National Creativity Day Date in the current year: May 30, 2024

Creativity is somewhat hard to define. Wikipedia, for example, defines it as a “phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed”. According to Cambridge Dictionary, creativity is “the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas”. Merriam-Webster defines creativity as the ability to create, i.e. to produce through imaginative skill. To put it short, the creative process results in something new and original. The result may be tangible (for example, a printed book, a painting, an invention) or intangible (an idea, a musical composition, a scientific theory).

A lot of people associate creativity primarily with art, but in reality it is important in almost every field and aspect of life. Creativity helps us find new and better solutions to problems, become more flexible, come up with multiple ideas to choose the best one, etc. Not every creation can change the world, but being creative can definitely make this world a little easier to live in. This is why most modern education systems put an emphasis on fostering creativity in students from an early age: in our rapidly changing world, creativity is a must for coping with challenges we’ve never encountered before.

National Creativity Day was started in 2018 by Hal Croasmun. Croasmun is the founder and president of ScreenwritingU, an educational project that provides screenwriting advice and classes to help beginning screenwriters break into the industry. Another holiday created by ScreenwritingU and Croasmun is National Screenwriters Day.

The main goals of National Creativity Day are to show appreciation for all the people in the world who create something and encourage everyone to explore their own creativity and hone their creative skills. The best way to celebrate the holiday is to get creative, even if it’s just for fun. Try to write a story, paint a picture or compose a song, sign up for a dance class or vocal lesson, hand-craft something… It doesn’t matter what exactly you do and how good at it you are as long as you’re having fun!

Another great way to celebrate National Creativity Day is to support your favorite creators. For example, you can purchase their art, music and books, leave a positive review, buy their merch, become their patron on Patreon, share links to their content on social media (but never repost other people’s works without proper credit), sign a petition for the renewal of your favorite TV show that has been canceled, etc. And don’t forget to spread the world about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #NationalCreativityDay and #CreativityDay.

Another creativity-related celebration is World Creativity and Innovation Day. Observed annually on April 21, it was founded by the United Nations to highlight the importance of creativity and innovation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.