Benefits
Increasing the creativity skill is needed to advance in certain careers. As Sims gain creativity levels, their playing of musical instruments will change and sound better. Sims can also play instruments for tips [TS2:U]. Sims with higher Creativity will get tipped more.
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, which satisfy a "Sell a Masterpiece" want. Similarly, Sims who write novels will eventually write one which sells for enough to be a "bestseller", which also satisfies a "Sell a Bestseller" 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 (You can drop a picture in this file to be painted by your Sim). 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.
Ways to increase Creativity
- Playing the piano [TS2], guitar [TS2], drum set [TS2:U], bass [TS2:U] violin [TS2:FT], or synthesizer[TS2:FT].
- Using the SIM series Drafting Table from Architecture Career Reward at level 6
- Playing the xylophone (Toddler only)[TS2]
- Draw on the activity table (Toddler or child)
- Painting a picture on an easel
- Using the SensoTwitch Lie Finder from the Criminal career track [TS2]
- Reading a book from the Books First for Learning: A Bookshelf of Education from the Education career track.
- Using the AquaGreen Hydroponic Garden from the Slacker career track[TS2]
- Singing Karaoke[TS2:NL] or singing on the mic[TS2:AL]
- Writing a novel using the computer[TS2]
- Working at a DJ booth[TS2:NL][TS2:FT]
Sims 2 Expansion abbreviations
TS2 = The Sims 2 Base Game
TS2:U = The Sims 2 University
TS2:NL = The Sims 2 Nightlife
TS2:S = The Sims 2 Seasons
TS2:BV = The Sims 2 Bon Voyage
TS2:FT = The Sims 2 FreeTime
TS2:AL = The Sims 2 Apartment Life
TS2:P = The Sims 2 Pets
TS2:OFB = The Sims 2 Open for Business
