“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
Children have an innate curiosity and desire to learn. They dream big and let their imagination run wild. However, as we grow up, the stresses and pressures of school and work slowly begin to invade our lives. We develop a daily routine to cope, packing our lives into busy schedules with no room for creativity and imagination. To put it quite simply: we stop dreaming. We become fearful of asking questions, of taking risks and stepping out of our comfort zone. We no longer colour outside the lines. Instead, we limit ourselves to rubrics and guidelines we are told to follow in order to fit in and be successful. And, we couldn’t be more wrong.
Creativity is essential. Creativity drives innovation and discovery. It helps us solve problems, develop solutions, and achieve greatness. As Edward de Bono once said, “Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns to look at things in a different way.” A lack of creativity hinders advances in every sector of society. Think about the greatest inventors, scientists, artists, philosophers, entrepreneurs, writers and explorers whose discoveries and creations have completely revolutionized our world! It all started with a crazy idea, a question, a curiosity of the unknown… that led them on a quest for answers. They failed many times, were frowned upon by society, but they still did not give up! They continued to challenge the rules, and refused to be confined by the limits of society.
To foster your creativity, I encourage you to try the creative writing exercise. For this exercise, all you need is a blank sheet of paper and a writing utensil. Your goal is to fill up the page with all the thoughts and ideas going through your mind! You can literally write about anything…your life goals, your bucket-list, your family and friends, your favourite quotations, the dream you had last night, a poem or short story, a letter to world leaders…the list is endless!! This exercise will encourage you to stretch the boundaries of your mind and express yourself in new, different ways. In a matter of minutes, you will find that your once-blank page will be overflowing!
In order to stay creative, we must also commit to lifelong learning. Challenge yourself everyday to learn something new! Take classes you find interesting outside of your field- cooking, photography, coding, tennis, setting up a business, learning a new language… whatever it may be! With a diverse variety of courses offered online, there are so many opportunities for you to learn right at your fingertips! Learning new things and experimenting will help you discover your passions and keep you creative!
Our world desperately needs people who think outside of the box; who aren’t afraid to dream the impossible and try new things! Find the time to harness your creativity – even if it is only 5 minutes a day. Unleash your imagination and share your talents with the world!
After all, we are all artists…it’s about time we begin creating our masterpiece.