Creativity is a complex and much debated term referring to the process of undertaking creative work. Generally it is a word that distinguishes a method or an activity from one that is overtly intellectual, formulaic, methodological, or critical. Terms such as creative arts and creative writing generally describe work that is understood to issue as much from the imagination as from analysis and that is inventive and original rather than derivative.

Source: Design Dictionary: Perspectives on Design Terminology – Michael Erlhoff, Timothy Marshall.