--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Creativity is not the finding of a thing…" description: "\"Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.\" — James Russell Lowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/james-russell-lowell-561_creativity_creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing_84113.png" --- # Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making… ![“Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.” quote by James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/james-russell-lowell-561_creativity_creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing_84113.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/james-russell-lowell-561_creativity_creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing_84113.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/james-russell-lowell-561_creativity_creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing_84113.png) > “Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.” [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity involves transforming existing discoveries into new forms rather than merely uncovering them. **In simple terms:** Transformation of found material Key Takeaway Innovation builds on what already exists Themes creativity innovation transformation originality process Mood inspired curious optimistic Type aphor insight When to use this quote - design brainstorming - product development - artistic composition - problem solving Key Concepts idea generation reframing synthesis Practical Applications - inventing new products - reimagining existing concepts Questions to Reflect On - How can you repurpose a known element in a novel way? - What limits your ability to see new possibilities in familiar objects? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ## Related quotes > [“How will you go about finding that thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you?" (Plato)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/how-will-you-go-about-finding-that-thing-the-nature-of-which-is-3/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It's great if you can find what you love to do. Finding it is one thing, but then to be able to practise that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/it-s-great-if-you-can-find-what-you-love-to-do-finding-it-is-one/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [Most of the time I'm by myself finding the next thing. Being an A&R guy, basically. I don't know how long I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/most-of-the-time-i-m-by-myself-finding-the-next-thing-being-an-a-r/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [How will you go about finding that thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you?" (Plato) The things we want are transformative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-will-you-go-about-finding-that-thing-the-nature-of-which-is-2/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Dating or finding someone is the last thing on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/dating-or-finding-someone-is-the-last-thing-on-my-mind/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [How will you go about finding that thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-will-you-go-about-finding-that-thing-the-nature-of-which-is/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [The compelling thing about making art - or making anything, I suppose - is the moment when the vaporous, insubstantial idea becomes a solid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/the-compelling-thing-about-making-art-or-making-anything-i-suppose-is-2/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“The compelling thing about making art—or making anything, I suppose—is the moment when the vaporous, insubstantial idea becomes a solid there, a thing, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/the-compelling-thing-about-making-art-or-making-anything-i-suppose-is/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [It's still a mysterious thing, making music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-kerr/it-s-still-a-mysterious-thing-making-music/) [Jim Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-kerr/) > [There's no such thing as making a film without stress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/there-s-no-such-thing-as-making-a-film-without-stress/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [The last thing that we find in making a book is to know what we must put first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-last-thing-that-we-find-in-making-a-book-is-to-know-what-we-must/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [The compelling thing about making art—or making anything, I suppose—is the moment when the vaporous, insubstantial idea becomes a solid there, a thing, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/the-compelling-thing-about-making-art-or-making-anything-i-suppose-is-3/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [There's no such thing as 'making it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-mckelvey/there-s-no-such-thing-as-making-it/) [Miguel McKelvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-mckelvey/) > [That's the fun thing about making movies is that you get to do stuff. You get to be things, say things that you're not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-webber/that-s-the-fun-thing-about-making-movies-is-that-you-get-to-do-stuff/) [Mark Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-webber/) > [The main thing in making your own music is that it's an expression of someone's personality and being. That's what people want to hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kiwanuka/the-main-thing-in-making-your-own-music-is-that-it-s-an-expression-of/) [Michael Kiwanuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kiwanuka/) ## More by James Russell Lowell > [We kind o' thought Christ went agin war an' pillage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/we-kind-o-thought-christ-went-agin-war-an-pillage/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [He gives only the worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/he-gives-only-the-worthless-gold-who-gives-from-a-sense-of-duty/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [As life runs on, the road grows strange with faces new - and near the end. The milestones into headstones change, Neath every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/as-life-runs-on-the-road-grows-strange-with-faces-new-and-near-the/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Where one person shapes their life by precept and example, there are a thousand who have shaped it by impulse and circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/where-one-person-shapes-their-life-by-precept-and-example-there-are-a/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Granting our wish is one of Fate's saddest jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/granting-our-wish-is-one-of-fate-s-saddest-jokes/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Most religion-mongers have bated their paradises with a bit of toasted cheese. They have tempted the body with large promises of possessions in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/most-religion-mongers-have-bated-their-paradises-with-a-bit-of/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The thing we long for, that we are For one transcendent moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-thing-we-long-for-that-we-are-for-one-transcendent-moment/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [O reputation! dearer far than life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/o-reputation-dearer-far-than-life/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Keats longed for fame, but longed above all to deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/keats-longed-for-fame-but-longed-above-all-to-deserve-it/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It is beginning to be doubtful whether Parliament and Congress sit in Westminster and Washington, or in the editorial rooms of the leading journals,--so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-beginning-to-be-doubtful-whether-parliament-and-congress-sit-in/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [ \[B\]ut in literature, it should be remembered, a thing always becomes his at last who says it best, and thus makes it his own. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/b-ut-in-literature-it-should-be-remembered-a-thing-always-becomes-his/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It may be glorious to write Thoughts that shall glad the two or three High souls, like those far stars that come in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-may-be-glorious-to-write-thoughts-that-shall-glad-the-two-or-three/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It is the vain endeavor to make ourselves what we are not that has strewn history with so many broken purposes and lives left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-the-vain-endeavor-to-make-ourselves-what-we-are-not-that-has/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Take winter as you find him, and he turns out to be a thoroughly honest fellow; with no nonsense in him, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/take-winter-as-you-find-him-and-he-turns-out-to-be-a-thoroughly/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The intellect has only one failing, which, to be sure, is a very considerable one. It has no conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-intellect-has-only-one-failing-which-to-be-sure-is-a-very/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) [Explore all 471 James Russell Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Russell Lowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing-but-the-making-something-out/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creativity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing-but-the-making-something-out/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/james-russell-lowell-561_creativity_creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing_84113.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/james-russell-lowell-561_creativity_creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing_84113.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/james-russell-lowell-561_creativity_creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing_84113.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.” — James Russell Lowell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Russell Lowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Creativity is not the finding of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing-but-the-making-something-out/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/creativity-is-not-the-finding-of-a-thing-but-the-making-something-out/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```