Critical thinking and creativity: what’s the link?

Print anything with Printful



Critical thinking and creativity are linked through the process of generating and selecting ideas to achieve a desired result. Examples include a painter selecting materials and a filmmaker creating characters. Both require the application of critical thinking and creativity.

The critical thinking process is one that relies on using cognition to perform a constructive analysis on a list of possibilities with the goal of weeding out the unlikely or less likely ones until only the best choice among the various possibilities is left . Creativity is something that is inherent in an individual, meaning that it flows from the inside out in torrents, based on the level of inspiration that the individual may experience at any given moment. As such, the connection between critical thinking and creativity is related to the individual’s ability to marshal the various creative ideas that are generated during the creative process until the individual is able to select the best path forward to arrive at a desired result. The common link between critical thinking and creativity is the generation of ideas and the selection of the most likely path to lead to an end product that the individual hopes to achieve.

An example of the connection between creative thinking and creativity can be seen in the case of a painter who is inspired to paint a scene that forms in his mind. First of all, the painter will make the decision on the type of material to be used in the depiction of the scene, including the variety of the canvas, such as paper, cardboard, oilcloth or a board. Such considerations also include whether to use oil or other forms of paint, as well as whether to make the painting more three-dimensional or flat. All these considerations quickly cross the painter’s mind even if inspiration flows in his mind, and the final selection is the one based on critical thinking, even until the result hoped for by the painter is achieved.

Another example of the link between critical thinking and creativity can also be seen in other creative endeavors, such as creating a screenplay or film. Creating the various characters as well as choosing names, locations, and words for the characters requires the application of critical thinking as well as creativity. Even inventors who are trying to develop a new product, or who are trying to improve a new product by developing a new variant, will also apply critical thinking and creativity as a means to achieve this.




Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN


Skip to content