Creativity vs Imagination
Creativity and Imagination are two terms that are often confused due to the apparent similarity in their meanings. However, there are differences between them. The term ‘creativity’ refers to ‘the power of the mind to make something appealing’. For example, when a child paints a beautiful image of a countryside, it is the child’s creativity that enables them to be original. On the other hand, the term ‘imagination’ refers to ‘something that is forcefully thought’. For example, when an individual writes science fiction, it is their imagination that allows them to go beyond the limitations of reality and create a setting that exists only in their mind. The definitions of creativity and imagination illustrate that they are not the same thing but are distinct from one another. In this article, we will explore the difference between the two while gaining an understanding of each term.
What is Creativity?
Although both belong to the faculty of the mind, creativity relates to something original. Creativity is about the possibility of something happening. It is original in character and is the power to create a piece of art or poetry. Creativity depends on two crucial factors: the grace of God and experience. People who have the grace of God may start writing poetry even at the age of 10. On the other hand, those who are not solely blessed rely on their experience and practice to create new pieces of poetry. This is the essence of creativity. Creativity is the fundamental factor in the creation of poetry and pieces of art, paving the way for originality.
For example, in newspapers, we often see job advertisements for creative writers. In such a context, a creative writer typically refers to someone who can produce something original. This allows the writer to utilize their natural talent for writing and create an original piece. Even in schools, there are competitions for creative writing, where the objective is to create something unique and new. This is the idea behind the word creativity. Creativity and Imagination are not synonymous, and in fact, they are two different words. Now let’s examine the term imagination to understand its meaning.
What is Imagination?
Imagination refers to ‘something that is forcefully thought’. It is mostly about the impossibility of something happening. Imagination is wild in character, unlike creativity, which is original in character. Imagination allows an individual to think outside of the box. Imagination is the underlying factor in writing poetry. A poet must make wild imaginations to put them into writing. It is said that imagination is the foundation of poetry. A poet must be creative to imagine. Imagination is usually based on falsehood and forceful thoughts, as in the sentence ‘she imagined as if she entered the Moon’. In this sentence, you can see that she forcefully thought about herself as entering the Moon. This highlights the difference between Creativity and Imagination.
Now let’s summarize the difference in the following manner.
Key Takeaways
- The term ‘creativity’ refers to ‘the power of the mind to make something appealing’, while the term ‘imagination’ refers to ‘something that is forcefully thought’.
- Although both belong to the faculty of the mind, creativity pertains to something original, whereas imagination pertains to something willfully thought.
- Creativity is all about possible happenings, whereas imagination is mostly about impossible happenings.
