Hey folks!
I thought I'd start a new topic that wasn't about sex, violence or misery.
My thoughts are scattered right now, but maybe this topic could spark an interesting discussion anyway.
What are you thoughts about the nature of creativity, and the reasons why people create art?
Without looking it up on Wikipedia, my understanding of creativity is that it is basically lateral thinking: making unconventional connections between disparate elements to create something new.
But why do people create art? Considering the apparent objectives of artists, I've come up with three basic reasons: Enjoyment of the Process, Desire For Admiration/Success, & Need For Control.
I think that everyone who creates has all three of these reasons inherent to some extent or another, but there is almost always one motivation dominant above the others. People who just enjoy being creative usually don't move beyond amateur efforts, because the end product is relatively unimportant. Those who want success foremost will usually be "entertainers" and self-promoters, they are willing to compromise their own ideas to make their work more palatable to the audience they are trying to reach. The most egotistical is the need for control; these people do not care so much what others think, and the process itself is only a means to create something the artist himself feels is worthwhile.
The only additional basis for creation I have considered, that doesn't fit into the above paradigm, is the generation of art for spiritual reasons: creating to honor an ideal, or another being. It can be argued that this can fit into one of the three previously mentioned ambitions, but I think it is too unique to fit neatly into any of the reasons I have already outlined.
Sorry this is so badly written and piecemeal, I just wanted to contribute something and this is the first idea that came to mind. I'd like to read other members' thoughts, if they would be willing to share them. The ideas I've presented are only things I've thought of on my own, and do not represent any amount of research by myself. Therefor I would be entirely willing to consider different perspectives. If you have anything to say about the subject of creativity or creation, please respond!
Edit: reduce the obtuse
