Creativity vs Innovation

In one of the LinkedIn groups I follow (Innovative Learning and Education Innovators), Gerald Haman posted these questions: How do you define creativity and innovation? How do creativity and innovation differ?

Part of my initial response:
I define creativity as a way of being in which we draw from the imagination, the intellect, and the world around us to bring something new into being. Innovation is the use of creative ideas to add new value to an existing idea, product, process, environment, or system. Purely creative action draws heavily from the intuition, maybe even the "collective unconscious," while innovation combines a wider range of intelligences along with creativity.

Originality and newness are more central in the decision that something is "creative" while effectiveness is more valued in assessments of innovative capacity.

Another member suggested that the main difference is: "Innovation has a connotation of driving something forward or advancing. It is possible to be creative for creativity's sake. We've all met certain people that think differently or seen a piece of art work that used unpredictable elements. But that's all we get. An interesting idea or artifact. Nothing more.

My response:Is it possible to have an "interesting idea or artifact" and nothing more? Maybe it's just that with products of innovation, the results are more visible and/or measurable, while the results of a work of art or theory are characterized more by less measurable impacts: first the internal change that occurs in those who encounter the work, then how that encounter shapes their thoughts and actions. I agree with you that creativity and innovation can often be used interchangeably. Maybe in something like a work of art, you might describe the innovative aspects as the technical part—Van Gogh's brushstrokes and colors and how they took the techniques of Impressionism a step further—while the creative part is how his unique psyche opened itself up to and responded to the emotions and spiritual impulses that flowed into him.