Anybody who has ever worked in a creative field will know that nobody else has the remotest idea about what you are doing.

‘Idea’, ‘Creativity’ and ‘Art’ are perversely some of the least well defined and most abused words in our language, and this book requires absolute clarity in respect to all three. The Oxford Dictionary’s definition of art, in particular, is aesthetic and depends upon the idea of ‘beauty’, and this definition, very much like beauty itself, is really in the eye of the beholder. I write for practitioners, not beholders, and therefore I have proposed below a less passive definition. In all of the following, I am not concerned if you don’t agree (in which case please comment), but only that we are clear. We can’t afford a vague expression like ‘beauty’. We must at least talk in the same terms. I therefore adhere strictly to the following :

Ideas are simply imagined events. This is not contentious.An idea can range from “let’s go to the shops” to “maybe the earth’s orbit of the sun is elliptical”. Ideas are simple or complex acts of imagination, and some are more original than others, although an idea never actually comes out of nothing. The OED primary definition reinforces the connection of an idea with action defining an idea as “a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action”; also more broadly “a mental impression”; or “an intended aim or purpose”. All of these describe ‘imagined events’, although ideas are said to be actions rather than events. Is an ‘event’ an ‘action’? In physics the two things are intimately related. An event is one body acting upon another. The event is the sum of the action. In normal speech this is also the case, an action being taken to be specifically something a single force can effect, whereas an an event is more accurately an interaction. I therefore prefer to describe an idea an event, as this implies a connection of actions, and is more likely to signal intent than reaction. An idea, I think, implies agency. If an event as a connection of actions, leads us helpfully to the next, more important definition.

Art is a previously unimagined connection between ideas. It is the connection or collision of existing ideas that gives art its power to cause surprise and re-evaluation of preconceptions. It is often the simultaneous presentation of conflicting actions. I should say that art is very ill defined in our culture, reflecting the comparatively low esteem in which it is held. My definition departs from the OED, which uses very subjective terms: it says that art is “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power”. But there seems to be nothing so subjective about art. While a new connection of ideas does have emotional power, and can be a work of exceptional empathy or even violence, the limitation of art to ‘beauty’ is obviously highly problematic, and excludes many artworks which are widely accepted as significant works. The definition of art as a connection of ideas, on the other hand, gives justification to many puzzling ‘artworks’ which are nevertheless quite accepted to be art. Think for instance of the controversy of the Tate bricks. It is easy to understand how a work like this was the connection of previously unconnected ideas, and was therefore an artwork. 

Creativity gives an idea a previously unthought-of form or expression. Or in Alexander Pope’s more elegant words, it is “what was often thought, but ne’er so well expressed”. Generally, creativity sits somewhere between idea and art work, and can veer between the two. But as Pope says, is the expression of creativity which may strike us more strongly than the idea itself. I think here of the Guinness ‘White Horses’ ad. The idea itself was a simple visual pun, but the execution was stupendous. The OED touches on this: it defines creativity as “the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness.” Of course, in this definition, the word ‘create’ begs many questions and is tautologous. I have resisted any reference to pure creation, which is highly problematic. Clearly any good definition needs to explain the relationship of creativity to the formation of ideas, which I have attempted to do. If we connect creativity to technical accomplishment, we also find a definition which allows us to value executional originality, which is clearly of the utmost current importance. 

Creatives and creators introduce a new element, because these are paid roles, and imply creativity that is paid for and exists in order to make money. We are referring to people who earn a living or commission or fee from works that might otherwise sometimes be considered artworks. Of course, some artists are paid, but the work of creatives and creators is defined by a material purpose other than the creation of work.

And finally here are two further definitons of words which are perhaps less contentious, but will be important.

Stories are structured ideas made by creatives, and sometimes by artists. Of course, a story can be made and told by anyone, and everyone is creative in some way, at some times. But in the context of this book, a story is a piece of work, and like creatives and creators, it is commoditised. Whether paid for or not, the principles of storytelling are the same. The purpose of a story is engagement of the listener or audience which may be for commercial or cultural ends. The primary OED definition correctly states that a story is “an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment.” The only amendment I would make to this would be to substitute ‘performed’ for ‘told’. 

If paid for, these aspects of a story are obligatory, and people who make ‘stories’ without meeting these basic conditions are not doing the work they are paid to do.

Storytelling is any medium in which ideas are expressed and connected. It can be spoken word, written word, or expressed in any visual or aural media, and to my last point above, it is always performed. It is the medium in which both art and creativity are expressed. Of course, it can be commercially exploited. Repetition has a significant role in storytelling, not least as a measure of the power and importance of the story. A story which is an art- or creative work may (always?) be a story that is repeated, but varied in performance.