Knowledge is the sum of the information that one has accumulated. It can be acquired through our experiences, by that which we sense and perceive. It can be gained by investigation, through interacting with our environments, or going beyond what is superficially observable. It can be taught at home, church, school, or work. Knowledge can be challenged or amended by new information. Creativity is the production and demonstration of new ideas. It can be the advent of ideas that are completely new, such as the invention of the light bulb, or it can be rearrangements or reinterpretations of preexisting ideas, like the latest of many Little Women remakes. These two ideas, knowledge and creativity, share a close mutual relationship; knowledge is the basis for creativity, and creativity can fuel knowledge.

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As for the first statement, knowledge is the basis of creativity, a certain adage goes “ex nihilo nihil fit”; out of nothing, nothing comes. In any creative act, there must be some preexisting knowledge or material with which to create something new. Take the example of art school; a new student may initially draw flat, two-dimensional objects. The art professor teaches the student new concepts such as shading and drawing in perspective. With this knowledge, the student is more thoroughly equipped to explore new creative avenues. In order to begin drawing in the first place, by necessity some cursory knowledge of drawing must precede any creativity, or else the student wouldn't know how to draw at all. And with an increase in knowledge after their formal education, the student is aware of much more creative possibilities, and has the skills necessary to meet any challenges they face in executing their new ideas.

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On the other hand, creativity can increase knowledge. A good example of this relationship would be the scientific method of experimentation. We begin with the knowledge of a certain phenomenon (the subject) and a related question that needs to be answered (the hypothesis). By applying knowledge of the subject, an experiment is carefully designed and executed in order to find out the answer to the hypothesis. Upon successful execution of the experiment, new information about the subject is collected and studied, thereby increasing one's knowledge.

 

In short, the relationship between knowledge and creativity is thus; innovation can only occur by the introduction of something new—some new arrangement of preexisting material, or completely new material being introduced to the mix. This however presupposes the existence of preexisting knowledge or material for the innovator to work with. On the same note, creative experimentation can amend knowledge.