Creativity vs Innovation

Sometimes, we use the two words interchangeably; they are very different. While creativity involves the act of creating something, innovation describes the act of changing or renewing a thing. Hence, to be creative does not mean to be innovative. A person who creates things can be innovative or not.

In simpler terms, if you can create something by taking one "thing" and renewing or changing it, then you become a creative, innovative person.

If you take a thing that has been around with no changes, so you become creative but not innovative.

Bonus points - If you create a thing that did not exist before you are an inventor or a discoverer, but since you created it you are still creative.

One can't be innovative without being creative.

Because you can't simply be innovative without creating that innovation, throwing around new ideas without implementing them also does not mean innovation.

Sources of my hallucinations:

The word "innovation" comes from the mid-15th century, derived from the Latin word "innovacion," which means "restoration" or "renewal." This term itself comes from the Late Latin "innovationem," a noun of action from the past-participle stem of "innovare," which means "to change" or "to renew." The roots of "innovare" are "in-" meaning "into" and "novus" meaning "new". So, the essence of innovation is about introducing change or creating something new. So when you innovate you still have to create.

The word "creative" originates from the Latin term "creātīvus," which is derived from "creāre," meaning "to create" or "to make." It entered the English language in the early 17th century, initially used to describe the quality of being able to create, particularly in the arts. Over time, its usage expanded to encompass the broader sense of inventiveness and originality across various fields. The concept of "creative writing" emerged in the 19th century, emphasizing the imaginative aspect of crafting literature.

The root of "create" is the Latin "creare," which means "to make, bring forth, produce, procreate, beget, cause." This is related to the Latin "crescere," meaning "to arise, be born, increase, grow," and is connected to the PIE root *ker- "to grow." The original meaning of "creare" was "to make grow," which can still be found in older texts.

The word "creative" comes from the 1670s, having the quality or function of creating, from the verb "create" plus the suffix "-ive," which indicates an adjective form. It began to be used in the context of literature and art to mean "imaginative" around 1816, particularly in the works of Wordsworth. The term "creative writing" is attested by 1848.

Interestingly, the concept of creativity has evolved. In ancient Greece, the idea of art did not include creativity as we understand it today; it was more about following rules. It wasn't until the Renaissance that individuals began to express their sense of freedom and creativity. However, the term "creativity" was first applied to poetry by the 17th-century Polish poet Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, and it took a while for the concept to be accepted as applicable to human activities beyond poetry.

I blame the resistance:

The world of arts and culture in full swing during the renounce favored creativity over innovation to describe the act of changing, renewing, introducing change, or creating something new. Even today, you would use creativity to complement a painting, but you don't use innovation. In a way, every new painting is just a creation, just another painting. Only when someone steps outside the norms of how people paint and creates a new way or renews how we think about paintings is that painting is innovative.

Key takeaways:

If I call you creative, you are not innovative because innovation trumps creativity.

Sources, Conversation with Bing, 4/17/2024

1. innovation | Etymology of innovation by etymonline.
2. Innovation - Wikipedia.
3. Etymology of Innovation - Disruptor League.
4. Where Did The Word Innovation Come From | Science-Atlas.com.
5. creative | Etymology of creative by etymonline.
6. History of the concept of creativity - Wikipedia.
7. create | Etymology of create by etymonline.
8. creativity | Etymology of creativity by etymonline.