CogKnoSys

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea below, then step up to the general, across to peers or down to the specific.

Mental

Creative Expression

Creative expression is using imagination to make stories, art, music, dance or other new work that shares what a person thinks, feels or believes.

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The idea

Creative expression is the use of imagination to make something that shares what you think, feel or believe. It rests on creativity, the ability to produce new and valuable ideas or works by using imagination. Some creations cannot be touched, such as stories, songs, scientific theories and jokes. Others are physical things, such as paintings, costumes, jewelry, meals and inventions.

For many people, making art, music or dance is part of their spiritual life. Hymns, sacred dance, religious art and storytelling help people express wonder, grief, thanks and faith. In the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions, creativity has been seen as belonging to God alone, with human creativity viewed as an expression of God's work. Most ancient cultures, including those of Greece, China and India, had no idea of creativity as we know it and saw art as a form of discovery rather than a form of creation.

Creativity is also a way to solve problems. Finding a new method to reach a goal is a creative act, just like writing a poem. Psychology, business studies and cognitive science all study creativity, and so do education and the arts.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 2

How did most ancient cultures, such as those of Greece, China and India, see art?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Imagination — The ability to picture something that does not exist yet.
  • Medium — The form a work takes: words, images, sound, movement or objects.
  • Inner Experience — The feelings, beliefs and ideas the maker wants to express.
  • Skill — Abilities built through practice that let a maker shape an idea well.
  • Audience — The people who see, hear or take part in the work and respond to it.

Connection

how it relates

Under Language and Communication

Felt

  1. Emotions and Feelingsstrength 60 of 100

    Art, music and writing give people a way to express and work through their emotions.

Related

  1. Flow Statestrength 60 of 100

    Deep creative work often brings on a flow state, where a person is fully absorbed in the task.

  2. Ceremonial Ritesstrength 50 of 100

    Many ceremonies use music, dance, costume and art to mark important moments.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
The modern idea of human creativity came about during the Renaissance, shaped by humanist ideas. In 1926 Graham Wallas presented one of the first models of the creative process in his book Art of Thought.
Now
Today digital tools and the internet let people make and share music, art and stories with audiences around the world.
Next
As AI tools that generate images and text spread, people will likely keep debating what counts as human creative expression.

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea, then step up, across or down.

Creative Expression

Creative expression is using imagination to make stories, art, music, dance or other new work that shares what a person thinks, feels or believes.

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

Creative expression is the use of imagination to make something that shares what you think, feel or believe. It rests on creativity, the ability to produce new and valuable ideas or works by using imagination. Some creations cannot be touched, such as stories, songs, scientific theories and jokes. Others are physical things, such as paintings, costumes, jewelry, meals and inventions.

For many people, making art, music or dance is part of their spiritual life. Hymns, sacred dance, religious art and storytelling help people express wonder, grief, thanks and faith. In the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions, creativity has been seen as belonging to God alone, with human creativity viewed as an expression of God's work. Most ancient cultures, including those of Greece, China and India, had no idea of creativity as we know it and saw art as a form of discovery rather than a form of creation.

Creativity is also a way to solve problems. Finding a new method to reach a goal is a creative act, just like writing a poem. Psychology, business studies and cognitive science all study creativity, and so do education and the arts.

Check yourself

2 quick questions, instant feedback.