What makes me creative?

If you are a regular reader of BotHack, you know I am into creativity researching - finding what are the tips and ways to improve my creativity. I believe creativity (and/or innovation) is one of the key factors to drive you to success on any front. This is something that I need to improve on as well.

Bruce DeBoer at Synthesis has written a fantastic article on creativity. It surely answered many questions on what makes one creative, and it also answered my question - am I borned with creativity or developed by education and environment - I used to think it’s former but it is definitely the latter which has more weights than former:

"… Society teaches the creativity out of our students. If X, then Y is easy to teach. If X, then Y gets results. It generates tangible and immediate ROI. Do this and get that result. Take an alternative path and risk failure or – even worse – ridicule. Research creative history and learn what got rewarded and what was ignored. Teach high craft and call it high art. Creativity is too soft and round; there is nothing to grab onto. There are often no clean results to judge. Creativity is messy but we all crave the rewards.

When do we begin to fear our own creativity? I believe it is the point at which we began to market ourselves. True creativity is deeply personal because we have to create new streams – new run-off paths in our souls. Risking creative rejection is terrifying. It’s rejection that cuts so deep it’s worse than a High School crush laughing when you finally get the nerve to ask her to the movies (I digress, forgive me). Creativity takes courage. Being vulnerable takes guts. Needed is a willingness to be rejected for what is among the most personal of expressions. The stakes are high…

Usually I won’t quote two sections but here is what I like (as a geek):

"… For those of you in need of concrete illustration, this should keep you busy:

Creativity x Craft x Emotion = Art
Creativity x Craft x Function = Innovation

[…]
However flawed you may find these equations; my point is that emotion and function are the human relational elements to art and innovation. Without emotion, art appears dry and mechanical. Without function, innovation is pure Rube Goldberg. Craft is the vehicle of creativity. Crafting the creativity allows the emotion and function to “sing” …"

I like these formulas - I am going to stick them on my door.

What makes me creative? - [Synthesis via Slacker Manager]

Die Dulci Fruere