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It is generally accepted that someone either has creativity or not. However, Ken Robinson, educator and educational reformer, not only believes that it can be developed, but even undertakes to define it.
“First of all, creativity is the process of generating original ideas that have value. This is a process, not an event that happened overnight. Original ideas rarely happen by chance (although they do). As a rule, you have to spend a lot of time and effort before you can solve a complex problem. Then this decision needs to be implemented, and the end result may be very different from the original idea.
Secondly, creative thinking is original thinking. It is not necessary to come up with something new for the whole world, the thought must be original for yourself and, possibly, for your circle. Sometimes discoveries happen that completely change people’s view of the world around them, but this is not a prerequisite for creativity.
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Thirdly, in any creative process, we have to evaluate and criticize our work in order to achieve the “ideal”. Whether you’re writing a poem, designing, or planning a speech, it’s natural to look at your work and feel like “this is a bit different than I had in mind” or “I’m not sure I did a good job of it.” We constantly evaluate, change something, because creativity is not a spontaneous process that has a beginning and an end. Often everything starts with brainstorming, theories and hypotheses, and then relentless work, trying again and again to do everything right.
There is an opinion that creativity cannot be evaluated. However, if we return to the definition, the key concepts of creativity are originality and value. In any field, you can define criteria for originality, as well as think about what ideas can be considered valuable. How would you rate math work, for example? You can ask the opinion of people who understand this area and can judge how original the work is. But remember that you cannot evaluate a child’s drawing and an Olympic champion by the same standards.
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Another myth is that creativity cannot be taught. In fact, when people say this, they are based on a very narrow idea of what teaching is. Yes, teaching creativity is not the same as teaching how to drive. You can’t teach to be creative through direct instructions: “Just do what I do and you will immediately become more creative.” In any field, there are techniques and techniques that need to be mastered. But teaching is much more than just instructions. To teach means to open up new possibilities, to inspire, instruct and support. Gifted teachers help people discover their creative talents, nurture them, and become more creative as a result.
You can be creative in any field. People often say: “I am not a creative person at all”, meaning only that they are far from art. They do not play any instruments, do not draw, do not go on the stage and do not dance. We forget that it is possible to be a creative mathematician, a creative chemist, or a creative chef. Everything in which the human intellect is involved is the field in which creative achievements are possible.
Sir Ken Robinson is a British writer, motivational speaker and world-renowned expert in education, creativity and innovative thinking. One of the inspirers and organizers of positive education programs based on the ideas of positive psychology.