#and yes obviously to create unique textures you also need skill etc etc

[crazysodomite]

i consider traditional art to be much harder than digital (not to mention more expensive) but onw thing im jealous of is the possibility of effortlessly creating texture

[chilternhouse-blog]

Creativity and Imagination

“Imagination is more important than knowledge”  

Albert Einstein

 There is a popular myth that creativity is a quality that we either have or don’t have, like freckles or brown eyes. It is often being linked with being artistic, uninhibited, somewhat wild and expressive, but both ideas are just that: pure myth.

In reality, creativity and imagination are not a separate part of the brain that function only in certain people. It is just as possible to be creative in science, technology, business and in the kitchen as it is in music, art dance and writing or indeed, in any activity that engages human intelligence real creativity comes from finding your passion.  When we find a medium we love, and in which we thrive, we discover creative strength by using our imagination.

Picasso said,  “Every child is an artist.  The problem is to remain an artist once he grows up.”

Children seem to lose their powers of imagination and creativity as they grow up. What happens? Unfortunately what happens all too often is children being to experience failure, this causes them to feel self-conscious and begin to question themselves. Once this begins to happen the windows to the imagination begin to close.  If children feel anxious about the outcome they are unlikely to employ the creative thinking skills, such as logic and reasoning, which will enable them to learn from the process.

The main purpose of education is to develop people who can cope with and contribute to the rate of change in this century, people who are flexible and have found their creative talents.  Unfortunately, most schools teach to pass tests and focus on academic ability. Academic ability essentially a capacity for certain verbal and mathematical reasoning. This is obviously important, however, it does not represent the breadth of human intelligence and it certainly is not guaranteed to lead to the development of creativity or use of the imagination.

In today’s pressured society children often grow out of their creativity.  As Carl Jung puts it, the creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect alone but by the play instinct, when the creative mind plays with the objects it loves.

The most important thing of all is imagination and that is how the students at Chiltern house review are taught. The students are taught to use their natural curiosity to motivate them in learning.  

Is a lack of play the reason children grow out of their creativity? I believe the answer to this is yes!  In order to help our children retain and further develop their creativity, we need to develop their motivation, interest, effort and opportunities in which creativity thrive.

Developing Motivation

Creative ideas don't grow in a vacuum. Individual creativity is motivated by encouragement and stimulated by the ideas and achievements of other people, so children need parents, teachers, friends and mentors to support them.

Creative insights occur when risk-taking and experimentation are encouraged, rather than stifled. When children are free from pressure to perform they make connections between ideas or experiences that were previously unconnected, so conditions at home and at school can kindle or kill creativity.

 Inspiring Interest

People who have achieved great things in their field are often driven by a love of their subject, a real passion for the nature of the processes involved. To inspire curiosity about a wide range of activities, encourage your child's original ideas and interests, however quirky they may seem. We can raise children's levels of sensory perception by increasing experiences:

Going for walks outside, listening to music, going to the theatre, playing on the beach, mixing finger paints, cooking and encouraging physical activity.

Understanding effort

Creativity takes mental discipline so set children a framework of positive discipline to guide them.  Great works of art often come from working within formal constraints. Some of the finest English poetry is written in the sonnet form which has a fixed 14 line, rhyming structure which the poet must follow. Rather than inhibiting the writer's creativity, this sets a framework for it to achieve unique effects and original insights.

Creativity involves making judgments about ideas. There may be failures and changes before the best outcome is reached. Children will benefit from supportive, constructive conversations that enable them to evaluate which ideas work and which don't, make judgments and think critically about their efforts.  

Finding opportunity

Creativity is enriched by a mix of knowledge, interest, feelings, intuition and imagination. Provide a wide range of experiences to enable children to find the right medium for their personal strengths, those that release their creative capacities. Allow them time, space and independence to develop their expertise and learn to control the media they choose. That means freedom to play, to experiment and take risks, opportunities for a conversation to understanding their feelings, and parents who are prepared to say "yes" to mess!

It is through play that children are given the opportunity to explore, discover, experiment and make mistakes. These processes are vital in developing the creative thinking skills which a child can carry with him or her through life.  Make time for all different kinds of play.

DramaticPlay

This is where children interact with others in play settings. During dramatic or pretend-play children often substitute a real object with a pretend one, for example, using a block for a mobile phone.  This indicates the ability for abstract thinking, which is a higher level of thinking. Children learn social rules such as give and take, co-operation and sharing. To function effectively in the adult world, children need to participate in play, like pretending to talk on the telephone,   driving a car or cooking a meal; activities that the adults in their lives are often engaged in. The language used during pretend play is more imaginative, vocabulary is used at a higher level and language structure is more complex than a child would use during daily, routine activities.

Games

Children learn a lot about the  importance of social contracts and rules when they play games like “What is the time Mr. Wolf?”, “Simon Says”, or “Musical Statues”. They learn that the game will only be fun if they work together and follow the rules of the game. Creativity does require logical thinking and games can be a great way to develop that.

Block play:

Building with blocks and other construction toys give children the opportunity to discover different properties of materials, their sizes, shapes and weights. They learn about spatial concepts, sorting, patterning, comparing and classifying which are all very important for learning more complex mathematics as well as literacy concepts. As there is no single correct way of using these open-ended, manipulative toys, they help to develop children’s diverse thinking and problem-solving skills. All of this leads to the development of creative thinking.

Water play:  

A variety of containers and other objects made available to children along with a tub full of water provide an enjoyable way for them to experiment with pouring, floating and sinking. Filling up different containers, pouring water from one container to another gives them the opportunity to discover how much different containers hold, which two hold the same amount etc. thus, learning about comparing and estimating.

Sand Play:

The interesting texture of sand, how it runs or flows when dry and can be sculpted when wet fascinates children. It provides endless possibilities for learning about measuring, digging, burying ‘treasure’, drawing maps, and hunting for objects. The amount of science and mathematical concepts which can be experienced and therefore fully understood during sand play are numerous.

Both sand and water play develop not only scientific and mathematical thinking skills but also enable children to explore and be creative at the same time.

How can I raise a creative child?

Play together.  Get involved in role play with your children. They will love it and together you can experiment and explore in a safe and secure setting. You will learn more about your child in an hour of pretend play than you might in weeks of rushing about.

Limit the use of TV.  TV requires very little imagination whatsoever and does not extend a child’s thinking skills in the same way active involvement does.

Read together.  As you read to your child their imagination will soar.  Discuss the story and possible outcomes, what could happen next? What would you do?....

Create a small art centre where your child can draw, paint, colour and use playdough.  Art materials should be easily accessible.

Be open to change. Move furniture around, take a new route to school. Try new food for dinner.

Give your child space.  Space to make mistakes, in other words, let her do it her way – even if you know it won’t work! She can only learn from her own mistakes, not yours.  Space to run around in and explore. Nature has been the inspiration for many great thinkers.

Recycle.  Keep old bottles, boxes, lids etc and see what your child can think of doing with them.

Listen to your child.  How can you help them follow their passions if you don’t know where their passions may lie?

What are the long-term benefits of developing creativity and imagination?

·Well-developed social skills.  Children who have had the opportunity to pretend play have had the opportunity to explore relationships and learn more about how people interact. Children who can imagine can therefore empathize and are more likely to develop the skills needed to work cooperatively and collaboratively.

Creativity and imagination are what is needed to be able to be an efficient problem solver, innovator and creative thinker. These skills are best honed at a young age and nurtured throughout childhood and adolescence.

Using imagination is the beginning of abstract thought. A child who can see an enchanted forest in the legs of the dining room table is learning to think symbolically.  This skill is needed all the way through school.

Healthy self-esteem. Young children feel empowered as they imagine they are a princess or superhero. It is a widely held belief that as long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can. This knowledge that the power to imagine is more powerful than physical practice is being used in many fields nowadays from medicine to the arts. Many famous musicians practice as often in their mind as they do with their instrument.  Sportsmen and women use visualization as important part of their training.  They use their imagination to see themselves winning.

Society benefits from having people who are flexible thinkers.  By having problems to solve curiosity, thinking skills and flexibility are all developed.  If we focus on developing such skills we are likely to find creative solutions to the problems our society faces as well as avoid creating more problems.

As Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

We need to be able to use our imagination, think out of the box and not be afraid to be creative.