What do we mean by “creative”

There are many definitions of creativity and what it means to be creative. If you ask a room of museum professionals the question, “are you creative?” some will shake their head vigorously thinking that ‘creativity’ and ‘being creative’ is about the able to make and produce. They might think of ‘creative professionals’ such as artists or musicians. However, many will nod and agree, thinking of all the ways that they are required to ‘be creative’ in their jobs, with budgets, programming, collections, relationships, and so on.

 

A quick online search produced this definition of creativity: “The ability totranscend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, and relationships to create new ideas; originality or imagination.”

 

Within the museum sector, professionals, primarily those engaged with learning and audience engagement but also in collections management are required to think ‘creatively’ on a day-to-day basis and to look outside the sector for inspiration, collaboration, partnership and for funding.

 

In The Creative Museum the visitor engages with the collection, the building, and the people to make or create something. The Creative Museum Project is about opportunity; doing and making; experimenting and innovating; making connections; opening up museums; learning; concrete results and interpreting collections.