Do we grow out of “____” or are we educated out of it?

“Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not…;
…a sense of humour to console him for what he is.”
Francis Bacon Philosopher, 1561 - 1626

Imagination, creativity and humour - what great topics for a blog! I don’t know about you, but with the world in the state it’s in right now with the economic downturn, I think some creativity and a good laugh are just what we need.

So today’s blog includes a podcast from the UK author and creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson. If you could also use some laughs while gaining insight into how he believes we’re educating our children out of creativity visit this link:

http://www.mindfood.com/at-podcast-do-schools-kill-creativity.seo

I came across this message while reading a new magazine my husband treated me to called ‘Mindfood’. I can recommend it if you’re after some informative and interesting reading.

About ten years ago, I studied about Learning Styles in USA which revolutionized my approach to teaching. It developed in me a keen interest in Personality Profiles. If you’ve had a Profile given to you, remember it’s just a part of the multi-faceted personality you are. Get as many of them as you can to gain some insight into why and how you approach life.

You may have learned that your dominant personality style is a risk-taker - or not. Some of us are really concerned about trying something new in case it goes wrong.

Sir Ken Robinson says that by the time we get to be adults, most of us have lost our imaginative, our creative capacity. We are frightened of being wrong. We start to feel as if mistakes are the worst thing we can make.

We grow out of creativity, or we get educated out of it.

“Kids will take a chance - if they don’t know, they’ll have a go. They aren’t frightened of being wrong. If you’re not prepared to be wrong you’ll never come up with anything original.”
Sir Ken Robinson

At this time of writing, the USA has a new president - a black American. Just think; there was a time when Obama was sitting at a school desk being taught the same sort of lessons you and I have been taught. I wonder when he started to dare to imagine that he, a black American, could one day be President. I wonder if he ever had thoughts such as ‘Get real! Who do you think you are! Haven’t you noticed you’re black?”. What steps did he take to overcome these thoughts so that today he claims access to the White House?

Because I’m wondering, if Obama can vision something so big and it become reality, what can we envision to become real?

“Write the vision and make it plain…wait earnestly for it because it will surely come ”
Habakkuk 2:2

What creative visions do you have for your future? What steps do you need to take to claim your visions and make them reality? I encourage you write down your dreams, perhaps share them with us in the comment section, so that they become more than a thought.

Here’s to us and our creativity!

Carolyn