Creativity, as a generative capacity of the human mind, plays a central role in architectural design and the formation of architectural works. This study seeks to deepen understanding of the creative process through a comparative examination of two distinct perspectives: that of Bryan Lawson, a contemporary scholar in architecture and design cognition, and that of the Iranian philosopher Mulla Sadra. The research is theoretical and developmental in nature and employs a descriptive–analytical method based on comparison. Data were collected qualitatively through library-based study.The findings indicate that both thinkers regard creativity as the outcome of interaction between conscious and unconscious mental activities. Lawson interprets the creative process within a primarily cognitive framework and describes it through stages such as engagement with the problem, incubation, and the emergence of ideas, while leaving the ultimate origin of ideas insufficiently explained. In contrast, Mulla Sadra, drawing upon the principles of Transcendent Theosophy, conceives creativity as an existential process in which ideas are shaped across levels of cognition and within the imaginal realm, and through a gradual movement from potentiality to actuality culminate in the realized work.The study concludes that the difference between Lawson’s and Mulla Sadra’s views is not limited to method, but reflects two fundamentally different conceptions of the creation of architectural works: a problem-oriented, cognitive approach versus an ontological, meaning-centered one. This distinction offers a theoretical basis for rethinking the concept of creativity and the realization of architectural works, particularly within the context of Islamic architecture and art.