The common perception is that once someone goes through the whole education system, he will be exposed to a lot of different experience and with those experience, becoming creative in the process is taken as granted. In a way, that is somewhat true. But it is like saying if I give a child a piece of paper, a crayon set and some picture books, the child will automatically become creative.
Undeniably, with the correct tools in hand and some references as a guide, the child will be capable to create a lot of different things. However, whether he can make something that is considered beautiful by most folks is a completely different story.
While there is nothing wrong with paper and crayons to boost creativity, I believe there are several weaknesses in the common understanding of being creative because of this method. These weaknesses are so bad, that most people do not even realize it.
Let me ask you a question. What can you create, if you are the one given a piece of paper, crayons and picture books? If your mind automatically thinks only of drawing different possible pictures, then you have fallen to the trap of thinking inside the box.
There are a lot of other possibilities with paper and crayons. For example, you can create a custom-made colorful origami. And with the addition of glue and scissors, you may even be able to make a rocket out of those crayons.
Weakness in the Education System to Foster Creativity
From the illustration from before, you can see two major weaknesses from the education system regarding creativity. The first one is “the guide to go inside the box”. Because you are given picture books as a reference, your mind shuts out all other ideas, which do not involve drawing.
While you are supposed to flex your creativity muscle, ironically you are “taught to follow” the rule within the box under the false pretense of being creative. In the end, what you really learn is how to copy a picture book.
The second one is the misconception that no other resources may be used. Unless stated otherwise, why should we limit our resources? Unfortunately, that is the most common way we are taught to be creative in school.
We are not taught how to create things without a guideline and using our maximum possible resources in school. As a matter of fact, we are taught to copy something from the early age. So, it is not a wonder if a lot of people struggle to be creative.
How the Real World Value Creativity
To make things worse, the world outside does not mirror the school environment. The world outside of school does not always reward creativity. At school, no matter how bad you are at drawing, your art teacher will still appreciate it. Well, maybe to some extent.
In the outside world, just because you create something unique, it does not mean the world will appreciate it. You are expected to bring results no matter what, even by copying a more proven existing solution.
Here begins the vicious circle. People who do not believe they are creative enough begin to just look up for solutions from somewhere, instead of thinking for original solutions themselves. This leads to no growth for creativity. They may grow to be more knowledgeable from their research, but do not expect them to create their own original solutions.
How to Start to be Creative
To start being creative, you need to first fix the mindset of not being creative. Humans are born with the ability to think for themselves. As a proof, you can decide what to wear and what to eat yourself. There is no exact guideline for that, and yet you have your own unique solution.
Now, if you can bring yourself to utilize that ability at will for everyday life, nobody can claim that you are not creative. With the correct thinking system, being creative can be like a walk in the park.
My book “Think Outside the Box for Real” reveals exactly how you can become more creative in detail. You will be able to implement the Systematic Creative Thinking for everyday life and come up with your own original solution. So, check it out!