Creativity and innovation are two expressions that may seem similar and are often used in the same context, but actually they are slightly different concepts. Creativity is about thinking of new ideas or seeing things from a different perspective. Innovation is the process of taking those ideas and turning them into something useful, practical, or valuable. In simple words, creativity creates ideas, while innovation applies and develops them. However, the main question of this article is not the difference between creativity and innovation. The real question is whether terms such as “new ideas” or “creates ideas” are fully accurate expressions.
In reality, ideas are rarely created completely from scratch, as they are usually developed gradually in a cumulative way from previous knowledge, experiences, interactions, and observations stored in both the conscious and subconscious mind. People continuously learn, observe, and interact with others. Over time, they develop their own way of thinking based on their background, education, values, culture, surrounding environment, and many other factors. The mind then connects these factors together, gradually shaping how people understand and interpret the world around them. For example, even when two individuals face the exact same situation or receive the same information, each one may interpret and analyze it differently. These accumulated experiences and mental inputs become part of the individual’s thinking process and influence how they view situations and generate ideas from their own unique perspective.
Another example from a different angle is when a novelist writes an original story. No matter how new or creative the story may appear, it is still influenced by the novelist’s cultural background, experiences, memories, and accumulated readings. Sometimes, the novelist may have previously read other stories that remain stored in the subconscious mind. Later, without consciously realizing it, those earlier stories may help generate similar ideas in a different form or style. The novelist then adds personal perspective, emotions, taste, and creative touch to develop something that feels new and original. In such cases, the novelist is not intentionally copying or imitating previous ideas. Rather, earlier stories unconsciously influence the creative thinking process and affect how the new story is developed and written, even without the novelist realizing it.
This is why, in stories, painting, music, film-making, and even business, ideas are rarely created from nothing. Instead, they emerge through a continuous process of improving, reshaping, and building upon previous knowledge and ideas to form something different and original. Albert Einstein would not have reached the Theory of Relativity without the earlier work of Isaac Newton. In the same way, Apple would not have developed smartphones without the earlier existence of wired telephones and companies such as Nokia and BlackBerry. Therefore, perhaps the more precise term in English vocabulary is the verb “generate” rather than “create.” Humans do not completely “create” ideas from nothing; rather, they “generate” ideas through accumulated knowledge, experiences, observations, and previous innovations.
Article By Dr. Eng. Amr H. Abayazeed - May 15, 2026.
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