Mathematics, by its nature, is a creative activity. Creativity can be developed either through considering its intrinsic beauty or by examining the role that it plays in applications to real world problems. Many of the great mathematicians have been vitally interested in applications and gained inspiration in developing new mathematics from the mathematical descriptions of physical phenomena. In this paper we will examine the processes of applying mathematics by looking at how mathematical models are formed and used. Applications from sport, the environment and populations are used as illustrations.