What does it mean to be creative?

Question:
What does it mean to be creative?

   Being creative means being different, thinking differently, and trying new things. One way to avoid constricting creativity is not to conform. Conformity may be needed in some cases but not in all. For example, most people are going out buying the latest shoes. There is no need to conform. Make your shoes into a canvas and let your creative ideas flow out. Other situations in which one is creative is solving problems, critical thinking or inventing technology that hasn't been thought of yet. But if people are too afraid to be different, then creativity lacks and the world doesn't progress and prosper. Creativity comes from knowledge that has been encoded and stored then brought to the surface by your imagination. Creativity is thinking and using your skills outside the box. You acquire creativity by exploring, observing, questioning, and having an outlet so your creativity can grow.

Teaching Creativity

   Question:

         Can someone be taught to be creative or more creative if they follow guidelines such as the Eight I’s of Learning or is this really just a different way of thinking that can potentially lead to creative thoughts? 

           Creativity lies within. People are naturally imaginative, intellectual, and investigative and so on. Claxton's Eight I's of Learning does not teach people to be more creative but teaches them to look and think differently than they would. In other words, they learn to think outside the box. The teachings can potentially lead to creative thoughts but the person is not naturally going to be more creative. Just because they learned how to look at something one way, does not mean they are going to continue when it’s not required. If one isn't naturally observant they aren't going to use those skills on a regular basis but may when it might benefit them. Since creativity will be “learned”, it will be easy to forget. This guide may help but everyone is different. Creativity can be accomplished by teaching people new things and providing them with an outlet to express themselves. Creativity can't be forced.   

Art as a Closed Concept

Question:

 Can art ever be a “closed concept”?

            Art is incapable of being a closed concept because it is always changing. If we closed it, it would block new ideas and art forms from emerging. Even in the future, I don't see art being a closed concept. If it is, I can still see people pushing what would be the norms and aspects that define art. It would then be classified as rebellion, or an artist revolution. Moreover, with a closed concept of art, nothing in the art world would be new. It would be the same boring events, music, art etc. in the extreme case. Art has to remain an open concept in order for the world to benefit from creativity. Most people love art because it is open and you produce art in a way that it hasn't been thought of. Art is flexible and open to new ideas although, they may be criticized. Limiting art wouldn't make it art because art has no limits. 

Successful Art is Art

Question:

Why is only successful art considered art?

It seems as if only successful art pieces are considered art. If they aren't successful, then it isn't art. Saying, “this is art” is the equivalent of saying this is successful. That is what one means by saying “this is art”. Creating an object that is considered to be art is a compliment. Objects that are not called art are just arts and craft gone wrong. If one says it is “bad art”, then they consider the piece to be art but it’s contradicting because it can’t be considered art if only successful art pieces are art even if it is labeled as bad. If the piece is “bad art” it doesn't fulfill the requirements to be considered art, so it is not art. It can’t be in between. Only successful art is considered art to narrow down the options. Not everything can be considered art. If everything was considered art then there will be no guidelines or ways of analyzing art. Then there will be no chance of defining art and it wouldn't be as valued as it is now and people wouldn’t aim for new ways of expression if everything was considered art.