Creative expression, yes.
In many ways creative talents lead to creating new things, such as a painting, or (more in line with the definition you posted) writing a book that contains the author's unique ideas and perceptions on whatever subject. In other ways, you're repeating old ideas - such as re-making a craft item using someone else's instructions. (But I think you'll find many creative people can't resist adding their own variations to any project and therefore you have "new associations between existing ideas".
If you speak to some creative people they'll tell you they are "driven" to use their talents - the singer must sing, even if only in the shower, the knitter must knit. I think that "need" is also a form of creativity. It feeds you.
