| |
| |
|
Creativity Information |
|
|
|
Why Do We Need Creativity?
Creativity is central to the management of our individual lives, but in modern times few people are able to access this as a resource. Alan Watts writes in The Wisdom of Insecurity: "We have allowed brain thinking to develop and dominate our lives out of all proportion to 'instinctual wisdom'; which we are allowing to slump into atrophy. As a consequence we are at war within ourselves - the brain desiring things which the body does not want, and the body desiring things that the brain will not allow; the brain giving directions which the body will nor follow, and the body giving impulses which the brain cannot understand...So long as the mind is split, life is perpetual conflict, tension, frustration and disillusion. Suffering is piled on suffering, fear on fear, and boredom on boredom. The more the fly struggles to get out of the honey, the faster he is stuck. Under the pressure of so much strain and futility, it is no wonder that men [sic] seek release in violence and sensationalism, and the reckless exploitation of their bodies, their appetites, the material world and their fellow men". Globally at the moment there are many problems facing mankind. Diminishing natural resources and increasing populations mean that we are in a spiral of entropy. Our investment systems have been using the capital assets of our planet as income since the beginning of the industrial revolution. We are putting little energy back into our planet. Third world populations look enviously toward the apparent richness of first world countries, and wish to emulate the consumerism that appears to make its citizens so happy. Our media propagate the illusion that we can buy our way out of environmental destruction, and that retail therapy is the panacea to all dis-ease and unhappiness. Although the nature of work is changing there is still more slavery in the world than there has ever been. Mass production is shifting generally to third world countries where cheap labour and the environment are more easily exploited. Tiny wage slavery is still cheaper than investing in up to the minute technology for many third world industries. New technology steadily gobbles up jobs. Service, leisure and electronic industries have replaced much of our manufacturing losses to the third world but now even these (often part-time jobs) are being 'outsourced'. Certainly creativity is needed at individual and governmental levels to produce new opportunities in employment, information, education and leisure activities. Many of the manufacturing 'jobs for life' we have lost to cheaper workers have been replaced by part-time, poorly paid and insecure alternatives. The development of new forms of employment and the ability to cope with accelerating change needs creativity at all levels. Pressures towards conformity stem from, "a demand that education should primarily the way to enhanced social status and a materially safe way of life" (T.P. Jones in Creative Learning in Perspective). Aspects of specialisation (the mystification of knowledge into 'closed shops') and a centralised government system shift responsibility away from people. Many factors make it harder for an individual to act on their own behalf, on their own belief and to face uncertainty and possibly ridicule by doing something non-conformist. In education individual behaviour is still often construed as insulting and rebellious. Creativity, an Open University guide for teachers states: "One of the problems with teaching for creativity in schools is that many of the personality characteristics and kind of behaviour associated with them are unpleasing to the teacher. Independent children who will not accept what the teacher says, simply because they say it, can be disliked by the teacher, particularly when such behaviour occurs on a heavy day or with a tired teacher". The potential for divergent, self assertive thought and action is diminished in many sectors of society. People who 'rock the boat' and question authority are too often seen as a threat to established patterns. This has led to a breakdown in sensitivity to needs, the generation of ideas and the production of creative solutions. Financial reward and security are conditioned to be the primary motivations for work and life. With the coming of automation and factories seeking the cheapest labour in third world countries, the emphasis in a successful economy needs to be more biased towards the production of ideas that create meaningful and sustainable employment. The education systems we have are slow to realise this and much of the training they provide is still geared towards values established during the Industrial Revolution. The didactic education system we have is still partly based on training small boys for the priesthood, five-hundred years ago. The development of creative potential in individuals is an issue that the system simply does not know how to handle. Presently we are between two worlds, leaving generations high and dry concerning meaningful work and the generation of identity. "Whilst assimilating that which he has inherited, and adapting himself to it, man [sic] must also preserve his essential individuality. Education must assist the society which nurtures it by inspiring each generation to add to the culture it has received by creating something new; there should be no passive acceptance of what has been handed down from the past. Serious consideration must therefore be given to the extent that non-conforming ideas can be considered as an asset for life in a conforming society". (T.Powell Jones. Creative Learning in Perspective) Secrets of Creativity: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/secrets.html
MORE RESOURCES:
Creativity - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Characteristics: Creative Types VS Clods! Here are some odds & ends I have observed in creative-expert-genius types:Direction of Motivation: creatives move toward what they want in all areas of their life while the clods move away from what they don't want.Time Orientation: creatives look forward to completion. How Do You Paint New Age About once every year or so, I take a critical look at the design of my web site and now our popular newsletter and wonder what I could do to create a theme background for them.The site has been changed several times over the last four years, but it doesn't really have a theme backdrop. Top Ten Brainstorming Techniques for Business Success We experience creativity every time a fresh idea pops into our minds. We recognize creative imagination in everything from a pastel painting to a business plan. Should You Quit Your Job for Your Dream? The next time you're moodily sitting in your office, wishing you were living your dream instead, answer the following questions? or answer them now! They'll give you a sense of whether or not now's the time to make the break.My job is making me crazy; so crazy I'd do anything to quit. Creativity and Communication Lessons from Crossing the Street Spring is in full bloom, which means it's 'get back in shape time!' For me, that means strapping on the sneakers and going for a run (well, at this stage it's more of a slow loping jog.. Creativity Isnt Just About Art It Is About Healing Go on, pick up a pen, hold it in your hand and ask, " What can you do for me?"What do you hear? If you listen with your heart you may hear " I can show you a world within that only you and I can explore! Let's start writing and see what we can find."As you travel deeper within you will start to find a world of emotion and thoughts that you never imagined you had, whether you are delving into those dark corners of pain or dancing into the lightness of your being. Attraction: What We Attract With Our Creative Choices I used to be a jazz singer. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, they were wonderful and I strived to sing like they did. The 7 Simple Steps To Harnessing Your Creative Power And Achieving Incredible Success Let me repeat what I believe is the most powerful andfundamental knowledge available to man:"YOU CAN CREATE ANY ACTUAL PHYSICAL REALITY YOU WANT THROUGH THE INTENSE DESIRE, BELIEF AND PERSISTENCE OF YOUR MIND"Your desire for success brought this knowledge to you atthis very moment, there is no doubt of that. But do youknow how to harness it? To wield the power it makesavailable?Every great man and woman to ever walk the Earth harnessedthis knowledge and wielded a power that allowed them toexceed the limitations of regular humanity. Gift of a Letter "What cannot letters inspire? They have souls; they can speak; they have in them all that force which expresses the transports of the heart; they have all the fire of our passions." Letter from Heloise to Abelard (from Gift of a Letter by Alexandra Stoddard)Just returning from the National Stationery Show in New YorkCity, I was struck by the energetic "forward motion" of thethousands of vendors still enthusiastic about the power of thehand-written note. Being Creative is Essential for Online Success Do you have a strategy that ensures your online business stands out from the crowd?If your answer to the above is NO then you need to address this issue, because if you don't, it is unlikely that your online presence will even be noticed.With there being so much competition in every field on the internet it is essential that you offer your target market something different than your competitors. A Quick Course in Creativity This quick course in creativity is designed to give you a platform to stand on as we look at the various ways you can handle home, social and workplace situations, job-search details and career-path decisions.Let's examine what creativity might look like. Creativity Management - Breaking Through The Mental Barrier Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Connect with Your Surroundings Clutter is one of my favourite topics, and I've written before about the many different types of clutter and how each affects our creativity and our creative expression.Clutter is just one part of our surroundings - our physical environment - that has an impact on our creativity. 9 Ways to Live Creatively Creativity - according to Webster's it means having the ability or power to create; characterized by originality and expressiveness; imaginative. Ok that sounds great, wouldn't we all like to be more creative every day? Sometimes the hardest part to trying something new is the first step. How You Can Improve Your Creativity - What You Need to Know Would you like to enhance your creativity? Do you think that increased creativity is something that would improve your life?Before you answer yes or no to that question, take some time to explore what the word "creativity" means to you.If you think that creativity is something that you only need if you're an artist, while you happen to be a middle-manager in a corporation, you may decide that increased creativity is not really important to you. Tips on Breaking the Creative Block There's no question that creating anything is hard to do. Here are some tips if you find yourself creatively blocked. Creativity Management - Artists and Creativity Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Creative Drought For the past several hours, I've struggled with this week's message, the words, "what will I write?" screaming in my ears. I've felt like the princess who promises her first born child to the little man named "Rumplestiltskin" if only he will spin straw into gold. Story and Screenplay Structure Structure is beneficial to creative output in a number of ways. There are at least two types of structure, work processes and frameworks:a) Work processes such as incremental production produce more output than a "do your best" approach. Fear & Creativity My fears are most powerful when they're simmering just under the surface of my awareness. I'm resistant to a new idea, I'm defensive about holding on to my old ways, I feel excited and panicked at the same time - these are sure-fire signs that there's some fear under there.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
