Definitions of what is creative and what is not, cannot be considered set in stone. Creativity is an interplay of knowledge, ideas, intellect, and technology of the holder. The creative activities ranged from an artisan making bamboo woven crafts to designing smartphone applications.

This also includes people from the same profession but with different tools, for example, wood painters with brush and illustrators with digital brush. Therefore, each people, each country has the right to define the notion of "creative" and "creative industry." In the end, there is no "right" or "wrong" or "one size fits all" to define (and to measure) creative economy. Countries choose a definition that best fits their economy (Restrepo & Marquez, 2013).

Creativity is often considered an innate skill that is intertwined with artistic expression. However, it is important to note that creativity is not solely dependent on art education. Many successful individuals in various fields, such as science, technology, and business, have shown remarkable creativity without a formal arts education (Gilmore, 2017). These individuals have developed their creativity through different avenues, such as hands-on experiences, critical thinking, and exposure to diverse experiences.

Frenette & Tepper(Frenette & Tepper, 2016) assessed the effects of art-based training on career pathways and found no direct relation between art/design education background and creative activities/profession. Some research and popular conceptions of artists call into question the value of an arts degree. These include notions of the self-taught artistic genius, stereotypes about the arts-educated barista, and a recent report (Jahoda et al., 2014) claiming most professional artists in the United States do not attend art school. There is a little evidence that current curricula or learning approaches address creativity stimulation and development in education institutions.

Ashton (Ashton, 2017) argues that art education (universities), while students encounter some professional practices, does not mean the curricula prepare them for professional practice. McIntyre (1983, cited in Ashton, 2017) adds that "practice must not be confused with institutions." Meyerhofer and Mokre (Mayerhofer & Mokre, 2007) observe that while public support for creative industries should be a long-term plan, there was never an effort to connect academic institutions related to creative industries (arts universities, design museums, etc) or with persons in the field with art and design students. Hence, creative worker in the field exist not because they are fostered by policy tools in their education institution.