What is Creativity? . . and What is its Future?
What is Creativity?
I think we all have a feeling of what creativity is. But how do we define it?
It seems like such a complex question. Yet . . .
it’s actually also simple.
I asked my five year old son as he came over to my computer while I was composing this article: What is creativity? Afterall, it is best to consult with experts on a subject. And children are the experts of creative process. He said without hesitation,
“I think creativity is when you’re creative.”
We are all born creative. It is present within each of us in different forms. The way children see the world is perhaps the best measure we have of pure creative capability - something that requires open-minded thinking, a collision of ideas, a fresh perspective, and a playful attitude towards the world. For kids, being creative is easy - perhaps because they never stop being creative.
Despite everyone having first-hand knowledge of creativity, it is still a quality difficult to explain. Some see it as an innate ability, others think of it as as a way of life, while others embrace it as a skillset to approach the world. Still some see it as a combination of all these, or none of these. (And I will add, my son’s viewpoint suggests creativity is something we partake in).
I think we can agree on one thing: Creativity is human; it is present in each individual in different forms. Yet, the ability to innovate is not uniquely human, it also present in some animals and expressed in different species through the way they use tools, hunt, communicate, or interact. The key distinguishing factor is the human ability to build on prior innovations. Perhaps this is the key element that distinguishes human creativity as distinct from the innovativeness of the entire animal kingdom.
An article in Science Times whose titled declared, “Animals are Creative Like Humans, But Do Not Take it Forward” (Kuman 2017) suggests that
“. . . even if these animals show innovativeness, they do not have the ability to improve upon solutions of others. According to some mathematical analyses, it is important to develop a "cumulative culture," according to Science. Unless they share information accurately and replicate each others' inventions, their creative inventions are likely to vanish before they can be innovated further. . . .This ability can be managed only by humans. As we are able to build on shared knowledge, we can take technology forward. Otherwise, animals might be innovative and creative but cannot pool their knowledge and build further upon them.”
As we can see, human creativity is not a static quality; it includes a set of skills and ways of perceiving that can be repeatedly honed and further developed; especially through collaboration. And these abilities csn be developed in myriad ways such as practice, knowledge-seeking, passive and active learning, playing, observing, imagining, writing, conversing, etc. Even unstructured activities like time in nature, play or socialization can impact creative processes.
Creativity it seems is both a natural ability and set of skills we develop over a lifetime. Natural creativity encompasses the skills, abilities, perceptions, and inclinations for different areas (defined externally as subject matters) or ways of thinking, observing, seeing, doing, feeling or perceiving the world around us. Yet, what is even more incredible about creative ability is that it can be expanded and honed to even greater heights than natural inclinations, and even combined with other abilities or skills.
This is what perhaps makes imagination the most amazing of all human abilities - as compared to language, memory, critical thinking, problem solving or attention. Imagination may be the ability to build on prior creative thought. When we imagine, we dream of what could be.
In fact, creativity seems to overlap most other processes, and even taps into the subconscious mind and emotions. Creativity it seems can also be defined as a way of approaching the world with curiosity and continuing to gain skills to develop it to new levels.
What is the Future of Creativity?
Different strategies exist to strengthen creativity. The creative process is quite complex, it involves both the way we engage the world, and the way we choose to perceive it.
Yet, traditional systems can stifle creativity. In 2006, the late Sir Ken Robinson, educational expert and reformer, in his TED talk, “Do Schools Kill Creativity” called into question the role of creativity in educational paradigms. He explained how schools modeled in 19th century industrial system for producing workers rather than creatives, can diminish creativity by discouraging diversity of thought, derail exploration of different careers, and curtail expression of creative processes in different domains.
Judging by the fact that his talk remains one of the most watched TED talks, his viewpoint intrigued a large majority of people - and continues to open questions about the way we view the role of creativity in societal structures. His work encouraged schools to embrace more creative approaches to learning that considered open-ended learning, collaboration, project-based learning, passion-led learning, multidisciplinary (or discipline-less) learning, other dynamic models for education. These models hope to expand creativity, rather than diminish it in youth. Robinson’s work impacted everything from curriculum and teaching, to the way schools were designed and built. Creativity requires a thoughtful road map.
Yet with the advent of AI, new pressing questions arise in regard to creativity and his call to action seems even more relevant today. It seems to extend these same questions from 2006 to the present day. What role will creativity and imagination play in solving our complex world problems? How do we prepare the next generation to lead happy, fulfilling lives? How do we extend creative potential? What problems can creativity solve? Do our current systems support or stifle the development of creativity?
Sir Ken Robinson seemed to envision an answer in 2006 when he said:
“I believe our only hope for the future is to adopt a new conception of human ecology, one in which we start to reconstitute our conception of the richness of human capacity. Our education system has mined our minds in the way that we strip mine the earth, for a particular commodity and for the future it won’t service. We have to rethink the fundamental principles in which we are educating our children. . . ”
His quote very much fits with the current predicament we face as artificial intelligence mines human intelligence, replaces creatives, and redefines models for creative thinking as a cog, rather than the entire process of thinking itself. AI may serve as a tool or interactive super-encyclopedia useful to solve specific problems, but it will never replace human creativity and its expansive potential. One imperative becomes defining creativity, so that we may honor it. Imagination, afterall, is the only way forward.
In fact, it is not just schools, but workplaces that can silo and discourage creativity. And what of a future where AI assistants, apps, and tools infiltrate every system and operation of daily work, schools, media and online environments? What will this do to creativity and its future?
I think it is telling that Sir Ken Robinson chose to talk about schools. Why? As a prior school teacher and education writer, I realized that he wanted to affect creativity at its core - in the first system that can work to support and expand, or stifle and destroy natural creativity - education.
Since Sir Ken Robinson’s pivotal speech calling for educational reform, we've seen how schools and workplaces responded to create opportunities to promote and encourage creative thinking and processes. We’ve built different types learning structures and evolved more flexible systems that encourage diversity of thought. The work in this area continues to be essential to our future. By supporting children’s natural inclinations for creativity, they flourish.
Much research, models, creative discourse and methods exist to engage creativity. These different ways of seeing the world help us to better access innate creativity and develop it to higher levels.
My hope is that I can present some of these models to help elucidate ways to grow creativity ability and approach the creative process. In creating dialogue around creativity, we help it flourish.
Creativity matters. Imagination transforms the world. The problems of the future require innovative solutions, ones that we have yet to dream up- allowing future generations to imagine a new version of the world building from the inventiveness of current generations. The future of creativity is truly ours to imagine. Children lead the way.
