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Comment by mostlysimilar | Hacker News Reader

Your definition of creativity is flawed. Imagining something is a small part of the process. Developing the skill and technique to express that imagination is the most important part.

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So if I have a great idea for a cartoon, but my life is filled to the brim and I can’t spend months or years to learn the craft, the idea should die in my head? All because of some idealist opinion?

Come on, you're a tech person aren't you? Maybe a programmer? How many times have you had an idea guy come to you with a "great idea for an app" if only they could find someone to program it for them?

Sorry, but most ideas aren't great. It's the painful process of refinement, hard work, and iteration that results in something great.

> How many times have you had an idea guy come to you with a "great idea for an app" if only they could find someone to program it for them?

Many. And I love it when those people code something up with Scratch, Matlab, or even Excel. Even though I personally would dislike the aesthetics of the result, I’m much happier to see other people enjoying computers the same way I enjoy them (i.e., by using them to solve interesting problems) than if I insisted everyone do so using my preferred “real” programming languages.

This is ableism. A big part of this 'democratization' is that people unable to develop the skill and techniques can now express that imagination. There are physical, mental and financial impediments. They may never be a traditional craftsman, but they can certainly be artists (and not just conceptual artists).

>Developing the skill and technique to express that imagination is the most important part.

Regardless of the tool used?

The definition of creativity seems to change everytime someone tries to define it.

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