Novelty and usefulness are widely recognized as the two core dimensions of creativity. Research often describes creative work as a process in which people first generate novel ideas and then evaluate them for usefulness during selection, thereby treating usefulness primarily as a filtering criterion. This chapter argues for a broader view in which usefulness also shapes idea generation itself. We propose that usefulness should not be viewed only as a post hoc evaluation criterion. Rather, attending to usefulness can actively shape idea generation and, in doing so, it can itself be a source of novelty. We suggest that this perspective is particularly helpful for understanding creativity in contexts shaped by practical constraints, shared needs, and problem-solving demands. We illustrate this with examples from communally derived creativity, technical or craft-based work, and efforts to address grand challenges.