It is the essential combination of good ideas and creativity, that makes today's cutting-edge technology and continuous progress possible, not only in technology but in many areas of life. If it hadn't been many inventors, who found solutions to ever-changing problems, we might still be fanning fires and stumbling around in the dark, unlike today, when we can conjure up a flood of light with a single movement to see at night. As I said, creativity is also found in art, for example, not just to talk about technology.
How Are Ideas Born?
Ideas can pop out of our heads in several ways. We can sit down and think about how to solve a problem, we can think about it for hours or even days. This kind of idea hunting can feel a bit forced and is a lengthy process. It does not come spontaneously, but requires a lot of effort to turn an idea into a workable solution.
The other way is the random, spontaneously generated idea. When we are not thinking about anything, but we are walking around with our eyes open or doing something at home, doing our work and suddenly an idea comes to us, even if it is something we see and something comes to mind.
When we have to do something, that we don't like or we are not in the mood for at the moment, we are not focused on what we are doing, our imagination is running wild, just so we don't think about what we are not in the mood for. The best ideas can come to our mind, when we are thinking about random things, the downside is that we don't make progress with the task, that we are doing, the upside is that we can turn the idea into something creative.
The White Paper Effect
For us bloggers, for example, creativity comes in handy sometimes. Have you heard of the white paper effect, when you sit down over a blank piece of white paper with a pen in your hand to write a poem or blog and nothing comes to mind? This is also called writer's block, but the white paper effect is a very apt term for it. In our case, we sit in front of our computer screen and blink along with the blinking cursor, and it won't start writing on its own, no matter how much we concentrate on it.
Personally, I don't push myself, I prefer to do something else or read, which not only relaxes me, but also gives me a lot of ideas, because reading triggers my imagination and fills my head with imaginative thoughts. You can improve your creativity by reading more as well. Walking can also be a good way to do this, because we see and hear a lot out there. You wouldn't believe how many ideas you can come home with ready to write something creative.
Creativity For The Future
Without the right creativity, no problem in our everyday lives can be solved. Where to take your sweetheart on a date or what to wear to a party in the evening depends largely on this ability.
Our future lives depend on it. Many books have been written about how creativity will influence the future of humanity. Anyone who has lived at least 20 years knows that, but anyone who has lived over 40 years has seen radical changes in the way things developed. All this can be attributed to creativity.
What Is Missing From Developing Creativity Today
Creativity is not in everyone, but it can be learned, developed and inherited. Unfortunately, the education system does not give students the opportunity to develop their creativity. No one will develop by focusing on saying back what is written in the textbook.
Creativity could be developed at school and, in my opinion, should be introduced. In my days, we still had it to some extent. For example, I had to write down my summer experiences in a well-written essay. It could also be developed by rewriting a work set in the old days into one set in modern times. How creative could be to write a play from a Shakespeare play written in modern times? I think it would be interesting.
Speaking of students, I think it's important to note here, that a well-brought up, well-behaved child may not be able to develop their creativity easily. What do I mean by well-behaved? I mean always following the rules and doing what they are told to do. This is not conducive to creativity, because it may not give the student the freedom of thought to go off the beaten track and deviate from the daily script.
Turning An Idea Into Reality
Turning an idea into reality is no small thing. Especially when it's a completely new innovation and we don't have the tools or the knowledge and experience to make it happen. People tend to be wary of new things, because they prefer the old tried and tested ones, but if we think about it, those old things once were new and unknown at some point in the past, but we still use them with vigour today.
However, it is important to keep a balance between the old and the new. We need the old familiar things, but in our lives we are constantly faced with problems that need solutions, and in many cases the old outdated solutions no longer work. If we did not do this then, the world would not move forward and would not be where it is today in terms of progress and advancement.
Lead Image Source: Unsplash via Rohan Makhecha
Thank you for this article sir, this is really helpful for me.