Every one has substantial creative ability; the most important thing needed is to make a commitment to creativity and to make the time for it. Formal education emphasizes on the skills of analysis, teaching students how to understand, figure out the answer, and eliminate the incorrect, focus on the correct one.
Another kind of thinking is exploring ideas, generating possibilities, looking for many right answers rather than just one. Most of these thinking are vital to a successful life.
Creativity is an ability to imagine or invent something new, the ability to generate new ideas by combining, changing or reapplying existing ideas.
Creativity is also an attitude. It is the ability to accept change and newness, a willingness to play with ideas and possibilities, a flexibility of outlook, the habit of enjoying the good while looking for ways to improve it.
ATTITUDES THAT BLOCK CREATIVITY
Negative attitudes to creativity should be avoided by individuals who wish to progress creatively.
- FEAR OF FAILURE: Failure should be expected and accepted. They are simply learning tools that help focus the way toward success.
- WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK? Ridicule should be viewed as a badge of real innovative thinking (Wikipedia, 2010). Progress is made only by those who are strong enough to endure being laughed at.
- THAT’S CHILDISH: In our effort to appear always mature and sophisticated, we often ridicule the creative, playful attitudes that marked our younger years. Remember that sometimes, people laugh when something is actually funny, but often they laugh when they lack the imagination to understand the situation.(Igonoh,2010).
POSITIVE ATTITUDES FOR CREATIVITY
- CURIOSITY: The creative people always want to know the why and what behind decisions, problems, facts, solutions etc.
- CHALLENGE : Curious people like to identify and challenge the assumptions behind ideas proposals beliefs, problems, statements etc.
- CONSTRUCTIVE DISCONTENT : Is the ability to see a need for improvement and propose a method of making that improvement.
- THE ABILITY TO SUSPEND JUDGEMENT AND CRITICISM: Many new ideas, because they are new and unfamiliar, seem strange, bizarre, even repulsive only later to become obviously great. Other ideas may seem weird but they lead to practical, beautiful, elegant things. It is important for the creative thinker to be able to suspend judgement when new ideas are arriving, to have an optimistic attitude towards ideas in general and to avoid condemning them with the typical kinds of negative responses.
- SEEING THE GOOD IN THE BAD: Creative thinkers when faced with poor solutions don’t cast them away, because there may be something useful even in the worst ideas.
- PROBLEMS ARE INTERESTING AND EMOTIONALLY ACCEPTABLE: Creative people see problems as interesting challenges worth tackling. Problems are not fearful beasts to be feared or loathed, they are worthy opponents to be jousted with unhorsed. Problem solving is fun, educational, rewarding, ego building and helpful to society. (Goff and Torrence,1991)
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CREATIVE PERSON
Examine yourself on how to improve or develop these characteristics:
- Seek problems
- Enjoy challenges
- Be Optimistic
- Able to suspend judgment
- Comfortable with imagination
- See problems as opportunities
- See problems as interesting
- Problems are emotionally acceptable
- Challenge assumptions
- Does not give up easily
- Works hard
By all means, and at whatever cost, make sure you are creative in every circumstance.Creativity begins from the mind. Make sure your mind is free from every form of depression and bitterness so as to think creatively.
By : Mariam A. Tanja