Did School Kill Your Creativity? — Third Thought Third Thought

Did School Kill Your Creativity?

28th of April ~

Did school kill your creativity?  Ken Robinson certainly thinks it may have.  If you haven’t seen his TED talk here it is:

The good Sir Robinson has also written an excellent book called The Element.  We are in our Element when our natural talent/aptitude meets our personal passion.  This sounds a little like Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s notion of ‘Flow‘ but here’s how I see the difference: if you have a chance to pursue your talent and passion (your Element) then you will more often find themselves in a state of Flow.

Here is Sir Ken is concern: schools today are over-focused on a narrow definition of intelligence.  Standardized tests determine everything from school funding to who gets into elite programs and colleges.  Perhaps you’ve read A Whole New Mind or Five Minds for the Future.  Perhaps you believe that employers are seeking creativity, the ability to solve complex problems and do more than simply provide the ‘right’ answer.

The world needs flexible, generative minds alongside the analytical, logical minds.  And our curricula and assessments do not reflect that, sadly.

For many years my Element has been dance.  For many years I studied ballet (and tap, and jazz and even baton twirling!).  When I studied dance technique I was definitely not in Flow.  It was painstaking learning.  But eventually, I got better and became a trained dancer.  I haven’t performed in years but I still seek opportunities to dance.  I do lose track of time and enter ‘single-minded immersion’.   What a gift to have found something for which I had some aptitude and loved so much.  I also believe that my training in the arts prepared me to make a broader contribution professionally.  I studied math and science.  I took ballet lessons.  Both improved my brain.

What is your Element?  What have you pursued with passion and aptitude?  If it’s been a long time since you’ve found yourself in Flow may I suggest that you find a way to get back to what you love?  You and the world will be better for it.

---