Rediscovering Creativity

By Cristina Scolaro

Leo Burnett said that “Creativity is the art of establishing new and
meaningful relationships between previously unrelated things”. Previous to
this class, my definition of creativity was far narrower than this. I thought
creativity was mostly defined by the High C category, as defined by Robert
J. Sternberg. High C encompasses the fine arts; art, music, and
architecture. I soon realized that creativity is not just a beautiful painting or
structure. My major is Sport and Entertainment Management, so I was glad
to learn that creativity does not just mean visuals. Creativity is problem
solving, it is things you do every day, it is pushing yourself to think outside
the box, it is taking risks and being curious. By using this broader
definition, I am confident that I can take the skills I am learning in this
course into the business world.

Creating a new and meaningful relationship between two things that
were previously unrelated is what fosters the best solutions to problems.
Recently, I was tasked with creating a stable chair out of household objects.
The catch was that I could not use anything that was readily available to sit
on, no boxes, no cases of water, the chair had to be comparable size to a
regular chair, and it had to be 80 percent made of one item. I thought this
was going to be easy. I certainly thought I was creative enough to whip up a
chair in no time. Sadly, I was mistaken. This chair took me way longer to
create than I had anticipated. My biggest road block was finding enough of
the same material to make the chair 80 percent one item. Brainstorming
was getting difficult, so I consulted with friends and tried some Osborn style
brainstorming. Osborn brainstorming encourages piggybacking, it does not
criticize ideas, it has no limit on “wild” ideas, and it prefers quantity over
quality. Once I began using this method, things got easier. My first attempt
at the chair was just a hamper filled with blankets until it was strong
enough to sit on. This was too simple and did not challenge me enough. I
ended up creating two more chairs, having three prototypes in total. My
third chair was the one I ended up using for the project. Having a larger
quantity of ideas is what ultimately lead me to my final one, even though not
all the ideas were quality. By piggybacking off of my roommates’ ideas of
using cups, I was able to think of plates, which is what I made my final chair
out of. Plates was a wild idea that did not seem practical, but it was
successful. The entire chair consisted of plates, placemats, cans, and an
ironing board. These previously unrelated materials made a new
relationship by becoming a chair and ultimately solving my problem. I hope
to work in creative marketing for a professional sports franchise one day.
When I am presented with a challenge in such a job whether it be creating a
new marketing campaign or trying to come up with ways to increase our
budget, I will know not to stop at my first idea and I will take all ideas, no
matter how crazy, into consideration.

The chair assignment was the most challenging for me so far, but the
assignment that was like second nature to me was an in-class assignment
where I had 5 minutes to draw a portrait of a classmate. I absolutely love
drawing and it is something I am very familiar with. It is an example of what
my old definition of creativity was before this class. Art is my creative
outlet. I practice it often, so this task did not intimidate me. After the
portraits were done, I was told to do another drawing. This time it could be
of anything, but the catch is that I could not pick up my pen from my paper.
It had to be a continuous line drawing. Just when I thought things were
simple, I was pushed out of my comfort zone again. It was difficult for me to
not lift my pen because it was not what I am used to. I felt like I was just
scribbling. Despite how this type of drawing made me feel uneasy, it made
me realize that part of creativity and problem solving is being
uncomfortable. If I don’t get pushed out of my comfort zone and I am always
drawing or completing tasks how I always do, I will not produce unique,
innovative, and creative results. Drawing a portrait was safe for me, but
continuous line drawings and building chairs were not. If I am lucky enough
to contribute my ideas to sports franchise, I will be sure push my limits of
comfort in order to produce results that make me stand out amongst other
employees and I will do my best to remember that it is okay to be
intimidated sometimes.

Had I not chosen to take this course, I never would have been exposed
to trying these new things, forcing me to interact with the unfamiliar,
pushing me to be more creative. I would have just stopped at my first chair,
I would have lifted my pen from the paper. I wouldn’t have pushed myself
to try and think outside the box. By learning new ways to be creative and by
being taught steps I can use as guidelines in my creative process, I have
become more confident in my abilities to solve a problem that I am
presented with. I am excited to take these skills into the real world and
apply it to any job that I get. Creativity, innovation, and strategic thinking
are universally important and will benefit me in the classroom, everyday
life, and in the sports management world.