---
title: Defining Creativity
date: 2025-08-19T07:00:00-05:00
author: Jennifer Vermeer
canonical_url: "https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/defining-creativity"
section: In All Things
---
[ View All Articles](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things) 

 [Series](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things?category=series) 

 Aug 19, 2025 

# Defining Creativity

The ability to create infuses our lives with depth and purpose, but what does it mean to be creative?

 

     ![](https://d3evso2dxyohou.cloudfront.net/generalUploads/iat-defining-creativity.jpg?mode=crop&pos=0.5-0.3936&w=66&h=57&f=webp&c=ccf17745&v=f5b0e144c52152ca8672bd9cab4e325d34d83efbc6d138d4bb646c5f01fd39d7)   

 

 ![]() 

       ![](https://d3evso2dxyohou.cloudfront.net/generalUploads/iat-defining-creativity-2.jpg?mode=crop&pos=center-center&w=40&h=25&c=63116b38&v=436d23a10b6f8e4325ffad9f92749d582398eb50b9c196a56fee3224c6116621)  ## Defining Creativity

How does activating our imagination transform our work, enrich our relationships, and reflect the creativity of our Creator?

 

  [### The Making of Beautiful Things: A Review of Adorning the Dark

How might ordinary acts of creativity shape a life of faithfulness? By tending our small corners with imagination and generosity, we participate in the on-going work of restoration.

 Learn More  

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/the-making-of-beautiful-things-a-review-of-adorning-the-dark)  

  [### Reframing Creativity: Learning from Grandpa Mulder

What if we framed creativity as resourceful and flexible? To live creatively is not just about making something new but also about making the most of what's already here.

 Learn More  

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/reframing-creativity-learning-from-grandpa-mulder)  

  [### Pursuing Life-Giving Creativity

To be made in the Creator’s image is to seek to cultivate and nurture the flourishing of life. How often do our inherited models of creativity limit that calling? What if we chose to diversify the models of creativity we carry in our minds?

 Learn More  

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/pursuing-life-giving-creativity)  

  [### Are Movies Just Commercial Products Now?

Many of today’s films seem to be replicas designed for maximum market appeal, not meaning. Does the modern cinema reveal a crisis of imagination?

 Learn More  

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/are-movies-just-commercial-products-now)  

  [### Creating the Conditions

Creativity is an innate part of being human, but it’s through presence, risk, and a willingness to play that creativity thrives. How might our creativity shift if we embraced the process rather than focus on the product?

 Learn More  

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/creating-the-conditions)  

  [### Infinite Creativity: How Mathematics Expands Our Imagination

Mathematics is an often overlooked, yet profoundly imaginative discipline. The pursuit of new ideas, surprising truths, and thoughtful solutions reveals math as a form of creative exploration.

 Learn More  

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/infinite-creativity-how-mathematics-expands-our-imagination)  

  [### Creativity and Nerd Culture Coram Deo

In what ways can faithful engagement with nerd culture open new possibilities for creativity, worship, and human flourishing?

 Learn More  

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/creativity-and-nerd-culture-coram-deo)  

  [### A Living Tradition: Faithfully Inhabiting and Engaging the World

How does inhabiting tradition invite us to play with its ideas in order to thoughtfully respond to the demands and questions of our day?

 Learn More  

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/a-living-tradition-faithfully-inhabiting-and-engaging-the-world)  

 

 

---

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 Sep 16, 2025 

## "What's in a Name?"

How do our naming practices reflect deeper truths about who we are, how we are perceived, and who we are called to be?

Read More

 

 

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/whats-in-a-name)  [Next Article

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 Jul 08, 2025 

## Modern Idols

Tempted to look to our daily lives for fulfillment, we turn God’s good gifts into sources of identity. When our attention drifts from the Lord, even good things like family, career, and rest can become idols, causing us to serve ourselves above our neighbors and God.

Read More

 

 

 ](https://www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/modern-idols)  [  ![]() ## In All Things

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