What is Creativity?

I define creativity as the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. Innovation is the production or implementation of an idea. If you have ideas, but don't act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.

What is creative thinking?

Creative thinking is the process which we use when we come up with a new idea. It is the merging of ideas which have not been merged before. Brainstorming is one form of creative thinking: it works by merging someone else's ideas with your own to create a new one. You are using the ideas of others as a stimulus for your own.

creativity takes place in the mind
Actually turning the creative idea into reality is more akin to a craft. Many people use the physical nature of their work to inspire their creativity, for instance the potter who feels the clay. Creativity is often an iterative process of continual experimentation and adjustment, but ultimately real creativity takes place in the mind. There are many people who are highly skilled at their craft but have little or no inspiration; there are many highly imaginative people who can mentally create wonders but lack the skill to implement them.