How would you define creativity? You might have a very particular definition, or it might just be a general idea.
Creativity is a topic that is dear to my heart.
I had the opportunity to lead a discussion in a language and cultural exchange group I'm part of in La Creuse. In this association, the native French speakers answer the questions in English, and, well, the native English speakers in the group reply in French (yes, that’s me!).
I was pretty excited to offer a question which seemed out of the norm; a question that I hoped would make the participants ponder a bit. The subjects that we had discussed before had to do with books, authors, the Pantheon, French history, gardening, etc.
What is creativity? I asked. What does creativity mean to you?
It’s funny, because for me, creativity is my life and soul. It’s in my bloodstream, and it is in everything I do.
For some of the group, the question did make them uncomfortable. I heard some groaning when I handed out the assignment.
But what wonderful responses grew out of that question, though!
The most beautiful answer, in my opinion, was the taxi driver who wrote about how he found great pleasure in driving through the French countryside, how he was connected to his car, how he found satisfaction in the act of taking people from one place to another. He described how he often transported ill people, people who needed to go to the doctor or the hospital (in the rural areas of France, the state often pays for your taxi ride to medical appointments). While driving, his conversations with the patients took their minds off their worries, and they often complimented him at the end of the ride, saying he had 'transported them away from their problems’.
The answers that came up in the group were so different than my own experiences and definition! It was a very rewarding exchange.
