Creativity (skill)

Creativity is a skill in The Sims and The Sims 2. The Sims 3 has no creativity skill, instead it has instrument skills, painting and writing.

Creativity is also an aspiration in console versions of The Sims 2 and The Sims 2 Pets.

Ways to increase Creativity

 * Playing the piano(s), guitar(s), drum set, bass, violin, or synthesizerNatasha Una Painting.jpg
 * Playing the xylophone (Toddler only)
 * Draw on the activity table (Toddler or child)
 * Painting a picture on an easel
 * Using the SensoTwitch Lie Finder from the Criminal career track
 * Using the AquaGreen Hydroponic Garden from the Slacker career track
 * Singing Karaoke or singing on the mic
 * Writing a novel using the computer
 * Working at a DJ booth

Benefits
Creativity, like many other skills, is not only used to advance in certain careers. In both The Sims and The Sims 2, as Sims gain creativity points, their playing of musical instruments will change and sound better. Starting with The Sims 2: University, Sims can also play instruments for tips. Sims with higher Creativity will get tipped more.

In The Sims, the amount a painting will sell for is linked to the painter's creativity skill. In The Sims 2, increasing the creativity skill to 5 unlocks new interactions on the easel, and changes the basic interaction form "Practice Painting" to "Paint". When the Creativity skill is high, a Sim told to "paint" often enough will eventually produce a "masterpiece", defined as a painting which sells for more than §500, possibly satisfying a high-value want. Similarly, Sims who write novels will eventually write one which sells for enough to be a "bestseller", which may also satisfy a high-value want.

In The Sims 2: Pets, a new Paint custom painting feature was added. Sims with 5 or higher creativity skill can paint custom pictures from files in My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Paintings folder. Sims can crop, fit, or fill the picture to fix the preferred size of the canvas. This feature is carried forward to later expansion packs.