Unleash your imagination for National Creativity Day on May 30! Many things in our lives (except nature, of course) was spawned out of someone’s imagination. Artists, writers, sculptors, filmmakers, chefs, landscapers, architects, and many more — this special day was founded to honor and celebrate everyone who creates new things each day, someone just like you!
People have differing opinions about the history of creativity. Some believe it began in the prehistoric ages when early humans used leaves to cover themselves and developed tools for hunting. Others believe it originated with the Australian Aborigines. They had moved from India to Australia, inventing an incredibly creative hunting tool, the boomerang, in the process. People also tend to think creativity originated in ancient Egypt, Mexico, Asia. The pyramids, geometry, astronomy, and advancements in production and science are all examples of a creative bent.
The term ‘creativity’ itself has changed over the years, adapting to the way different cultures perceive it. The ancient Greeks preferred to avoid freedom of action in favor of following the rules when it came to creating art, a practice creative people do not prefer in today’s world. The Greeks also had no specific term corresponding to ‘creativity’, but there was one exception — the word ‘poiein’ ( which means ‘to make’) applied specifically to ‘poiesis’ (‘poetry’) and the ‘poietes’ (‘poet’ or ‘maker’). After the Greek civilization, Romans developed a new vocabulary, literature, art, and, most famously, sculptures. Medieval Christianity gave a new meaning to the term ‘creativity.’ The Latin ‘creatio’ referred to God’s act of ‘creatio ex nihilo’ (‘creation from nothing’). Later changes in this definition allowed the skill of creativity to be independent — it was no longer simply associated with art. The greatest period of creativity in history is said to be the period of the Renaissance, where everyone sought to express themselves, and creativity bloomed in every aspect of life, even in politics, economy, society, art, philosophy, science, and education.
The last decade has been full of revolution, with science taking an interest in the skill of creativity. To encourage us to nurture our creativity and thus inspire others to do the same, film producer and the president of ScreenwritingU, Hal Croasmun, together with ScreenwritingU, founded National Creativity Day.
