Creativity

Personally, I have never considered myself a very creative person in terms of visual art. However, I noticed that when it comes to a problem that needs an urgent solution, I find a creative way to solve it under pressure. Therefore, for me, the most suitable definition of creativity is the ability to create something new and useful in given circumstances (Sternberg, 1999). 

Having thought about extreme situations where I used creativity, I came up with the example from a few years back that I want to share. In the second year of my undergraduate program in Switzerland, one of the societies decided to throw a party called “Culture fair”. The idea was to make a market where students would represent their home country and share national cuisine. For everyone, the market was a big deal because there was competition among different nationalities, and every student was eager to win. The problem occurred just the night before the competition. In the evening, my team realized that we did not have all the ingredients needed to prepare our traditional dishes. Everyone was so focused on the decorations and costumes that nobody controlled the stock. Eventually, when we found out that there was not enough food to participate, it was already late, and all the supermarkets closed. Everyone panicked and was ready to give it up. However, at that time, I got an idea: I knew that some of the restaurants in the town were still open, so I decided to drive there and get everything we needed straight from the kitchen. Initially, the chef did not want to talk to me and refused to sell, but I was persistent and made a fair proposal. I asked him the food I needed in exchange reservation at his restaurant for a big group of people. Luckily, the offer was accepted, I got everything our team needed for a low price, and we were saved. The success was guaranteed because of the “win-win” situation, where I bought the food, and the local restaurant was supported by many students from the University. 

I believe my approach to the problem was a good example of thinking outside the box in stressful situations. I was forced and motivated to find any possible solution that had even a tiny chance for success. Moreover, I have never seen anyone buying food directly from the restaurant’s kitchen, so to me, it was a new experience, a fresh idea that I like to think was creative, or maybe it is all luck.

Reference:

Sternberg, R.J. ed., 1999. Handbook of creativity. Cambridge University Press.