What Does Imagination Have to Do with Creativity?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, imagination is “the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful.” Thus, it is traditionally believed that creativity is the manifestation of the imagination. From the way in which we use the term “imagination,” it appears that it is thought that the two can be equated; that telling someone to “be more creative” is exactly the same as saying, “use your imagination.” That the imagination can be associated to creativity is clearly indubitable, but it is the type of association that is questionable. Does the imagination have a central role in creativity, or do we give it more credit for our creativity than it deserves?

Before we can investigate the link between creativity and the imagination, it must be stated first what constitutes creativity and secondly what we mean by the term “imagination.” According to Gaut there are three conditions of creativity. First, creativity must be original. There would be no point in creating a sonnet in which I compare my love to a summer’s day, as it would not be original. Even if I did, the sonnet would be of no value – the second condition of creativity. Kant has pointed out that even the most nonsensical work of art can be original, but it is not creative unless it is exemplary i.e. of value. The third condition of creativity is that it has to have flair; an artist must have the intention to create the work in that way. If I splatter ink across a page, it may be original, but since the end product is arrived at inadvertently, I (the artist) must have had no style or flair and thus it is not creative. Subsequently, in Gaut’s words, “Originality, value and flair are the vital ingredients in creative making.”

There are a number of different uses of the term “imagination.” First, “I imagine” can mean “I falsely believe” such as in a situation whereby a person is told that he is “imagining things” in the context that he has misperceived something. Secondly, “imagination” can be used as a close synonym for creativity (as in the sentence, “Use your imagination.”) Finally, it is used to mean mental imagery, as in the case that someone is describing a person to me and I can imagine his face. Whilst all these definitions of imagination are correct within their contexts, it is widely agreed between philosophers that imagination cannot be defined in one way. It does not necessarily have to entail a false belief, nor does it need to involve mental imagery.