The Importance of Creativity and Originality for Children

Once upon a time there was a world in which the children had no imagination. Their indoctrinated thoughts were dull and uninteresting. Their days were filled with tedium. They had no way of knowing whether they were curious about their world - it was just there.

This may sound like the beginning of a novel, but sadly I do not believe we would have to scratch too much white wash off the surface of our own communities to see a reflection of what could be in store for future generations, if we do not encourage imagination and creativity in today's children. The more I reflect on this, the more I realize just how antiquated a lot of our schools teachings are. The world around us changes everyday and yet our education system still hails from the 18^th and 19^th centuries and the principals of industrialism. These were principles based on growing industry, where children would study a certain subject to obtain a job in that field for his or hers entire career.

The activist for the arts and creative thinking for children, Sir Ken Robinson, argues that the current education system is "educating people out of their creativity". His points are that today's education does not develop children's natural abilities; education has not grown with the times. Children are "weaned" away from their interests and talents, laboring under the belief that certain subjects are not very useful for getting jobs. Again, this I see to be a residue of times past. Children need a more rounded education, as more and more is expected in today's work place. Therefore does the question become this, - is it precisely these types of subjects that are going to increase their chances, by utilizing their abilities and creative thoughts?

To really understand what must be done, creativity needs importance in our modern times. We can take a deeper search through history to help us in this understanding. For example the Greeks believed that the inspiration for originality came from the gods. Socrates wrote that inspired thoughts originate with the gods, ideas coming not when a person is rational but when someone is 'beside himself', when 'bereft of the senses'. There we see the suggestion that 'thinking' might actually prevent creativity. Socrates may have had a few parenting ideas that would curdle with many peoples thoughts today, but who is to say that the Greeks were wrong? The industrialist perhaps?

Socrates' writing is definitely very noteworthy, and so is a look at creativity and our depth of its understanding from a scientific view point. From this position the products of creative thought are considered to have both originality and appropriateness. Although we see creativity as simple, it is actually quite complex. Unlike many topics there is no single scientific authoritative perspective or definition of creativity. It has been connected with the less understood topics of genius, mental illness, humor, and REM sleep, and affiliated with the right or forehead brain activity and lateral thinking. One intriguing definition (maybe somewhat unbelievable to some) of creativity is that it is generated when we can discard preconceived assumptions and engage a new approach. Interestingly many creative thinkers speak of the feeling of elation following a creative insight. That buzz of excitement, a feeling of getting a glimpse into another realm. Albert Einstein spoke of his 1907 general theory of relativity as "the happiest thought of my life". Therefore wouldn't it be true to say that the spirit of creativity runs contrary to the expectations of conformity? Was it not the sparks of creativity scattered thought-out human history that gave us our modern world today? The telephone, advances in engineering, electricity, global communications and man walking on the moon, none of which could possibly have been conceived without creativity and originality.

Encouragingly some researchers believe that creativity is the outcome of the same cognitive process as intelligence. "The threshold hypothesis" proposed by Ellis Paul Torrance states that a high degree of intelligence seems to be necessary for high creativity. Academics have generally a wide acceptance that creativity is desirable in society. Therefore should it not be given the same attention as reading, writing and mathematics?

For our children to be able to throw off the shackles of today's indoctrinated educational views they need strong and loving role-models, they need their parents and teachers to lead the way. Sir Ken Robinson says it can be boiled down to two things, "It's about habits and habits". He means our routines, the more we do the same, the more we are the same. Show your children you can be different. People like to believe that they are shunning conformity, it has almost become a dirty word these days, but children respond more fervently to actions than they do words. Be that one person who does something they wouldn't normally do. If you shake up the 'norm' you will unleash your creative capacity and stimulate your children's minds, enabling them to find new ways to express themselves.

Remember children do not need us to hold their hands through everything. Often just to be shown the door is enough. Time with their own thoughts is invaluable as long as we give them the tools to express their abilities through a medium they love. And from this creativity will grow.