Awaken your creative spark

By Precious AjoonuMind Therapist/Founder ThinkingSchool

Outline• What is Creativity?

• The Creative Myth

• The Creative Process

• Awaken your spark

What is Creativity?• Creativity is about fresh thinking. It doesn't have to be new to the whole of humanity – though that's always a bonus – but certainly to the person whose work it is. Creativity also involves making critical judgments about whether what you're working on is any good, whether it's a theorem, a design or a poem (Ken Robison).

The Creative Myth• There are various myths about creativity. One is that only special people are creative; another is that creativity is just about the arts; a third is that it's all to do with uninhibited "self-expression". None of these is true. On the contrary, everyone has creative capacities; creativity is possible in whatever you do, and it can require great discipline and many different skills (Ken Robison).

The Creative Process• Creativity, like all forms of learning, is a personal process.

Individuals are unique with different talents and aptitudes and different ways of getting to understand things. 

• Also, creativity is not a linear process, in which you have to learn all the necessary skills before you get started. It is true that creative work in any field involves a growing mastery of skills and concepts. It is not true that they have to be mastered before the creative work can begin. Focusing on skills in isolation can kill interest in any discipline. 

Creativity Drivers• The real driver of creativity is deep hunger for discovery and a passion for the work itself. When people are motivated to learn, they naturally acquire the skills they need to get the work done. The mastery of the skills grows as their creative ambitions expand. Evidence of this process can be found in any culture or discipline from tribal dance troupes to scientists.

Creative Spark• Facilitating the creative process takes connoisseurship, judgment and a commitment to learning. For creativity to flourish, people have to feel free to innovate without the constant fear of being punished for failing. Too much focus on success without taking into account the creative process can constrain innovative minds.

Awaken your Spark• What are the thoughts in your imagination?

• What problem would you like to fix?

• What are you most passionate about?

• What will you do for free?

Create• You have all you need to awaken your creative spark and birth that new innovation, that will transform humanity.

• What’s your big idea?

• The time to start creating is now!!!

Summary• Creativity is fresh thinking of new ideas or better ways to approach an existing idea.

• Everyone can create

• The time to start is now

Questions? Confused.com? Send Precious Ajoonu an email on thinkingschool.org@gmail.com