Creativity for me is the very life blood of society. Defined as the use of your mind, imagination, and experience to create something new, it is something that will be forever vital to the progress of oneself and the human race at large.
As Albert Einstein once said "Creativity is intelligence having fun"
You might be reading this or have heard someone say before 'But I'm not creative' or 'I wasn't born to be creative' It is my fundamental belief and one shared by many others that we are all born with the capacity to be creative. In 1968 George Land conducted a research study known as the creativity test. Its findings showed that as children got older their creativity decreased.
Do we unlearn creativity?
This leads to the idea that we do indeed unlearn it or more, we are taught out of it. Creativity for me is like a muscle, if not flexed and strengthened it will only weaken with time. There is a great TED talk addressing if education kills creativity (See below)
When I was at school I was swayed away from creative subjects. Failures, imagination, and day dreaming were not encouraged, and academic subjects held to a higher esteem. Who else studied art to some degree or took some sort of creative course and got that look from a family member, friend or even someone you barely know alluding to that 'Really? What did you think you was going to become an artist? A dancer?' You know what I am talking about.
Ask your question
Have you ever felt your creativity has been undervalued?
Yes
No
Creativity is everywhere, not just in art.
Creativity is not simply linked to art. It has much wider reaching applications and I believe is crucial to everything around us. Architecture, fashion, technological advances and so on, the list is endless. Innovation is what has moved our society forward and it goes hand in hand with creativity. To imagine the impossible, the never seen before, the new, you need creativity and imagination. Think back to times before civilisations, our evolutionary journey is build on our capacity to be creative, to imagine and to make the impossible possible. Even tackling a problem or a challenge in a unique way before is put simply, creativity. It is something experienced in everyday life, whether by yourself or someone around you.
Creativity and art is about having fun.
Here at R Young Art, we run weekly art classes which are standalone two hours sessions where you are guided by a live artist step by step in the process of creating a painting. Often most of the people who attend our classes have not painted before or have not painted for years or decades. We encourage that! It is well known being creative can reduce stress and help people relax. Living in a fast-paced world everyone could do with a little less stress and more feelings of relaxation.
On a personal note, how art helped me.
On a personal note, it helped me through difficult periods in time. I was very repressed as a young child due to bullying going on in school and isolating myself. For a long time, I had no outlet for those emotions. Until I found art. Through that I really used it as a form of expression, and I channelled a lot of long ignored emotions into it. Going into college and university art for me never really changed in that regard. It was always my way of understanding myself, addressing issues I had and challenging the way I saw the world. That is the power of art, some of the greatest artists in the world use their artform to express emotion. Mark Rothko being an example.
Conclusion.
Here at 10 things creativity is good for. It helps solve problems more effectively. It helps us think outside of the box. It can help us communicate better. Can help with reduced stress, depression, and anxiety. Helps us adapt and promote change. Can make us more productive. Helps us grow and learn. Helps us build connections. Helps us find meaning and purpose. Can help us live a healthier life.
It can do a lot for us can't it? So do not suppress it and do not ignore it. Search for it, find it and explore it. Whether by yourself, with family or with friends. Pick up a paint brush and have some fun. Step back from a problem and think of other solutions. Whatever you do, do it with passion, love, and creativity.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.