Creativity = Connections

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People think that creativity is about discovery. It’s not. It’s about connection.

Steve Jobs, in a 1996 interview with Wired, was asked to define Creativity. He said the following:

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.

The best creative ideas rarely come fully formed. Even those who are “divinely inspired” come as the result of interesting connections, conversations, contemplations, and experiences. To increase our creativity, we should foster our curiosity, allowing our ideas and projects time to come together. Rushing creativity can get you by, but rarely is the result amazing.

*Photo courtesy of Me Badr Chemmaoui on Unsplash