When Alfie (Alan’s son) was about 3 years old he taught him a valuable lesson in creativity, just by exploring the world in his own way.
The world through Alfie’s eyes
Alfie is 19 now and sees the world very differently, through more of an adults eyes. But when he was younger he interpreted the world in his unique way.
Making connections is a fundamental skill relating to creativity. It’s been said that if you work on this one aspect alone then you’ll improve your creativity.
‘Seeing the world through the lens of a child can open up possibilities and support creativity.’
The science bit
Research suggests that children and adults use sensory information differently to make sense of the world. Adults tend to consider depth and perspective and want to make sense of what they see.
As adults we are programmed to ‘grow up’ to ‘follow the rules’ and live within a world of structure and compliance which can sometimes lead to banality. We are schooled in subjects that offer us a blanket knowledge of themes until we are able to choose for ourselves later in life. We learn from a pre-determined curriculum and, it could be argued, are taught others views and opinions from an early age.
“The creative adult is the child who survived.” Ursula LeGuin
This creative adult LeGuin discusses is able to see the world through a different lens. With a capacity to think beyond the limits and confines of their present environment or constraints.
Finding ways of breaking out from a controlled way of thinking can help develop and nurture the creative adult, support idea generation and super charge imaginative thinking.
ACTIVITY: Say what you see
Here is a simple activity to help flex your creative muscle, simply SAY WHAT YOU SEE.
Grab a pen and paper ready to get creative. Click on the image below to get started.
Use the hashtags #YESvember and #AlfiesActivity and tell us what you saw. We would love to hear your ideas.
