subject: Creativity - The Illusive Genius [print this page] What can be said about creativity? It is certainly the power, or ability, to make something that is new. It can also be the power, or ability, to see something that already exists in a new light, thereby remaking the thing being observed. If anything, creativity is the talent to make or create. However, these two creative concepts were not always intertwined and interchangeable.
The modern word creativity comes from the Latin word creo which means to make or create. However, in the ancient world, the arts were restricted by strict rules which bound the artist. The artist was seen as a craftsman who made things that were in homage and in imitation of things that already existed in the natural world. In this way, an artist could only "make" objects out of materials which already existed. Only the gods could literally create, in that they had the ability to make things out of nothing. The idea of creativity was thus severed, and sequestered, from the idea of making.
This trend of thought continued into the early Christian era, where it was thought that only God had the power of creativity. He created the world, and everything in it, out of nothing. Therefore, the arts practiced by man had to be considered a lesser achievement. Any other thought was not only sacrilegious, it was anathema.
With the dawning of the Renaissance, modes of thought towards the arts began to relax. The artist started to consider himself as a creative force. Art was looked at as something beyond the realm of religion. Perhaps, even better, art was looked at as a portion of the divine. The creative process began to be seen not as imitative of God, but as a gift from God. In this way, art became both more human and more exalted.
Today, it is strange to think that creativity, as it was narrowly defined, was once only a force that could be wielded by immortals. It is ironic to think that, in some sense, this is still true. Who were Bach and Mozart? Who were Rembrandt and Picasso? Who were Yeats and Shakespeare? These men were certainly human. Yet, they also possessed something, a talent, that was beyond human. This talent for creating something extraordinary out of nothing certainly has made them immortal. Perhaps, in the long run, true creativity is only achievable by the gods, or by those born with the ability to steal their fire.
