Why Should We Aspire To Be As Creative As A 5-Year-Old?
Apparently, it is downhill for creativity from there.
“If you’re alive, you’re a creative person. You and I and everyone you know are descended from tens of thousands of years of makers. Decorators, tinkerers, storytellers, dancers, explorers, fiddlers, drummers, builders, growers, problem-solvers, and embellishers — these are our common ancestors. The guardians of high culture will try to convince you that the arts belong only to a chosen few, but they are wrong and they are also annoying. We are all the chosen few. We are all makers by design. Even if you grew up watching cartoons in a sugar stupor from dawn to dusk, creativity still lurks within you. Your creativity is way older than you are, way older than any of us. Your very body and your very being are perfectly designed to live in collaboration with inspiration, and inspiration is still trying to find you — the same way it hunted down your ancestors.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert.
I heard different versions of “ you are not creative” all through my school years.
Growing up, I didn’t paint or sing particularly well. I did a bit of writing and drama here and there throughout my school years. But it was never something to write home about.
I remember being told I am not the ‘artist’ type as young as elementary school. The denial of creativity though was never meant as an insult.
As a society, we associate artistry at its best with “eccentricity & addiction & fame” and it's worst with “eccentricity, addiction, and poverty”. When people label you left-brained, it is a backhanded welcome to a normal existence.
Wait a Minute, What is Creativity?
The definition of creativity is restricted to an exclusive club of activities like painting, book, or music for the most part. If you do not excel in producing tangible pieces of art, you are automatically disqualified from ‘creativity’ conversations.
This is probably why I am yet to hear someone bring up a stand-up comedian as a great artist. Most likely, the caveperson who invented the wheel was likely told he or she was not creative as well. Only if he had painted a picture of the wheel instead of making it, you know?
Since how we define creativity is key to our enlightenment down this path, we have to broaden the scope and definition of the term. Otherwise, we would be stuck looking for our creative selves in the artist’s studio we have no business being in.
My quest to find an accessible definition of creativity landed me on wikipedia.com.
Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something somehow new and somehow valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary work, or a painting). (Source: Wikipedia)
I can also relate to a more psychological approach to creativity like the one below.
Creativity is defined as the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others. (Source: From Human Motivation, 3rd ed., by Robert E. Franken)
In short, creativity is anything OG.
Am I Creative?
Once I ripped the definition of creativity wide open, it was back to square one. Does creativity lurk in me without my knowledge? Turns out, the answer to this question is a resounding YES. And this comes from all the way back in 1968 from George Land & Beth Jarman.
George Land & Beth Jarman developed a creativity test to select the most innovative engineers and scientists to work for NASA. And when the assessment was successful, and they decided to try it on children.
Their study tested the creativity of 1600 3–5-year-olds. They re-tested the same children at 10 years of age, and again at 15 years of age.
The creativity scores were 98%,30% & 12% at ages 5,10 & 15, respectively. When the same creativity test was given to a sample size of 280,000 adults, the result was 2%.
Mr. Land, a teacher of creative performance, identifies the current education system as a primary reason for why only a meager 2% of adults showed up as creative from a whopping 98% of the 5-year-old population.
In short, we were schooled out of creativity.
I can get behind the notion that an education system made for developing specific skill sets in all students may not be the most conducive environment for OG thinking. Whether it is school, church, home, or office, as much as we claim to love ‘Out Of The Box’ ideas, we put an end to disruptive ideas pretty quickly with our concerned uncomfortable “Are You sure?”s & “How would it work?”s.
Still, Why Do I Pursue My Creativity?
As much as I like the newfound stamp of creativity on my existence, I couldn't help but wonder. Why now? I have managed to get through life for almost four decades without really tapping into my creativity.
Turns out, creativity could cut down on my therapy and hospital bills. There are more and more studies touting the benefits of pursuing it.
- Improves mental fitness— Creativity is a great brain workout. It keeps us learning and interacting and engaged. And a fit brain is better equipped to kick depression and/or Alzheimer's to the curb.
- Reduces stress — It does not matter what your creative outlet is. As long as you lose yourself in an activity that stimulates your imagination, it helps you reach a meditative state of flow. Who knew, you could knit a sweater and reach zen.
Besides reduced stress and better mental fitness, the openness that creativity brings to our lives is linked to lower metabolic risk, higher self-rated health, and more appropriate stress response.
In short, creativity helps us to live longer.
In Conclusion
- You are creative despite what the grownups told you in elementary school. At least 98% of us are.
- Creativity is more than an A in your art class.
- Being creative is a brain workout and stress buster. And yes, your brain would love a six-pack.
- In conclusion, pursue your creativity and you will live a longer, happier life.
Check out more of my moments of reflection here.
