The Difference Between Art & Creativity

Is there a difference between the Mona Lisa and a Skittles ad campaign?

What about the Sistine Chapel and a Tesla? Or, more specifically, a painter who paints an original painting versus a painter who creates a perfect copy of an original but with his or her own twist? Does the latter require creativity? And if we say it does, would we also consider it art?

A friend of mine in Chicago and I used to debate this question at length — always over wine. We would follow each other down these obscure thought paths (“An architect is creative, but if the purpose of the building is to perform a specific function in society, is the building also art?”) only to arrive at the same dead end:

Artists can be creative, but is all creativity also art?

I still don’t have an answer.

However, lately I have been thinking about this question differently. Instead of trying to classify each individual object or “thing” as art or creativity, I have been questioning whether the intention of what I’m creating is for the benefit of someone else, or the benefit of myself.

For example, is this Atomic Essay creative? I suppose so. It requires me to think abstractly. It requires me to put pieces together like a puzzle. But is it art? This is where things get more complicated — and usually, where my friend and I would ask the waitress for another bottle of Malbec (and a side of olives).

I would say no, this Atomic Essay is not art — despite the fact that I like to think of myself as “an artist.” And the reason I would not call this essay “art” is because I know my intention for writing it is for the benefit of you, the reader (in the sense that I am explaining more than I am performing or revealing).

But then, what if my “art” is to explain through performance? What if my performance is explanation? And if such is the case, then is an advertisement that explains the benefits of eating Skittles the same human expression as the Mona Lisa?

“Waitress? More wine please…”.

This is an Atomic Essay from the Ship 30 for 30 daily writing challenge.

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