'Creativity is a universal talent. Everyone is creative to a degree' (Howkins, 2007 pp.11)
Agree/disagree? Are you, or do you have, all or some of the following:
- Open minded '...allowing your mind to wander in an almost dream like way.'
- Independent '...creative people are rule breakers, not rule-makers.'
- Unafraid of change.
- '...challenged by a space and want to put something in it.'
- Sense of humour. (I've been told mine is rather dry!)
- Competitive or ambitious.
SO, how many did you check? More than one? Surprised? I'm not, I'd like to place a bet on you been able to check some of those off!
I am in agreement with Howkins (2007) and I believe that everyone is creative to some degree. As children we are all creative aren't we?
'Children are instinctively and openly creative. All children draw. It is only when people grow older that some say they cannot draw. All children dream, and talk about their dreams. Adults are more likely to say they cannot remember their dreams.' (Howkins, 2007 pp.11)
What happens? Is it that some of us are stifled by accepted conventions? Is it the way we in which we educate children? Sir Ken Robinson thinks so and thinks its time for a bit of a shake up! Take a look at his brilliant talk about creativity and education; 'Changing Paradigms' illustrated in a fantastic doodle it really is something to get the cogs whirring!
http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/watch (scroll through to find 'Changing Paradigms', on the last page)
I love this this TED talk: Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity (http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html)
ReplyDeleteThere's a part (around 14:55) where he talks about a young girl. Her school thought she had a learning disorder because she couldn't concentrate and kept fidgeting. A specialist gave the following diagnosis:
She's not sick, she's a dancer. She later became an extremely talented choreographer.
To me, that's brilliant, and listening to the story gives me goosebumps every time. What if she had gone to another doctor?
This story also makes me wonder about my own creative abilities. I loved drawing, painting and making things I was little, but as I got older I was slowly but surely 'guided' into taking more serious/scientific subjects at school, as art wasn't a career worth pursuing (or so I was told). I now look back and wonder what my life would have been like if I had pursued art instead...
...marie, what is stopping you now?! Go and get painting! ;) Its a fantastic example of the school system determining a kids future - by what is deemed as 'right' or 'worthwhile' etc. rather than giving them a range of tools to choose from. In this way parents feel pressured to guide their children in the same way and worry when they rebel, when actually what comes so naturally to them is creative talent that cannot be measured by 'tick boxes', grades/results etc. Marie i rebelled....my father still doesnt quite understand my choice of HE and career path but hes coming round...
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