The other 5th P

The last four months have been an enlightening experience for me. I've just completed another class towards my masters "Creativity Assessment," We (my wife and I) have moved a thousand miles from where we grew up to St. Thomas, and, as always, I've managed to get involved in an array of interesting projects.

So, what was the big enlightenment? The other 5th P - "Proof." I say the other 5th P, because Persuasion has already been proposed as an addition to Rhodes' model. Persuasion is a key addition because it implies leadership. Leadership, which ultimately leads to "Proof" of our creativity. After all, we are reflecting on Creativity, - the act of creating.

How can we assess proof? What is the measure of having achieved a creative act or just a mundane task. What is the measure of a creative product, as opposed to a non-creative product? To explore this, let us consider the concept of "Impact." Perhaps, we can measure how creative we are being by how much (and what type of) impact we have on our surroundings.

Sometimes, this is easy to assess. The automobile, for example, or the personal computer has had a tremendous impact on how we live our lives. Sometimes, this assessment of impact isn't as easy. A thoughtful toast at a friend's retirement party may not influence all the world, but it may have a deep impact on that one individual. Another example could be a funny email that has a low impact, but that may circulate amongst a million people. How do we measure exactly how creative these acts are in relation to one another?

As a theory, let us propose that impact can be measured on two axises; amount of impact per individual & amount of individuals impacted. (Perhaps we can even extend the axises to include negative numbers for acts of destruction, as opposed to creative acts.) What are your thoughts on this theory? What are your experiences with impact? Try to think of the impact of your actions on the people around you and around the world. What can you say about your creativity when you consider what type of impact you have on the world?