"I'm not sure where I'd be without the influence of my boyfriend," says Katie, a graduate student in New York City. "Thanks to his encouragement, I've taken up running and cooking classes. And most recently, we took an art class together." Art is a dating must-have--for most couples anyway. Whether it's gluing glitter onto a shoe box for a Mother's Day frame or signing up for a figure drawing course, dating expert Justin Lavelle suggests taking at least one visual arts class with your partner to help improve your creativity and communication skills [not so much these things specifically]. "All forms of dating should strengthen your relationship," he says. "And studying art is no exception -- especially if you do it together." Even if you aren't dating a painter or sculptor, Lavelle suggests dating someone who is "culturally creative," which is even more important. "You don't have to be Picasso to have a good time. Channel Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in Ghost and try pottery or another sensual art activity where you can get your hands dirty," he says. (Finger painting has never been so hot.) If your current love interest doesn't want to take an art class with you, Lavelle suggests dating someone who shows creativity in other ways like decorating their home [hey, hey], cooking dinner [mmm... food!], writing lyrics for favorite songs, playing the guitar [...or banjo, ukulele, drums, tuba...] or even singing a tune [ANY song at all? I can sing you some Taylor Swift if you want]. "Creativity is a sign of passion," he says. "And dating someone who shows that kind of excitement and enthusiasm about life will help keep the relationship fresh." Just don't forget to have fun while dating [and maybe take a class on dating too! Just kidding!] - HowStuffWorks dating expert Justin Lavelle [not really a dating expert] Now included in this article are some additional facts relevant to the topic: - There are countless ways for partners to show creativity together - Taking art classes can help people bond and make a cute date out of it - Creativity is an important dating trait [which can also be shown in many other ways besides "art"] - Dates don't have to be super expensive or elaborate [except for that one dating article about dating on a pirate ship...] APPENDIX: A FEW TEMPLATE QUESTIONS TO ACT AS FILLER TEXT IN THE BLANK SPACES OF THE ARTICLE. PLEASE REPLACE THESE WITH YOUR OWN ENTIRELY, SINCE THEY WILL NOT MAKE IT INTO THE ACTUAL ARTICLE. - When did you realize you wanted to be a dating expert? - Why does creativity matter in a relationship? Creativity isn't required for dating success, is it? - Who would you recommend dating: someone with no creativity but lots of money or someone who has lots of creativity and little money? - Aren't dating experts dating experts in order to not need dating advice themselves? What kind of dating do YOU do? Creativity is important in a relationship. It's also often used as a dating buzzword [esp. when we link to dating articles that ALSO use the word "creativity"]. Is creativity really such an essential trait in relationships though? Art classes might help couples bond [and impress your mother], but when did they become such a critical part of courtship [when did courtship become so formal and rigidly defined anyways?]? If dating advice is only useful in dating contexts when the dating advice itself is creative, then what are we to do when dating? We can never stop dating, but how many art classes does it take before you're an expert at dating yourself [lol... even THAT sounds misleading...]? Picasso isn't needed. You don't have to be Picasso to make a good impression, either. This article makes it seem like creativity is required for any date that has more substance than coffee and one weird trick. Creativity comes in many different forms though, not just visual arts or music or singing or dancing or cooking or anything that most people would associate with typical "creative" pursuits. Creativity is defined as something like "the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality" [source]. So dating can be creative by being counter-cultural or just offering an alternative approach. I was supposed to go out on a date tomorrow night but I'm feeling stuck in some kind of rut so I think it'll be more creative for me to stay home and re-watch the entire first season of Sherlock with my SO who happens to not have any creativity himself because he's overdosed on anime. But dating isn't all about being original either Sometimes dating IS predictable. Sometimes dating IS formal. Sometimes dating has even been perfectly executed by other people who might not be dating experts themselves, so long as they're dating someone who is equally well-versed in the dating style they opt for. But anyone can learn how to cook or sing or do art or play games or go out for a night on the town. All it takes is practice and lots of lessons either from others [a teacher] or oneself [practice]. There are many ways to show creativity in dating, but maybe you shouldn't take an art class together. Maybe that's not something that will help keep your relationship fresh after all since you'll both end up comparing each other to one another [or the teacher] the whole time. Or maybe dating need not be so rigidly defined. If dating is a dance, does dating have to take place in a packed nightclub where you're one of thousands [of couples dancing] or on a crowded subway car where everyone pretends they're alone [except you and your partner]? In other words, an art class can help define creativity in dating but it's not exactly creative itself. Too many dating articles focus too much on whether you bought them roses or took them out for sushi or if they saw fireworks the first time you touched hands rather than focusing more on what matters - your feelings about each other and how well- you are personality-wise.