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The role creativity plays in programming

I consider myself to be a very logical person. I tend to favor practicality to aesthetics. I feel like this lends itself well to being a developer. I think that logic is seen as a key trait when looking for a developer. I agree, a big part of being a good developer is about being able to think through a problem logically and come to a conclusion that will solve the problem.

I think that one thing that separates really good developers is that they have at least some amount of creativity. Logic allows them to see the problem and work through how to best solve it given their past experience and knowledge. Creativity allows them to see a problem differently and come to a solution by seeing how things can work in a way that they have not done before. Creativity allows for connecting ideas not previously used together to creates something new.

If you want to improve yourself as a developer, I would suggest that you do something creative outside of work. Expand what you do and gain new experiences. If you can't think of anything that you do that is creative, start. Take a painting class. Go to a park and draw something. Try doing some acting or perhaps singing. Taking photographs can be a form of creativity. It requires you to view the world around you in a different way and figure out a way to capture it. There are many different ways you can express creativity. If you don't like one activity try something else until you find something that you do like.

I write this blog. It works a different part of my brain than what I do day-to-day. I get excited when I get an idea for a post. I have some vague idea of what I want to get across in the post and I get to go on a journey to discover how to express that idea in words.

Have fun exploring your creative side. If at first you do not feel like you are very good, but you are having fun you should keep doing it. The more you work on your creative activity of choice, the better you will get at it. So try out some creative activities and see what you enjoy.
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