How Today’s Creativity Becomes Tomorrow's History

Let’s begin with defining creativity. A quick search on the Internet or in your dictionary will reveal this standard definition

Creativity: The use of your imagination to generate unique ideas. 

The language might vary however, the idea will remain the same no matter what dictionary or internet source you use. One aspect of creativity not often spoken of is the fact that creativity can’t really be defined because it is based on your own perceptions, thoughts, experiences, and overall environment. 

Everyone has a slightly different idea of what creativity looks like.  Some feel that it comes in the form of artistic expressions and works of art. 

Some assert that creativity encompasses everything you can conjure using your mental acuity, including but not limited to basic thought and complex actions. Either way, you look at it, creativity is a necessary attribute to continue your advancement through life. Unfortunately, creativity is not always fostered and sometimes it can be hindered.

How public schools kill creativity

This is a highly debated subject that many scholars have discussed over the years. Sir Ken Robinson states in a 2006 Ted Talk that, “We don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it.” This suggests that as children, we are not afraid of speaking our mind and making mistakes.

However, the modern public school system actually discourages making mistakes through bad grades and other punishments. Therefore, children are encouraged not to try unless they know the answer. 

This is a commonality between public school systems in the western world. Whether we’re considering the European education system or the American education system creativity is not encouraged. Rather memorization and regurgitation are what we focus on as a society. 

But why is it important for humans (children and adults) to have creativity

Creativity pushes the boundaries that we live in. Without seeking something greater, change would never come. As a species, we are bound by an instinctual urge to look beyond the horizon. Creativity allows us to go where no one has gone before, to do things that have never been done before. Whether safely or dangerously, creativity keeps us as a species progressing, growing, discovering solutions, and challenging our commonly held beliefs. 

How creativity for humans evolves into these “universal truths”

Your creativity will eventually lead you down a path of great discovery. If those discoveries and lessons are impactful enough, they will become common knowledge. As word spreads, your discovery will travel faster than the birds in the sky. Day by day, your creative discovery will permeate the collective consciousness of humankind.

Have you ever heard the saying, “there is nothing new under the sun.” This phrase stems from the fact that ideas and creativity are so recycled that after long periods of time, creativity becomes universal truths that get recorded in history. We, humans understand those universal truths through three perspectives: 1) The Fine arts 2) The Sciences & 3) The Religions. These universal paths of truth and knowledge have created thousands of written historical content that we can now, go back, analyze and recreate for future generations..

This is the cycle of creative discovery that never stops. Creative individuals, humans, like you and me develop ideas that after some time cycle, lay dormant and are rethought of by future individuals. It’s so incredibly important that we promote creativity to help keep the cycle alive.