creativity and us

Did the words “art and craft” pop into your mind after reading the title?

Well let us understand what creativity actually is.

Google defines Creativity as an ability to make or produce new things using skills or imagination. In short, creating something which has not been done yet, using our brains and skills with some thought behind it. It is not always necessary to use new resources, but we can create simple things using our surroundings. Making or creating new things help in problem solving. It can be simple things like making a plane from paper, a drawing from leaves and flowers, or complex things like making a robot, designing a dress, etc.

Well that’s not all. Creativity is not only art and designing. It is not only colours, paper, paint or origami. Taking decisions is also creativity. Writing scripts, composing songs, cooking delicious food is all creativity too.

After reading this stuff, you might think that it’s only possible for genius people or gifted personalities to do such extraordinary things. But we think, you neither have to be a genius nor of a particular age to be creative. All that’s required is encouragement and freedom. We propose that the idea of creativity should be encouraged from childhood, and the most important part of it is “FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.” Nowadays running behind being perfect and ideal and earning to live a lavish life, we are setting too many restrictions on children when they actually should be allowed to express themselves freely. Only then the process of creativity will begin and they will actually do something amazing.

Children's brains work amazingly. As adults, many times we fail to look at things from a different perspective due to our strategic mindset. So, to encourage this creativity from an early age we should follow simple steps which will help boost their creativity. The very first one will be to listen and appreciate your child's viewpoint. It may be wrong, but patiently listening and not criticizing their view helps the child to think out of the box. The child may understand later that a particular thing does not work that way and they might correct themselves, but labelling and stopping the child’s views, kills the child’s ability to think creatively. The second one is very important, we should think beyond. For example, if you are given a piece of paper with a box border and told to draw anything, many will draw within that border. Try to think out of the box. Draw outside that border.

Albert Einstein has quoted “ Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought.” And remember, this has to start from early childhood. You will definitely see the way your child flourishes.

See you then, take care.