Is There a Difference Between Creating and Creativity?

The Halls of Pandemonium - Day 4

May 04, 2026

The Halls of Pandemonium - Day 4

Prompt: Write about the first person or figure you associated with creativity. This can be someone public (a musician, actor, writer or character) or someone personal (a teacher, family member, friend). Focus on the moment you realized what they represented to you. What did they look like? What did they make you feel? What changed after that encounter?

I’m taking part in the Halls of Pandemonium challenge, run by Bradley Ramsey and Lord Devereaux. This prompt was provided by J.M. Gooding. I may not take part every day, like I did in Flash Fiction February, but I will have fun and see how I go!

Today’s reflection is a topic I have thought about across my entire life, and I’m not entirely sure I have an answer!

The same as last time, every like, comment and restack earns points towards the challenge, so if you enjoy what you read, please let me and others know!

And don’t forget to check out some of the other stories in the challenge!

I’ve been told a lot that I am a creative person, and it usually leads me to an existential crisis! I’m sure I’m not alone. I’m a musician, I crochet, I do a little bit of drawing and dance, and now I write. But I often wonder if there is a difference between creating and being creative?

I often feel like an imposter because I feel like creativity comes from creating something brand new: writing a piece of music, designing a crochet pattern. Is reading a piece of music different to reading out loud? Is crocheting a scarf and following a pattern different to following a recipe and baking a loaf of bread? Are they considered creative?

Now that I am writing fiction, I feel like I am actually creating something out of nothing and being creative. But does that mean everything else isn’t creative?

Problem-solving is one of my core values. It is how all my varied hobbies link together, how I can enter a flow state doing a variety of different things, writing, arranging music, writing stories, even ‘boring’ things like analysing data and reviewing patients’ medications.

So then maybe creativity comes from problem-solving and the choices we make: yarn colours, varying dynamics, or the tempo of a piece of music. Being able to adapt if needed, how to correct when I’ve messed up a couple of rows in my scarf, recovering from a mistake during a live performance, taste testing and adjusting a recipe.

And then I think about scientists. White coats and test tubes probably don’t come to mind when people think of creativity, but in my field (pharmacy), chemists create molecules from nothing that treat disease. Is that creativity?

Recreating might also be another form of creativity. If you take Yesterday by The Beatles, the most covered song in the world, all of those songs have the same words and chords, but all sound different. It is using the same parts to create something new. Another example from my life is the song Nutbush City Limits. I play it with my band using an acoustic guitar and Irish tin whistle instead of electric guitars and synthesisers.

When I think about creativity, it’s hard not to think about my parents. My mum is an amazing seamstress, making costumes for the local dance schools, often based on only a sketch of what they want, and she creates all the patterns herself. I guess this looks more like creativity and building something from scratch. My dad was a singer and guitarist and played in bands for most of his adult life, and was always learning new songs. He is on the opposite side, recreating rock and roll with a voice and an acoustic guitar. Growing up in this environment, I guess I have always been around creativity. It is hard to pinpoint a single moment or encounter; I always knew I was going to play music. They both encouraged my sister and me, and we both had a range of creative hobbies over the years. My sister has followed my mum’s footsteps and regularly makes her own clothes, while I follow my dad and perform in my band or musical theatre regularly.

If I think about what my muse looks like, it is the quintessential bohemian creative who wears bright colours and mismatched clothes, spends all day working in their craft, and doesn’t worry about how they will pay rent or eat, and it just works out. I prefer having a job, so I am free to create what I want without worrying about that art providing for me.

So what do you think? Are creating, recreating and creativity all different parts of the same spectrum? Maybe creativity isn’t about originality, but about intentional choice. Which means maybe I am creative after all.

Thank you for reading.

I would love to hear your thoughts on creativity. Do you have similar doubts?

Disclaimer: I sometimes use AI as a sounding board during edits, but all writing is my own.