Killing Creativity
Out of context: Reply #25
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- blaw0
In his speech he says that he believes we are all creative and then we grow out of it. I whole-heartedly agree with this.
In "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" Betty Edwards notes that all kids draw, but around age eleven they put the pencils, crayons, etc. down. She feels her roll is to encourage people to pick them back up (what a fantastic purpose to have).
As a father, this is a really important subject to me. Grayhood remarked that he wished there was a bit more of a solution offered up. The best solution I have is the one I use for everything: Lead by example.
I work hard everyday to demonstrate that, not only can you still draw/cut/paste/color/build when you're a "grown up", but that it is really the most entertaining thing to do. When neverblink brought the "Illustration Friday" project to my attention, I explained it to my son and now we do this every week. I make sure when I buy art supplies I buy two of everything. Special equipment makes the activity seem special. And kids just like doing stuff with their parents. Simple as that.
And the fact is, in a lot of the areas I dabble, I'm really not that good. But that doesn't take the joy out of it. Creating things... starting with nothing and turning it into something... I just get the biggest kick out of it.
I guess my point is that the main step is simply being aware. As the gentleman in the TED speech says, creativity is as important as literacy. That's a pretty heavy statement, and probably not 100% accurate, but it is definitely on the right path. People always say to me, "I wish I'd learned to play a musical instrument." Well, what the hell is stopping you? If you want to do something, do it. Pick up a guitar; pick up a pencil; start writing a memoir; build a set of bookends. And, if you're a parent, do it in front of your kid. Preferably with your kid.