Check out this great post that highlights the differences between innovation, creativity, and invention. Worthwhile thinking more about. I especially like the bit about “We tend to think of an innovation as a new product but you can innovate with a new process, method, business model, partnership, route to market or marketing method.” Although these could fall under process/method – I would add “new ways of thinking” or more specifically, a new way of arriving at answers. Feel free to expand on this list in the comments!
What is the Difference Between Innovation and Creativity?
by Paul Sloane via Blogging Innovation
Discussions about innovation are often made difficult because people are unclear about the exact meanings of some key terms. In particular there is confusion about the difference between creativity, innovation and invention. Let us start with some definitions:
- “Creativity is the capability or act of conceiving something original or unusual.”
- “Innovation is the implementation of something new.”
- “Invention is the creation of something that has never been made before and is recognized as the product of some unique insight.”
If you have a brainstorm meeting and dream up dozens of new ideas then you have displayed creativity but there is no innovation until something gets implemented. Somebody has to take a risk and deliver something for a creative idea to be turned into an innovation. An invention might be a product or device or method that has never existed before. So every invention is an innovation. But every innovation is not an invention. When your company first published its website that was a major innovation for the company even though many other websites already existed.
Read the whole post here.
aljoschakaplan 
Innovation does not occur without an action that propels it to happen. However, I think creativity is more than just "conceiving something unusual or original". Everytime I have a new thought, it is likely (and hopefully) different than the previous thoughts. The philosophical costruct of what is "original".I have spent countless hours in brainstorming meetings that resulted in plenty of new thoughts but nothing that was both original and also some how useful, relavent or exciting. An original thought is a step towards creativity which, is a step towards innovation. What the smaller quintessential steps between thought and creativity are, I cannot define. If they were too easy to define, perhaps everyone would be a "creative" and the world would see more innovation.