The socio-relational roots of the creative gesture

Creativity is a human potential structured in the dynamics of our species. It has to do with our ability to establish a relationship with the everyday reality out- side of us, a relationship capable of generating the “meaning” of everyday life. Crea- tivity has to do with the capacity to generate “analogies,” to create “connections,” “more possibilities,” a revolutionary ability that is unknown, at these levels, to all other living species. Creativity can be considered a process that takes place through a new combination of pre-existing elements. In a nutshell, we could say that the first form of human creativity was the invention of “meaning.” This chapter, after proposing a possible definition of the concept of creativity, aims to explore the socio-relational roots of this strange human capacity, departing from the fact that the environment is not only around us but is an intrinsic part of ourselves; we will then continue with a reflection on the relational dimension of the creative gesture and its motivations. We conclude by saying that the most favorable ground for the development of creativity is not to be found in any “instrumental” motivation but in the “trust” relationships that support the individual’s expressive capacity.