Thoughts on Creativity

Creativity By Mike Nixon

Can creativity be created?  I personally find that creativity is a fickle mistress.  When moments of creativity hit, they can be motivating and uplifting.  In the sometimes long droughts between truly inspired thought, it seems that there has never been an original idea.  But, can innovation and ingenuity bedeveloped to the point that they are “on call” when the need arises?

Merriam -Webster describes creativity as “the skill and imagination to create new things”.  Skill – I like that – a skill is something that can be learned and developed.  But the second part of this definition is more problematic.  Imagination is that spark of genius that we are born with, something innately within us that singularly defines us and brands us as unique in this world.

While this psuedo-definition of imagination may be somewhat true, on further thought, it may be incomplete at best.  I wonder that skill and imagination are not so easily divorced as would appear on the surface.  Malcomb Gladwell is one of my favourite authors.  I believe he would take a different perspective on this topic.  In his books, Blink and again, peripherally, in Outliers, Mr. Gladwell would have us look at common (and not so common) occurrences differently.  Is our intuition (Blink) and our “overnight success” (Outliers) a God-given gift or talent bestowed at birth or are they more closely related to proficiency that can be developed?  It think the latter.

Let me give an example.  My wife's birthday was approaching.  As I get older, I am no longer satisfied buying the perfunctory flowers, perfume or other worn-out cliches of a present.  I wanted something creative to show my appreciation of her value in my life.  I wanted to celebrate the time that Anne and I  fell in love (I know, sappy, but true.)  In essence, I wanted to be creative.  But, what to buy or build or do?  One night, I noticed that when she bored of my excessive automotive how-to's and Science Channel documentaries, she retreated to her laptop and a quick game of Classic Ms. Pac Man.  You see, when we were first dating, we would often spend time by frequenting that late 70's hangout – the Video Arcade.

So the seminal idea was born.  I would find a vintage Pac Man arcade game and present it to her as a present.  But – you know what? - those things are big.  Where is it going to fit into our living room without it looking out of place like a fraternity dorm room.  (I say that because I had an Asteroids Arcade in my room...)  No, that definitely wouldn't work.  Maybe the “cocktail table” version of the arcade was a better solution.  Next revelation – those things are expensive.

Maybe I can build one...  There are myriad options and examples on the internet these days.  I secured plans and spent hours looking at examples.  I finally determined that I would not have the time/space/perseverance to complete this task.  But, the idea would not go away.  The cocktail table was a vast improvement but would still be covered by a tablecloth in the corner of the living room.  This would prevent the occasional spontaneous play that I wanted to encourage.  Something different would have to be “created”.  I wanted a classic arcade play but in a fixture that was on display for the world to see (I'm dramatic that way.)  I wanted it to be art.

Now, you see, one thing that I am not is an artist.  I am an engineer through and through.  I act like an engineer.  I talk like an engineer.  And, most importantly, I think like an engineer.  When I realized it was art that was the goal, I knew I was not the right man for the job.  So I turned to a real artist, John V. Weber.  Anne has wanted one of John's pieces in our home for some time.  So I “commissioned” John to build the artwork that would hold my engineering.  You see I have a secret weapon – John is also my daughter's father-in-law.  So art with a purpose.  And this is the metaphor for which I was searching.

So the terms, art and skill are very much relative.  John's art has a skill that is unsurpassed.  Like a pianist or a singer, his art is practised each day until it is honed to a fine edge.  Similarly, my skill has a certain level of artistic quality – the layout of wire, the location of the controls and the operation of the mechanics.  All developed from the repetitive use and tutelage of engineers more practised than myself.

So, creativity has come to mean the development of ideas and practices to a level that seems natural and spontaneous.  What Mr. Gladwell would describe as conforming to the “10,000 hour rule”.  Some, it seems, get this right and call it “focus”.  Others, fail miserably with obvious me-too products incorporating little thought or effort.  I like to believe that we can all insert some creativity into our world based on our own 10,000 hours of experience.  It is with this insight and challenge that we approach the development of all of our projects at Amigo Movil.