“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” Edward de Bono
The death of my father in the last month has given me the opportunity to reflect on him and his mentorship at an important developmental stage in my life. Dad and I were closest when I was in my teens; it was here that he was at his most vibrant and dynamic, when he taught creative thinking and problem solving to numerous students at UC Davis. I was lucky, because he also instructed and included me in his classes. We painted, we danced, we read everything we could get our hands on, debating and discussing, playing music, ripping apart (and rebuilding) houses, cars, and electronic equipment and clothes. We worked on math equations for the 4th dimension, and at thirteen a friend and I became the guinea pigs for a new algebra book, working through the problems and noting inconstancies. Life was one great creative, joyful endeavour, with problems to solve, questions to ask, theories to prove. It’s what we did for entertainment as TV was largely banned in Dad’s house at this time.
Life is “trying things to see if they work”. Ray Bradbury
Pondering my ancestry, I come across the fact that I come from a very creative family, from artist aunts to inventor grandfathers and seamstress, diet conscious grandmothers; from DIY farmers, horticulturalists, mechanics and builders, to electronic engineers and University educators and doctors, we are multi-talented. And as one woman, when reviewing family history for a magazine article recently stated, our diversity is hard to pigeonhole.
“The man with a new idea is a crank – until the idea succeeds.” Mark Twain
For me this creative engagement with life never stopped, which is apparent from my CV or work experience, I have tackled, worked in and moved through a variety of organisations and jobs. This is because for me each job is a learning opportunity, a way to expand my brain and a way to live life dynamically. I am an excellent problem solver and creative thinker, which is one of the most sought after aspects in my communications with others. Where others get blocked, I get information. When some give up, I dream solutions. Creativity is the air I breathe, living an intuitively creative life is my soul’s key note. I like to figure out how things work, or why they don’t. From the mundane website coding to the infinitely variable workings of human mind, body and spirit, I enjoy solving problems and asking questions. Thank you ancestors, relatives and mentor friends for imparting this most valuable inner drive.
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton
It follows that although I read voraciously, watch film, create and listen to music, paint and draw, analyse, research, study and work, I am of the opinion that some information cannot be transmitted solely through media but has to be taught, or learned. Certain ways of thinking or ‘being’ are developed solely by personal communication between a teacher and student. This is widely understood for many areas of study and as a result I involved myself with the creative and interesting individuals, mentors and teachers who personally imparted their wisdom. In a sense what I learned was not a series of ‘facts’ but a way, a path, a type of internal action which they imparted through transference. I think many teachers understand this and realise fundamentally that although a child or adult may read or gain information through media, there is a required amount of personal guidance necessary to open up certain paths of development. It is a co-creative transmission of a very hard to define quality, openness by the teacher to questioning on part of the student.
“The human mind once stretched by a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes
The creative channels must be opened and nurtured and I find this seems to be a frequent problem with people and organisations. Many times, these channels were or are not fostered or supported and as a result a stratified manner of thinking is employed, causing blocks when pursing solutions. It is hard to see out of one’s own box, especially if we are not given the necessary tools to do so.
Creative thinking and questioning is an art form as well as a highly developed ability which takes experience.
“Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.” W. Somerset Maugham
And as all those old DIY inventors, creators, farmers and self made men and women disappear carrying with them the understanding of the need to think creatively for survival, we may come upon an increasingly growing class of people who have to be ‘thought for’ or fed information, who can’t solve problems because they are unable to, at the outset, even figure out how to view situations from a variety of vantage points, to formulate the right questions. To whom creative thinking is a downloaded game or application where a finite number of choices drive the player to a set of predetermined but seemingly ‘creative’ goals, a clever channelling into a reward system of carefully chosen Pavlovian, responses. In our world of manufactured ‘creative products and personas’ uniquely developed imagination and problem solving abilities may become highly sought after.
“The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas.” Linus Pauling
The world is dynamic, not static, making creative thinking and questioning one of the most valuable inner drives we can engender in our youth, and ourselves.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.” Albert Einstein.
