Novelty vs Creativity

Here at the Introverted Soul, it's all about digging down deep and trying our best to come back up from depths with some clarity. So occasionally during an "internal processing" session, I'll come up with some clarity on a subject, and I'll want to share it here.

So today I was thinking of the difference between something being a novelty and something being creative. There's always creativity involved with novelty, but not everything creative is a novelty. The true value is going beyond novelty and gaining the status of being called creative.

Novelty is derived from the Latin word "new," and that is what a novelty is all about. It's about being new just for the sake of being new, and it does draw attention because we love the "new" thing. But the novelty is fleeting because it doesn't have any real impact beyond the attention-grabber. The power of creativity is hijacked when it's used only as an attention-grabber.

But using creativity to grab our attention, then going a step further by delivering a new idea or a twist on an established idea that shifts perspectives, is when we can classify something as truly creative. The moment that it goes beyond the "newness" into lasting impact and influence, is when the power of creativity has been harnessed.

So if you are lucky enough to gain the attention, are you ready to deliver something of impact? Or are you going to milk the novelty aspect for a few moments until the next attention-grabber comes on the scene? The ones who can attract and then deliver an impact, have something truly creative.

Are you lucky enough to have people's attention, and if so, what are you creating with that?