image credit: MAKOTO FUJIMURA GOLDEN SEA

What does it mean to be a creative? We often hear the phrase, 'creative type', or such and such person is a 'creative'... but what does that mean?

If creativity is a function of identity, than it can't be reduced to simply producing a particular piece or body of work. This is an essential idea to hold. Often one may think that ‘once that painting is done’ or ‘once I perform in public’ or ‘once I get paid to do that work’ then I’ll be fulfilling my creativity. But these and many other examples demonstrate an understanding of creativity only allows for the exercise of particular skills and the finished work itself. If creativity is a matter of identity, it is therefore deeper - a priori – than particular skills and finished work.