Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class and Joy Malnar and Frank Vodvarka’s Sensory Design

Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class and Joy Malnar and Frank Vodvarka’s Sensory Design

Of all my positive attributes, creativity is not one of them. I think of creativity as the ability to come up with new things, using one’s imagination to create beauty, induce laughter, and/or provoke emotion. My jokes are always corny, my drawing skills are comparable to a toddler’s, and I suck at telling stories. “Creative” definitely does not describe me.

Richard Florida, in The Rise of the Creative Class, describes creativity as a separate entity from intelligence, and I totally agree. He also describes it as something acquired through experience. I have always been a nerd, but that doesn’t make me a creative genius—and my tunnel vision hasn’t helped either. Florida mocked me with these words: “Creativity is favored by an intellect that has been enriched with diverse experiences and perspectives.”

I thought that creativity was something you were born with, and that I just wasn’t present when God was giving it out. Florida describes that theory as the “romantic myth of creative genius,” and says that creativity is inherent in all people. Ordinary abilities foster creativity. I never thought of it that way.

Richard Florida also goes on to say that creativity is energy-absorbing, tiring work. To come to think of it, it can be very laborious. My husband likes to design clothing, and sometimes he stares into space for hours daydreaming. Suddenly, he’d sprint into the bedroom, grab his notebook and start drawing. He could eat up a whole pencil, eraser and all, for that one drawing. Beads of sweat would form on his brow, and the nerve in the middle of his forehead would protrude. And I’d know to keep our daughter away and leave him at peace. You see, I think my husband is creative. He’s got a great sense of humor, and he’s an artist.

Geniuses like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were not only smart, but they also devised new theories, solved mathematical mysteries, and pioneered new gadgets.