Image Courtesy of Mavens

Imagination and creativity go hand-in-hand.  By breaking down the words creativity and imagination we can gain a great understanding of how closely connected they are.

Imagination

• image – to form a mental picture
• ate – join
• ion – action

So we can see that imagination is an action.  It’s the act of forming a mental picture and is not the ability to recall a mental picture.

Creativity

• create –  to evolve something from one’s own thoughts or imagination, such as creating a work of art or an invention.
• ity – a suffix expressing a state or condition

So creativity is the ability to express what one sees with their own thoughts or imagination.  And imagination is a skill that helps to bring things into existence.

If imagination is the skill that helps to bring the things we create into existence and creativity is the ability to express what one sees with their own thoughts or imagination then one can’t really exist without the other.

Imagination and creativity are at work when new inventions are created, when new breakthroughs in science are discovered (see science is imagination), when new clothing lines are created, when new pieces of music are created, and when new recipes are served up.

So pay attention to those images that pop into your head.  Your imagination just may be trying creatively solve a problem.

• What are they telling you?
• How can you bring that image forth from your imagination and create something that will make a difference?