I realised this week that I have been teaching for 15 years, and in those 15 years there have been great days, there have been
sad days, there have been very long days and there have been, “oh dear how do we teach a drama lesson over zoom days?” Nevertheless, every day, I am proud, and grateful, because I get to witness and be a part of something greater, not only watching these talented young people grow, but also I get to watch them nurture and develop their ideas, their emotions and stories, and harness that to create amazing art works. However, being creative is a little more than just the “artwork”.
Quite often when we think about creativity we picture the outcome, the dance, the performance, but in essence, creativity is not just about the ‘final outcome’ but the process, the journey, what we collect and who we become along the way.
"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun." -- Mary Lou Cook
Creative participation allows our students, whether they be young or old, to work together to nurture and build their relationships, and in a time that is primarily dominated with screens, this is vital to our basic human connection. Creativity enables empathy; it connects us to ourselves, the actor, the performer, putting themselves in someone else's shoes, the artist developing a piece inspired by a powerful personal story, sharing one's experiences in a way that allows them, to be accessible to every individual and learner, thus opening the viewer’s eyes, seeing things a little different from before.
"Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way." -- Edward de Bono
So why should we as a society continue to place emphasis and encourage the development of creativity?
Creativity allows us to view and solve problems with innovation, it encourages questioning and exploring, again, not just within the arts but what about those architects exploring new ideas, designs and creative solutions to our ever changing landscape? It nurtures ideas and inspires new and engaging solutions. Nurturing creativity enables alternate ways of thinking. Often those creative individuals excel in divergent thinking- your ability to think of multiple open-ended ideas and solutions, and no matter the occupation, that is definitely a valuable skill to have.
Moreover, with 7.6 billion people in the world, creativity and empathy open our hearts and allow the recognition of uniqueness and identity, and in a world where we are constantly searching for ourselves and wondering, “What are our strengths?” Is this not a vital skill to have?
"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it." -- Kurt Vonnegut
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