Creativity and Value Creation

by Gopal Ramasammy-Cook (Career-Creative Coach, ZestWare)

I said in a previous post that my simple foundational definition of creativity is: THE POTENTIAL OR PROPENSITY FOR CREATING SOMETHING OF VALUE.

Now that last little word, VALUE, sometimes gets me into trouble. So let's take a closer look at it. Firstly, let me say up front that while I consider the pursuit of financial value a very worthwhile endeavor, this is not the only kind of value I associate with creativity and creation. A piece of art might, for example, bring greater clarity about some aspect of our world. It might ignite some philosophical insight. Or it might simply allow us to examine our own responses to that which is new, unusual, or changing. It might bring greater awareness, or greater freedom.

In my experience, it is often possible to turn such insights into material gains by applying further creative processes, but it is also important to appreciate the other kinds of value.

Ultimately, I believe that what we get and what we have depends on what we are and what we become. So for me, it is important to appreciate and create both material value and the value associated with personal growth.

"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will
be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you
really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want." MARGARET YOUNG (Singer)
.