Art 101: Are Creativity and Intelligence Related?
We see a lot of articles talking about why creative thinking is important when you are stuck with a problem. However, a lot of people say that you need to be intelligent to be able to get out of problems. In this article, we answer the question, are creativity and intelligence-related?
There are a lot of articles available online that tell you all about the relationship between creative thinking and intelligence. We know that some people have always said that creativity dies as we grow older because we don’t use our imagination as often.
We talk about how intelligence is useful in a lot of ways, but we have to ask, are creativity and intelligence-related? There are a lot of people talking about how intelligence is necessary for finding work, but there are different types of intelligence for us to look into.
Just because you aren’t good at analytical intelligence doesn’t mean that you aren’t intelligent at all. There’s a lot of pressure that’s put on people to follow neurotypical intelligence, but we don’t think that’s right.
There are a lot of different types of intelligence, and we think that you should consider them before you say that you aren’t a smart person. We hope that this article will also help you nourish neuro-divergent behavior rather than treat them as a bad characteristic.
Let us know what you think of neuro-divergent thinking and let us know if you are more likely to lean towards creative tendencies or more analytical intelligence.
Why Do We Need Creative Thinking?
Before we go on to answer the question, “are creativity and intelligence-related?” Let's talk about why we need creative thinking. The great thing about creative thinking is that it pushes you to think beyond the normal limits, and you can do that when you stay in touch with your imagination.
A lot of times we tell artists to stay realistic and find a more ideal job that doesn’t involve waiting for people to buy your art, but the reality is that the world runs on creative people. Without creative thinking, we wouldn’t be able to develop our tools or even create things because you need creativity to have innovation.
A lot of our creations come from creative thinking, which is why it’s so important to encourage people who are creative to stay creative.
Are Creativity and Intelligence Related?
Now that we’ve gone over why we need creative thinking, let’s answer the question, are creativity and intelligence-related. The short answer is yes. Creative thinking is one of the facets of thinking in a model that was created by Sternberg. In the model, Sternberg mentions analytical intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence.
All of these bits of intelligence are ideal to have because they all have applications in survival. Much like analytical intelligence is needed in academic performance, creative thinking is needed when you’re stuck on a problem and you need to see beyond the academic aspect of the problem.
Aside from that, we have practical intelligence, otherwise known as street smarts. We need street smarts to make sure that we don’t get scammed, and this is also necessary for everyone that gets told that they’re too naïve or trust too much.
In a way, you can’t disregard any of these bits of intelligence because they’re necessary for every aspect of life. Also, these bits of intelligence allow you to form wisdom to pass on too.
Key Takeaways
Now that we’ve answered the question, “are creativity and intelligence-related,” we hope you take this opportunity to nurture your creative thinking skills because we think that too many people have the wrong idea about creativity and its relationship to intelligence.
While creative thinking doesn’t stay with people in adulthood, it’s never too late to strengthen it, because we believe that thinking can also be influenced by the things we consume and what we develop.
With that, let us know what activities you do to stay creative and how you continue to nourish your creative thinking skills with sustainable hobbies.
