A brief story of Creativity
‘Tain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do It)
“I showed the grown-ups my masterpiece, and I asked them if my drawing scared them. They answered: “Why to be scared of a hat?”
In one of the most famous excerpts from the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the hero proudly presents his latest artwork to the adult audience- only to face their inability to follow his way of creative thinking.
The fact that the aforementioned quote is one of the most popular is no coincidence. Decline of creative thinking and normalisation of the way we look at the world are two major losses we seem to mourn while growing up.
But what is creativity?
Creativity can be defined as the ability to produce new and original ideas, connections, and solutions to problems. Imagination plays an important role in the production of this new project. It may be an object (e.g. a poem or a painting), a skill (playing a musical instrument), or an action (using a tool in a new way).
Naturally- born talent or nurtured skill ?
In the past, it was taken for granted that creativity was a quality that people already possessed and were able to use in order to excel in various fields. But, nowadays, this perception is no longer valid. Creativity is nowadays valued both as a skill enabling professionals to deliver inspired projects- or original solutions- and as an asset allowing the individual to approach day-to-day challenges and emotional conflicts using alternative ways of thinking. Creativity is also a (soft) skill that can be constantly enhanced- both in children and adults.
It just needs a little bit of…Morphoses!
How can I spot a… creative mind?
Easy. A creative mind draws like Picasso or plays the piano like Mozart. Ha-ha, kidding! You don’t have to be an artist to be creative. Not at all. Creativity lies literally in everything we do. It is the way we do things, not the things we do themselves. Let’s elaborate on that.
A creative mind usually shows characteristics such as revolutionary original ideas, perseverance, determination, hard work, and commitment to the project. Also, creative children show a flexible way of thinking and use alternative approaches to problem-solving. They embrace their curiosity and think in complex ways, while always seeking new ideas without necessarily external stimuli. They question the old and experiment by applying innovative ideas and, finally, they adapt easily to new and unfamiliar situations.
I am a parent. How can I enhance my child’s creativity?
Don’t you worry! Since creativity is a soft skill, we can all enhance it, while being the coolest parent who chooses “weird ways” of playing.
Here are some tips.
- Treat children’s unusual questions with seriousness and respect.
- Encourage imaginative thinking. Yes of course dragons exist! And they are blue and green and spit fire. So what?
- Don’t downplay the importance of unplanned play. Go in the mud and build a huge monster with your child, creating a story behind its existence. It will be worth it!
- Motivate problem-solving with the minimum help, instead of offering ready-made solutions.
- Find your own, personal, creative ways!
We are leaving you for now with a fun game to “test” your creativity. Ready?
Take an object you can see around you. Is it a pen? A covid-19 face mask? (Hope not!) A phone charger?
Once you have the object in your hands, observe it and use all your senses to create a clear picture of its use in your mind. Think, for example, “a phone charger is made for charging my phone. I use it by plugging it into an outlet and sliding the smaller part into my phone”.
Then, try to find as many unconventional, weird ways to use your selected object. “I can use my charger as a bookmark. It can also be a tremendous snake, ready to devour my phone. Oh no! The charger has now turned into a -not so effective — ruler”.
See where I am going? Now it is your turn to be creative.
Ready? Set — GO! Have fun!