This chapter develops the core argument for understanding creativity as enacted, materially-mediated practice rather than purely cognitive phenomenon. Drawing on ethnographic examples from science and technology studies, particularly Latour’s work on scientific practice, the chapter demonstrates how exceptional creative achievements emerge from the assembly of material and symbolic resources rather than from exceptional individual abilities. Two key metaphorical figures illustrate this argument: the “black box” model depicts creativity as a compressed temporal mystery, while the “unfolded” model reveals creativity as contingent trajectory through iterative material engagement. The chapter reviews prototyping as a fundamental ideation process, challenging traditional distinctions between conception and execution. By documenting how objects under construction actively participate in their own development through iterative cycles of making-evaluating-modifying, the chapter establishes that creative explanations must account for the granular, developmental processes through which ideas emerge rather than attributing outcomes to initial mental conceptions.