Take his subject of theoretical physics. As Wilczek says a lot of what you do is to try to understand Mother Nature’s mind and her sense of beauty to see how the laws of physics could be more beautiful.

Not many people truly appreciate what happened in physics in the last part of the 20th Century. We understood at a level whose profundity would be difficult to exaggerate what matter is. We really have the equations for the different fundamental building blocks of matter – the different particles have mathematical characterisations that are precise and elegant. They have no secrets, in principle we have the equations.

The bad news, however, is we are not so good at solving them. There are still gaps in fundamental understanding, we have very good equations or practical purposes, but they are kind of lop-sided; they are beautiful but not quite as beautiful as they should be given they are close to God’s last word in some sense. We’re trying to think of better ways to solve the equations, which takes a lot of imagination because they describe an unfamiliar world – it’s a very small world and things behave differently in it. The only way to get experience is to play around with the equations and imagine how they might behave in different circumstances, it’s more like imaginative play than anything else.

The laws we have discovered, especially in the quantum world are so strange you have to play with them in your mind. Usually what you envision is wrong, but its mind expanding and every once in a while you see something that may be right. Sometimes it even is right.

The questions we are now able to ask are so compelling, so extraordinary. What is most of the Universe made of? Are the laws of physics ultimately unified? What was the Big Bang like? You just say them and they have such grandeur. The more you learn about the equations, the more you learn about physics, the more you learn how beautiful it is. That’s the real value, it’s an ornament to the human mind.

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Creativity Is Having a Moment: Here Is How We Can Protect It (And Each Other)

By Bill Connolly

Bill Connolly

In Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, “ creativity ” sits at the very top, within self-actualization. The concept represents human beings’ desire to be the best versions of ourselves. Throughout history, the creative class has helped both reflect on and drive society forward. This is particularly true during times of chaos.  

Still, creative work can be messy, and as leaders in creative industries and beyond have fallen more in love with analytics and disciplines with more predictable outcomes, the pursuit of artistic expression has been de-emphasized worldwide.  

But today, creativity is experiencing a renaissance. 

Creativity is inherently human. 

A pandemic and new creative technology. Do these conditions sound familiar? History tends to repeat itself.  

Defining the modern Renaissance. 

Today, we are experiencing transformational shifts in how we work and live. Like the Renaissance, people are questioning their relationship with traditional perspectives, including how work serves their lives and where they plan to do it.  

New technology is also upending our society and bringing creativity back to the forefront. Social media, now a mature technology, has given rise to the “creator economy,” drawing out latent creative habits in people across all kinds of industries. 

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With these revolutions in the creative process, creativity is now the subject of conversations around the world. So, how can we protect this important time, and each other? Here are three steps we can take to ensure this “moment” becomes a true paradigm shift.

1. Take action to protect human creativity. 

At the center of the consternation surrounding AI is the fear that creative jobs and tasks will be replaced with machine workers. This was in focus during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in Hollywood last year. Tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT will only become better at producing creative output like videos, photography, novellas, essay, and screenplays.  

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With increased access to tools, more people can share more ideas in more places. Yet, when everyone can be an influencer , the line blurs between expression and expertise. The best creators know the rules before they break them.  

In a modern Renaissance, we must expand access not just to tools but to education and expertise, from design principles to how to effectively use creative assets like typography. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from leading higher-education institutions can give learners access to expertise from experts on graphic design, creative thinking for the sciences, and more. Creative platforms like Canva and Adobe Creative Suite offer their own education resources as well. 

The modern Renaissance will be measured not by how much content is created, but by how many people can participate in the movement. The creator economy provides us the opportunity to disrupt disparities, but only if we are intentional about helping everyone learn and grow through their creative journey. 

3. Place community at the center.

Throughout history, pockets of prolific creativity have emanated from special communities of like-minded creators. From the Belle Époque in 19th century Paris, to the counterculture and music in Laurel Canyon, on and on. People are motivated by the places they inhabit and by what their peers are creating.  

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Every community is inspired by different ideals, and with identity and technology meshing like never before, people cannot be put into singular boxes. Today’s creators will weave in and out of various communities, both taking from and adding to each stop along the way. The results will be new formats, new platforms, and new ideas, spun up based on the needs of these groups and their individual members.  

People are born creative. Today’s fast-paced, technology-fueled environment is pointing us back to a way of thinking that is innately human. The way that we collectively respond to this paradigm shift will determine if we realize the full benefits of the opportunity. 

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Quote Investigator®

Tracing Quotations

Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge

Albert Einstein? Apocryphal?

Dear Quote Investigator: Many websites credit Albert Einstein with this statement:

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

I am skeptical. Are these the words of Einstein?

Quote Investigator: This remark apparently was made by Einstein during an interview that was published in “The Saturday Evening Post” in 1929. Here is an excerpt showing the context of his comment. The first paragraph below records Einstein’s words; the next sentence is the interviewer speaking; the final paragraph is Einstein speaking again. Boldface has been added to the following passage and some excerpts further below: [1] 1929 October 26, The Saturday Evening Post, What Life Means to Einstein: An Interview by George Sylvester Viereck, Start Page 17, Quote Page 117, Column 1, Saturday Evening Post Society, … Continue reading

“I believe in intuitions and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am. When two expeditions of scientists, financed by the Royal Academy, went forth to test my theory of relativity, I was convinced that their conclusions would tally with my hypothesis. I was not surprised when the eclipse of May 29, 1919, confirmed my intuitions. I would have been surprised if I had been wrong.” “Then you trust more to your imagination than to your knowledge?” “I am enough of the artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

In 1931 the book “Cosmic Religion and Other Opinions and Aphorisms” by Albert Einstein was published. This volume contained the same saying, but the surrounding text was phrased somewhat differently: [2] 2009, “Einstein on Cosmic Religion and Other Opinions and Aphorisms” by Albert Einstein, Quote Page 97, Dover Publication, Mineola, New York. (This Dover edition is an unabridged … Continue reading

At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason. When the eclipse of 1919 confirmed my intuition, I was not in the least surprised. In fact, I would have been astonished had it turned out otherwise. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. It is, strictly speaking, a real factor in scientific research.

The New York Times reviewed “Cosmic Religion” in March 1931 and the statement about imagination was memorable enough that it was reprinted in the review: [3] 1931 March 8, New York Times, Opinions and Aphorisms of Albert Einstein, Quote Page 66, (Book review of “Cosmic Religion: With Other Opinions and Aphorisms” by Albert Einstein), New York. … Continue reading

He frankly admits that he believes “in intuition and inspiration,” and adds: “At times I feel certain I am right without knowing the reason,” and he declares that “imagination is more important than knowledge.”

In conclusion, evidence indicates that the quotation is accurate, and it appeared in an interview of Albert Einstein conducted by George Sylvester Viereck in 1929.

Creativity is Based on Knowledge

Author biography.

@TeacherToolkit

Can creativity be cultivated in our current school system?

I’ve been watching more and more TED talks lately, and what I hope to do is share one or two of them each month on my blog. This time, I’m sharing “Why real creativity is based on knowledge” by Tim Leunig  from  TEDxWhitehall .

Educationalist and historian Tim Leunig takes on Sir Ken Robinson, with a witty and erudite riposte to the famous claim that schools are killing creativity . He argues that world-changing ideas, from the Industrial Revolution to the present, are based on knowledge. This in turn is enabled by literacy, a skill passed on by parents and teachers all over the world.

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There is much to agree with Leunig here. I for one believe creativity is built upon a strict discipline of knowledge and skills, but I think the key point has been missed in Leunig’s reference to Sir Ken Robinson.

The first issue is how do we define  creativity. The second, how does a national curriculum promote ‘ real creativity’  if some schools can deviate away from certain subjects as an academy or free school, yet be measured by another narrow range of subjects?

Real creativity does require knowledge. I am pleased to hear Leunig promote this. The issue I understand from Robinson’s talk, is that our schools are becoming examination factories and forms of creativity are being stifled. Whether creativity in Robinson’s view is gathering knowledge to pass tests or to be taught in a particular style, I have no idea.

The creative process is much more fluid and intertwined than just a linear process. However, with any subject discipline, a knowledge-base is required. As teachers, we cannot assume that there is no structure or form to being ‘creative’, and that creativity depends on talent and inspiration alone. It doesn’t. ( Creative Teaching and Applied Imagination .)

Freedom or Discipline?

In Professor Richard Kimbell and Professor Kay Stables’ book,  Researching Design Learning , which covers two decades on Research and Development, a linear process of designing and making is offered. “… the teacher has to reconcile two conflicting demands: giving the maximum freedom to the pupils to develop their own ideas and to pursue any approach which seems to them to offer a reasonable outcome.

[Creativity] seldom proceeds by way of a series of clearly recognisable stages to a neat solution. There is always the possibility of refinement, of coming at a solution by a better route, or revising the original intention in favour of a simpler or more effective technique …”

Of course, knowledge is required, but how can creativity be encouraged in our schools that are likened to examination factories? Teachers will often cite that they are teaching to the test rather than teaching for the love of their subject.

In a Singapore study by Tan Oon Seng (2000), Seng makes reference to the  Problem-based Creativity Learning (PBCL) programme and the emphasis on cognitive and meta-cognitive learning as the “content” and discusses the psychological development of creativity.

Seng concludes that problem-based creativity “can develop students to be flexible and creative thinkers.” On the one hand, it points to the modifiability of students’ abilities in these areas; but on the other, it points to a possible intervention to bring about this development!

Therefore, creativity has its foundations built upon a knowledge base, but with anything delivered in the classroom, it requires the skills of a good teacher to ensure outcomes are met.

Nevertheless, I have some further questions to raise about ‘real creativity’.

• Could we assume, that to be creative requires knowledge via cognitive and meta-cognitive learning?
•  If knowledge is required to be creative in a subject, how do we determine what that is for our students?
• Can problem-based creativity be taught in all subjects?
• With reduced entries in examinations in the Arts subjects , how does this support Leunig’s or Robinson’s views?
• There are fewer language teachers entering the profession . How will the EBacc 90% measure influence GCSE options ?
• Do we really want our students shoehorned into a particular group of subjects in order to meet government aspirations?
• Do we still believe Arts or Science is more important than the other?
• Do we still believe knowledge is more important than skills?
• Can students be creative in the current national curriculum and test culture?
• and what is creativity anyway?

Surely, we want all of our students to be creative; to use prior knowledge and skills to be able to solve problems. Isn’t that what real creativity is, regardless of what subject is being taught?

References:

• Education England: http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/hmi-curricmatters/cdt.html
• Seng: Problem-based Creativity Learning (PBCL) programme: Problem-based Creativity Learning (PBCL) programme
• Researching Design Learning: Stables, Kimbell. This book attempts to answer: How does the active, concrete learning tradition enable cognitive and emotional growth? What influences bear upon the process; the teacher, the environment, the task, the learners themselves?

Post-publication:

Tim Leunig kindly got in touch and has answered my questions in this post:

• Overwhelmingly so.
•   The question is who is “we”. I argue that “we” should be in three parts – society as a whole (which means, de facto, the government), the school (at school and teacher level) and the pupil themselves. I think it would legitimate for government to decide (for example) that all children should study history from age M to age N, and that the curriculum should include particular items. I would be less happy with a government textbook, although these are common in many countries.
• I can’t think of any for which this would not be true, although I would be interested in responses from teachers.
• I don’t accept that there are reduced entries. Remember, the size of the cohort has been falling in recent times, so it doesn’t make sense to use the absolute numbers as a judge of the popularity of these subjects. There is a quality kite-marked “national statistic” covering the proportion of children taking at least one arts subject. ( https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/559919/SFR48_2016.pdf  table 8, page 15). The series starts in 2010, and the number has varied between 45% and 50%. There is no trend, either up or down. Arts subjects include Applied Art and Design, Art and Design, Drama, Media/Film/TV, Music, Dance and Performing Arts. The figures include GCSEs, level 1/2 certificates, and AS levels.
• More children will take EBacc subjects, and we are working very hard to recruit more language teachers.
• The question is, to what extent do we want shoehorning? I think that everyone thinks that everyone should do English and maths, for example. (Maybe Ken Robinson doesn’t, but if he doesn’t, he is in a small minority). Most countries have a stronger national curriculum than we do, and we know that some subjects are more useful in terms of (say) getting into university than others. I think that it is legitimate for policymakers to worry that bright kids from poorer backgrounds are less likely to do traditional subjects, and therefore less likely to get into the sorts of universities that are more likely to lead to well-paid jobs. Becky Allen at FFT writes well on this.
• I don’t – although there are times when one is more useful than the other. If I am at a concert, I want musicians, if I am in hospital, I want a doctor. Society is clearly better for having both, and in any case, there are very few people who are dramatically better at one than the other. Few people get A*s in one group and Es in the other.
• I see these are complementary, although I struggle to understand the difference sometimes. Is reading knowledge or a skill, for example? I think that this debate is best put to one side.
• I see creative work every time I visit schools, so yes. But I think that is for others to tell those of us in government!
• I have had my say on that one, in my TedX video, and will be interested in what others say.
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4 thoughts on “ Creativity is Based on Knowledge ”

Tim Leunig celebrates knowledge and literacy and creativity and yet, seemingly without embarrassment, admits that he is incapable of comprehending a YouTube video demonstrating how he can change the oil on his car. He has someone else do it for him, and I don’t hear him celebrating that person. What does that say about his idea of “knowledge”? I suppose learning how to change the oil in one’s car is not a valued knowledge skill. I don’t think it would be hard to find many more examples of knowledgeable people whose knowledge is not considered of “worthy” social value, and yet, we depend on those people. Those in the service industry, the trades, computer programming… Creativity requires curiosity, and yes, knowledge. And knowledge can be added after someone imagines, “There must be another way to…” The cultivating of creativity requires space and opportunity for possibilities to emerge. Do we have the courage to cultivate creativity in our students when it means that we have to embrace uncertainty and the unknown in order to get to a new place of knowing?

You make a very valid point about the oil and the car garage. It’s definitely a valued knowledge, but yet not acknowledged.

A great article, drawing on some interesting sources. ‘What is creativity?’ is a crucial question to be asking – re-defining creativity to give it a broader meaning that encompasses creative thinking beyond the arts is crucial to helping schools shape the kind of creative thinkers that businesses and society are increasingly demanding.

The largest problem we see is that even if creativity requires knowledge, ‘teaching knowledge’ is not enough in and of itself to produce creative thinkers. Creativity doesn’t happen enough ‘incidentally’ in a school focusing on knowledge acquisition, and students don’t experience the reflexive focus necessary to improve their creative thinking skills.

This gap is the reason we’ve built a resource for teachers that helps them explicitly work on students’ creativity (along with other important skills beyond knowledge acquisition). (Link to advert removed by Admin)

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Why Knowledge Leads to Creativity

By: Author Valerie Forgeard

Posted on Published: December 8, 2021  - Last updated: June 27, 2023

Categories Creativity , Self Improvement

The power of knowledge lies in its ability to provide us with the tools to create. Knowledge empowers us by providing insight into how things work and what can be done. When we understand something, it becomes much easier for our creative juices to flow.

The Difference Between Knowledge and Creativity

We’re born with the curiosity to learn, and from what we learn we create.

You’re reading this article because you have a certain question, and after a few lines your mind will “ form an opinion ” from what you’ve read. What you read is “knowledge ” and what your mind “ creates ” is an opinion.

Creativity and knowledge are two different things.

An original idea comes from making connections . It’s about recognizing the relationships between things. We do this when we tell stories, make jokes, or make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts.

Knowledge is simply the information, facts, and skills we’ve acquired through experience or education.

New Knowledge Is Important for Creativity

Without knowledge sharing, no new ideas would emerge.

Knowledge is the basis for creative thinking skills.

Innovation occurs when certain ideas are combined and built upon applicable existing knowledge that can be translated into a tangible product or service.

A house has a foundation, walls, and a roof. The house is the product, while creativity is the process of building the foundation, walls, and roof. Existing knowledge is the foundation of creativity because it’s needed to build upon. The foundation and the walls are provided by knowledge. The roof, on the other hand, is created by creativity.

Knowledge is needed to build the house, while creativity is needed to design it.

Creativity is the process by which something new and potentially useful is created. It’s a process that can be encouraged, supported, or inhibited.

Knowledge is important for us to improve our creative potential.

You’re More Creative Than You Think

Humans are constantly learning, taking in information, and creating activities, thoughts, and actions from it. The scientific term for this is “ cognition .” The modern view is that our cognitive abilities develop with learning.

The Balance Between Knowledge and Creativity

At first glance, it seems like creativity and knowledge should go hand in hand.

To be creative, you need to have lots of ideas, and if you’ve lots of ideas, you’re most likely to have lots of knowledge.

Can knowledge get in the way of creativity?

That’s true to some extent, but you can also drown in so much knowledge that it becomes impossible to see anything creatively.

The French saying goes, “ Trop d’information tue l’information ” (too much knowledge kills knowledge).

Hundreds of years ago, this was just about knowledge management in our brains, which is relatively easy to do, but how does this fit in with today’s world where we’re bombarded with information from screens and social media?

The idea that too much knowledge management could be a bad thing seems ridiculous, but the more you think about it, the more you realize that perhaps knowledge can sometimes stifle creativity.

What if a creative genius like Albert Einstein had known everything we know today? Would he have come up with the theory of relativity?

Knowledge comes from experience, but too much experience can cause the mind to become set in its ways. When that happens, it becomes difficult to find new ways of thinking.

From experience, I’d say that: “if you try to create something with limited knowledge, your creation will probably be bad. If you focus too much on knowledge management, you leave too little room for imagination.“

Creativity Without Knowledge

In art, there’s always a question, “ Can you be creative without knowledge? “

And the answer is quite simple: NO.

Because even if you lock yourself in a room, you’re still learning something.

As long as you’re breathing, you’re acquiring knowledge. Some of us more than others. And as long as you have the knowledge, you have the power to be creative.

Necessary Knowledge for Creativity

Facts (descriptive knowledge), objects (acquaintance knowledge), and skills (procedural knowledge) are the most common types of knowledge . However, we can also talk about another type of knowledge – “ knowledge about a particular subject. ” This is the information that makes you a guru on wine, biology, or whatever else you know.

Knowledge is a basic prerequisite for creativity.

It forms the basis for an idea or is the catalyst for creativity.

Without facts, skills, and objects, there’s no knowledge .

For knowledge to lead to creativity, it must be put in the right place: first as an asset for creativity, second as a prerequisite for it, and finally, as something that supports its growth.

Five Ways to Acquire Knowledge to Be More Creative

1. be open-minded.

When you’re open-minded, you automatically gain more experience, and with experience comes knowledge. Being open-minded can alert us to some of the opportunities that are right in front of us, and it allows us to explore more ideas and possibilities that can help us grow professionally and personally.

2. Try New Things

It’s also important to try new things. If you always do the same things, your mind won’t generate new ideas or thoughts. It not only stimulates your imagination but also changes your perception and brings forth new concepts.

3. Learning About Others

It’s much more interesting to learn about the world around you than to study yourself. If you want to learn something new today, observe someone else doing an everyday activity. Learn about their situation and how they do things. This may start with extrinsic motivation but it will teach you a lot about your own abilities and may even give you new creative ideas for creative problem-solving.

4. Test Your Creative Thinking Skills

Experimenting is a way to gain more knowledge because we learn more from our own mistakes than from our successes. With each failure, you learn what not to do or what not to repeat.

Author and creative thinker Sir Ken Robinson said that

Creativity requires an atmosphere where risk-taking and experimentation are encouraged rather than stifled. SIR KEN ROBINSON

5. Read/Watch Movies

Stories are powerful. They teach us about ourselves and our world, and they provide an escape from the everyday. They can change the way we think about our own lives and give us ideas for new possibilities in our future. They can also be an incredibly powerful teaching tool, giving us the opportunity to share complex ideas with others in an easy-to-understand way.

Five Ways to Improve Your Creative Process

Creativity is the process of coming up with original ideas. It often involves thinking outside the box or divergent thinking.

Improve your creativity as you acquire knowledge.

1. Be Willing to Be Wrong

Have you ever been told that “wrong” is really a way of being right? Because to be a creative person, you must first break out of your comfort zone. Try doing things differently than you normally do, and encourage others to do the same.

2. Keep Your Mind Open to New Ideas

Don’t hesitate to ask questions and be willing to learn from others, no matter how old they’re or how much experience they’ve. Learn from failures as well as successes, as this will help you improve your imagination in the future.

3. Listen to the Ideas and Suggestions of Others With an Open Mind

Whether you agree with them or not, especially if it’s another creative person with authority over you. Even if you don’t agree, you should consider what she or he’s saying; sometimes it can spark original thoughts!

4. Take Risks

Take risks by trying a new creative way. It may not lead to the creative solution you’re looking for but it will lead you to a new path of creativity research.

5. Do Research

Fact-checking can help you avoid making major mistakes. This is especially important when you’re trying to express a new creative thought because it’s much harder to be objective about something unusual.

Knowledge vs. Intelligence

The difference between knowledge and intelligence is that knowledge can be acquired from books or through experience, while intelligence is usually a part of a creative thinker’s personality trait.

Intelligence is referred to as a person’s ability to learn and adapt, while knowledge is referred to as the gathering of facts.

Intelligence is usually considered more important than knowledge because a knowledge base is relatively easy to obtain.

However, intelligence, which enables a person to acquire new knowledge, cannot be acquired simply by reading a book or listening to someone talk about it.

The only way to acquire intelligence is through personal experience and self-reflection. Ultimately, intelligence and knowledge are both very important for fostering creativity.

Do Creative People Have a Higher Intellect?

Creative people tend to be more intelligent than average, but intelligence alone isn’t enough to produce creative work. There are also different types of intelligence (spatial, verbal, interpersonal, etc.). The type of intelligence you’ve may help you in a certain area, but it may not help you in other areas.

Telling a good joke requires a high level of verbal intelligence while writing or composing music requires a high level of musical intelligence. Someone who’s good at both can be considered highly intelligent overall.

However, if you ask someone with high verbal intelligence to design an instrument to measure gravitational energy, they’ll have great difficulty doing so.

This is because high intelligence manifests itself in one kind of creative activity and has nothing to do with the other.

The Eight Types of Intelligence

1. spatial intelligence.

People with high spatial intelligence can imagine things easily. This makes it much easier for them to design products, plan events, and work creatively. They’re able to immediately grasp creative ideas and concepts that are difficult for others to understand.

For example, they can imagine the design of a room before any furniture is in it.

2. Physical-Kinesthetic intelligence

Known as BK, is your ability to use your body and physical movements to do a task well. This includes a range of skills such as dancing, gymnastics, sports, or martial arts.

3. Musical Intelligence

Musical intelligence is the ability to perceive, create, or respond appropriately to music. People with high musical intelligence are very talented and have the potential to make a living from their ability to perceive and play music.

4. Linguistic intelligence

Everyone has high linguistic intelligence, which enables us to excel in writing, reading, and learning. The greatest writers and readers – including Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Hegel – are considered to have high linguistic intelligence.

Linguistic intelligence is the ability to produce, understand, and enjoy language (both written and spoken).

5. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

The ability to analyze problems logically, perform mathematical operations, and investigate questions scientifically.

People with this intelligence, such as Albert Einstein and Bill Gates, are adept at developing equations and proofs and solving abstract problems.

6. Interpersonal Intelligence

Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to interact effectively with other people.

Those with high interpersonal intelligence are good at assessing other people’s motivation and feelings, and dealing with them is often easy and straightforward.

7. Intrapersonal Intelligence

Intrapersonal intelligence is the ability to recognize what’s going on inside oneself and then plan, prioritize, understand, and strategize so that one acts not only as effectively as possible but also in accordance with one’s goal.

It’s the ability to understand and be aware of one’s own limitations, strengths, fears, and desires.

8. Naturalistic Intelligence

Naturalistic intelligence is most commonly used in biology but applied to the natural world.

It primarily involves understanding the structure and behavior of living things and their relationship to each other and their environment.

How to Become More Intelligent, Knowledgeable, and Creative

Everyone has their own definition of intelligence, individual creativity, and knowledge.

What one person considers intelligent, another may find quite boring.

That’s because being intelligent, creative, and knowledgeable means something different to everyone.

It takes intelligence to become more intelligent, knowledge to become more knowledgeable, and innovation to become more creative.

Improving your overall intelligence and knowledge is similar to playing sports to improve your physical fitness. Both involve constantly practicing a skill, whether it’s lifting weights or reading.

A creative mind opens up many possibilities that require critical thinking, intrinsic motivation, and creative endeavor such as problem-solving, innovation, and inventing new and better systems.

Related links:

New York Times: How to get your mind to read

Science Direct: Torrance Test

Creativity Research journal: Creative knowledge environments

Cambridge University Press: Handbook of intelligence

Stormz: Convergent Thinking and Divergent Thinking

Video of Tim Leunig: Why real creativity is based on knowledge

Imagination

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

Albert Einstein famously said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” Through imagination, people can explore ideas of things that are not physically present, ranging from the familiar (e.g., a thick slice of chocolate cake) to the never-before-experienced (e.g., an alien spacecraft appearing in the sky).

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Unlike perception, imagination is not dependent on external sensory information taken from what a person can see, hear, feel, taste, or touch in the moment. Rather, it’s generated from within and often unconsciously influenced by memories and feelings. Humans use imagination for a variety of reasons: to acquire experience and knowledge about the world, to better understand another person’s perspective, to solve problems, to create and interact with artistic works, and more. Imagination tends to go hand-in-hand with creativity and plays a pivotal role in the different stages of development.

Daydreaming (or mind-wandering ) is an information-processing state that combines knowledge and imagination, the dynamic duo . Being more imaginative allows a person to make creative connections and inferences using their past experience and knowledge base. As a result, research indicates that more robust daydreaming is associated with superior intelligence.

For the most part, having an imagination is hugely beneficial to your life, lending you greater perspective and helping you achieve lofty goals . However, imagination can be harmful in those rare instances where imagination is mistaken for perception . This can occur whenever someone struggles with mentalization or the ability to differentiate between what’s real and what’s made up in their mind. A lack of mentalization can lead a person to react to an imagined fear (e.g., that the plane they’re in is going to crash) as if it’s real, frequently leading to great stress , anxiety , fear, and trauma.

Your imagination is full of potential just waiting to be tapped. There are many ways to jumpstart your imagination . Deliberately change your self-perception through tools like positive affirmations . Put on your observation hat and use all your senses to pay attention to what’s going on around you. Try closing your eyes for a few minutes and reliving a pleasant memory . Open yourself up to possibility by asking what would happen if you said “yes” to opportunity instead of “no.” Be curious and playful. Spend some more time in nature.

Imagination can be a powerful tool in psychology. Many people deliberately use mental imagery to visualize desired outcomes (e.g., like winning a competition ), process past experiences, manage difficult emotions, or relax the mind and body (as in meditation ). There is a strong if not entirely understood connection between the mind and the body. Trained mental health professionals may employ imagination in the form of guided therapeutic imagery to help patients address a number of concerns, including grief , depression , stress and anxiety, substance use issues, relationship problems, family and parenting concerns, and PTSD .

Daydreaming is often dismissed as a useless waste of time, but dreams of glory can actually boost creativity and self-control . It occurs when the executive attention network and the default mode network collaborate together. Daydreaming allows people to shut out their external environment and clarify positive, long-term goals towards which they can then work. Visualizing their future self can motivate them to take the necessary steps to hone their skills and achieve success.

Many people suffer from crippling fear that negatively impacts their day-to-day functioning. Since the 1950s, exposure therapy has been prescribed to expose these individuals to their fears in manageable doses until they gain control over their body’s fear response. In some cases, exposure therapy is not possible (e.g., it costs too much or other practical limitations) or not desirable, and imagining exposure can actually bring about many of the same benefits as actual exposure to the threatening stimulus. In essence, a vivid imagination can help people unlearn fear .

After a traumatic experience, it’s easy to get stuck in negativity, ruminating again and again over the painful memory of what happened. Imagination can provide an escape —a way of looking beyond what is to what could be. Imagining new narratives, particularly with the help of a mental health professional, can help a person move away from distress and towards healing. Through imagination, they can recover a sense of personal agency and feel more empowered after a life crisis.  

Evidence shows that our memories are not static recordings of actual events; in fact, they’re proven to change with each retelling. This can either be adaptive, as in the case of personal trauma, or dangerous, as when dealing with law and crime . For example, eyewitness imagination can change memories —most often unconsciously—in the direction of personal beliefs, a fact that should be given more consideration in legal proceedings.

Children can benefit greatly from a vivid imagination, especially with the support of key adult figures in their lives, such as parents and teachers. Imagination plays a critical role in early development, increasing children’s cognitive, creative, and social skills. Imaginative children can explore their thoughts and feelings more deeply and learn how to solve problems creatively. They can put these lessons to good use as they build friendships and pursue personal goals.

Pretend play or make-believe consists of a few key components. One is object substitution, which can involve either pretending an object is something else (e.g., a banana becomes a telephone) or using an imaginary object. A child may also attribute pretend properties to an object (e.g., making a stuffed animal “talk”). Imaginative play can include social interactions, either with peers or adults. A child may also role-play or act as if they are someone else (like a celebrity), either with or without props. Imaginative play often involves metacommunication, such as discussing who will be playing what role and how the story will go.

There is a great need for pretend play in child development . Fantasy and make-believe can teach children crucial social skills, such as communication, empathy, perspective-taking , and problem-solving. Imaginative playing can encourage curiosity and creativity, often leading to more success in school. Parents can help encourage their child’s imagination by reading to them at bedtime and having regular discussions about topics like nature and social issues.

Many healthy children create imaginary friends that they eventually outgrow. Children that are more fantasy-prone tend to be outgoing , creative, and adept at seeing things from other people’s perspectives. Children may also express their own thoughts and feelings through an imaginary friend, giving their parents greater insight into their inner world. Imaginary friends can teach kids a great deal about the possibilities of fiction that may benefit them as adults.

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Could you have the same conversation you are having with your therapist with an imaginary friend? If so, you might be in pretend mode.

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Sticking up for yourself is no easy task. But there are concrete skills you can use to hone your assertiveness and advocate for yourself.

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Knowledge vs. Creativity

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

It is more important to learn knowledge from studying than to develop creativity.

Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

SAMPLE ESSAY

My teachers are always encouraging the students to memorize lots of different facts. However, I feel this is the wrong approach to education. Instead, it is more important to develop students’ creativity than to learn knowledge from studying.

For one thing, creative people are often more successful. It does not take intelligence to do well in life. In fact, many of the most successful people were the most creative. One example is Henry Ford. He did not invent the assembly line. Instead, he used his creativity to adapt it to make cars on it. That made his company incredibly profitable. Additionally, there are many artists and other individuals who lack “book learning.” Instead, they have huge amounts of creativity. These people range from Pablo Picasso to Steven Spielberg, but they all have two things in common: They were highly creative and highly successful.

Additionally, creative people can dramatically change the world. This is possible because they think “outside the box.” They are open to new ways of seeing the world and are willing to explore them. Bill Gates is one such example. He never graduated from college. Instead, he quit school to help form Microsoft. His creativity made Microsoft a world leader in computer technology, and now the great majority of people in the world use its software products on their computers. Steve Jobs of Apple is another success story through creativity. He too never graduated from college. Thanks to his creative mind, however, he has led Apple to success after success. Thanks to Jobs, people listen to music on their iPods and call their friends on their iPhones today. Creative people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have improved the world by introducing new ideas and products.

Therefore, developing creativity is more important than learning knowledge from studying. Creative people usually have more success and can also change the world in a positive way. I would much rather be creative than have lots of book knowledge.

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