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personal creativity. Many of his works were seen as controversial during his time because people then had never seen someone as creative as Picasso. Most artists
painted true-to-form, while Picasso was painting abstract. This is what makes him creative. He went against the common art style to produce one that had not been seen or used before.
A destructive example of creativity took place on April 20, 1999, when two boys, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, killed 13 students and wounded 21, in less than 2 minutes at their high school in Colorado. This act was not thrown together quickly. The plan was evolved over the course of a year and took imagination. It took planning and a creative mind to "outline a mission to kill as many students and faculty as possible. They would set off destructive bombs inside the school and then shoot any survivors trying to run out. Bombs inside their cars would explode later, killing law enforcement, fire or medical personnel responding to the scene"(cnn.com). These two hate-filled students shot out their classmates at their Jefferson County high school and in the end took their own lives. They did their research and carefully calculated how this act would take place. They learned to make pipe bombs from the Internet and played the game Doom, in which one of the levels resembles the layout of Columbine High School. Harris and Kelbold were said to be "outcasts" and "gothic". They were part of the "trench coat mafia". They wore their trench coats every day, no matter the weather, even in class. Under the coats, they dressed in black from head to toe -- military berets, T-shirts, jeans, combat boots. Red shoelaces and the occasional Confederate flag patch were the only departure from the
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dark theme. These two boys set themselves apart from the other kids and by this were creating a way of life for themselves. Some may believe what they did was wrong, and I
agree, but one can't deny the creativity that went into the shooting and the way of life for these boys.
Thomas Edison is known as a creative genius. He has over 1000 patents for inventions, in which people still use today. Such as, the incandescent light bulb, the motion picture camera and idea for producing synthetic carbolic acid. From his inventions he earned the nickname "The Wizard of Menlo Park". When Edison was born, society still thought of electricity as a novelty. By the time he died, entire cities were lit by electricity. In school, Edison's teachers considered him a dull student because he had a hearing problem and could not follow the lesson. His mother could not take the smell of his laboratory and so he got a job and the railroad and created a lab in an old railway car. Edison believed in hard work, sometimes working 20 hours a day. He is quoted saying, "Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration". Ideas can spark from inspiration, but it takes hard work to create from that inspiration. "Initial ideas are usually poorer in quality than later ideas. Just as water must run through a faucet for a while to be crystal clear, cool and free of particles, so thoughts must flow before it becomes creative"(Michalko). A creative mind simply produces ideas with a conscious effort and applies imagination to the ideas to carry them out.
An example of disturbing creativity is the mass murderer, Charles Manson. His two killing sprees were called the "Tate" murders and the "LaBianca" murders. Both took much time, planning and creativity to complete. The "Tate" murders consisted of 5
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victims who were each killed in a special way. Steven Parent was shot 4 times and stabbed once. Abigail Folger was stabbed 28 times. Vyotek Frykowski was shot once, struck in the head 13 times and stabbed 51 times. Sharon Tate and Jay Sebring were tied up at the murder scene, with a rope around their necks. The door of the crime scene read "PIG" on the door. While the "LaBianca" murders took only two victims, each also had a special death created by Charles Manson himself. Mr. LaBianca had been stabbed multiple times with a knife and fork. The word "WAR" was carved into his chest. His wife Rosemary was stabbed 41 times. Manson had followers, which he brainwashed much like a cult. During his trial for these murders, he would make periodic outbursts and followers would repeat his words in a chant-like manner. He was not the one acting out the murders. His followers had been brainwashed to act on his command. At the words, "kill them", these controlled beings would take their victims. He called his followers his "family" and at points there were hundreds of them. Many theories have evolved concerning Charles Manson such as the Beatles White Album sent him clues and massages to carry out these horrific genocides. Another theory is that Manson modeled himself after Adolph Hitler. Charles Manson created the ideas for the murders. The victims were merely part of his creation. Though his actions were negative, they had creativity and originality. His "family" was acknowledging his feelings about his life. A life he created, for himself.
Originality is a major part of being creative. Creativity is not always popular. It comes in many shapes and sizes. No matter if it is a mass-murder or an abstract painting in a museum. It can be expressed through sight, sound, or feeling. Creative people do
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not have to be smart, popular or even sane. All they must do is use their imagination and express it. Creativity can be disturbing, intellectual, artistic or destructive. It is not about the action proceeding, but the initial thought process. Using ideas and putting them toward a conclusion is creativity. Creativity is an ability to be original on a personal level. The workings of the mind produce creativeness, but it is how they are expressed that one might view a creation.
