Nurturing creativity
Today's post is in celebration of the creativity of children. It is prompted by this picture from a friend. His son stopped in the middle of eating his sandwich to declare, "chopper!".
Children do this all the time. They see things that grown-ups don't. They make connections that blow our minds away.
Sir Ken Robinson tells the story "of a little girl who was in a drawing lesson. She was six and she was at the back, drawing, and the teacher said this little girl hardly ever paid attention, and in this drawing lesson she did. The teacher was fascinated and she went over to her and she said, "What are you drawing?" And the girl said, "I'm drawing a picture of God." And the teacher said, "But nobody knows what God looks like." And the girl said, "They will in a minute.""
That little girl had no fear, no weight from the preconceived notions of God. I love such stories. They sweep me away transporting me back to being childlike. They inspire me and set my being free. I think it is exactly this childlike creativity that leads people to create cool stuff like Apple iPhones, do stem cell research, climb the highest mountains on no oxygen or serve people in Haiti at the peril of losing their own secure jobs. All children are born with immense natural abilities, talents and curiosity but it gets inhibited as they grow. In helping families find the right educational setup for their child, I ponder the exact environment that will nurture the nascent creativity of each child.
While different situations and ingredients preserve childlikeness in particular children and grown-ups, I think there are some common elements:
No fear: Children have no fear of failure. They are willing to jump into and try most anything — yes, sometimes to their own peril. They don't worry about making mistakes or how they will look when they make mistakes. Being able to and allowing ones self make mistakes is so essential to being creative, to trying things out. Often, children get coached on the right way of doing something. How about if they got to figure it out on their own.
This reminds me of a story from John Holt. He tells of an early talker who called every animal a cow. Consider the tremendous leap the child had made in coming to the point of being able to recognize a cow, distinguish animals from all other creatures, get the concept of naming one, learn language and find a name that fit. That's a long way to come. Most often, a grown-up would correct the child, providing the "correct" name for the animal. I wonder what happens to the child's confidence in that moment. What regard is there for how far the child has come in being able to name an animal a "cow"? In the moment of being corrected, did the child just get told that one ought not try unless sure of arriving at the correct answer? What did the child internalize about creativity in that moment?
Pause: Children live in the moment. Ever been around a 3 year-old and told them that you are going to go to the park the next day and had them retort with, "right now?". They live in the now and they see what is happening in the now. They don't live in their heads like many grown-ups do. This is how the sandwich eating boy was able to see the "chopper" in his sandwich. Creativity lies in being here and now, doing with what is present and seen right in front of us. Every time a child has such an epiphany, it needs to be seen with the pause that the moment demands. This is possible when other agendas, goals and plans don't steal the moment away.
Indulge: Children make wild connections, often very creative ones. They see things we don't because they don't recognize, categorize and file away what they see. The are in wonder over what they see. They are in a constant state of discovery. This needs to be indulged. Going with the flow of wild connections leads to truly innovative and creative realizations. This requires getting knowledge and practicality out of the way so anything might be possible. Isn't this what corporations also look for in conducting "pie in the sky" brainstorms?
While not all school classrooms can hold up these elements, I think parents and families can. This what I hope to do as I craft educational support with families that nurtures children into becoming their own greatest creative selves.