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The relationship between intelligence and creativity is that both of them are functions of the brain that process information to determine a solution or an answer to a problem. Intelligence and creativity are different abilities that contribute to the other. Intelligence can be measured by the intelligence quotient or IQ. Creativity, on the other hand, is not so easy to measure. Although scientists have found a correlation between those individuals with an IQ of 120 or more having a higher level of creativity, the relationship between intelligence and creativity is more of an overlap of skills or abilities instead of a dependence on one another.

Intelligence certainly plays a part in creative thinking, but not how you might expect. Your IQ is generally gauged by an ability to interpret information and provide solutions, no matter the circumstance. In mathematics and basic sciences IQ is immensely important, because it demonstrates your ability to memorize concepts and repeat their results on similar problems. If I tell you that two plus two equals four, you should (ideally) be able to intelligently conclude that four plus four equals twice the original answer. This fact alone demonstrates intelligence’s relation to creativity, one that is vital for not only understanding creative thinking, but for improving it.Intelligence only gets you so far when it comes to creativity. To be creative is to pull existing knowledge into a new situation and quickly sort through potential outcomes. Of course: existing knowledge is something that anyone above a certain threshold on the IQ scale can amass.

Steve Jobs said this about creativity, "Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people."

Summarizing, intelligence is highly relevant for creativity, but the kind of relationship depends on the level of intelligence as well as on the actual indicator of creativity. In line with early assumptions, intelligence may increase creative potential up to a certain degree where it loses impact and other factors come into play. For the most advanced indicator of creativity, namely creative achievement, intelligence remains relevant even at the highest ability range.