I do believe this is a pretty decent definition for what creativity is. I’ve subscribed to this view for as long as I can remember.
My view has been properly challenged by the videos below, where Derren Brown invited 2 sets of Advertising Executives (one set in the UK and the other in the US) to come up with a name, logo and strapline for a taxidermy business.
He leaves them in a glass room, after short briefing, and before leaving places an A4 envelope on the table, asking that they don’t open it. He then places a stuffed animal on top and walks out.
The advertising execs get to work, and come up with a few ideas on large pages of newsprint.
Brown returns and asks them to present their work with some of their thinking. Once he’s looked at it all, he asks them to open the envelope that’s under the stuffed animal, and they get a first look at some of his ideas (created before they walked in)
Watch either or both of the videos below to see, incredibly, how close their ideas are to his own (different for the US and UK).
The short documentary then shows you how their trip to the office was carefully constructed to expose them to subliminal prompts during the journey that heavily influenced what they came up with.
There are a few pages on the interwebs suggesting it was all illusion, a set up and not real, however, I wasn’t swayed at all.
It’s left me with plenty of thoughts about my own creative contribution to my world, and just how much I may be influenced without knowing it. It’s very clear (once again) just how powerful my subconscious is as a part of who I am.
