I want to tell you a story – one I originally heard from the rather brilliant Ken Robinson about a little girl in a drawing class.
She was 6, at the back of the room and the kind of little girl who rarely paid attention – but in this particular lesson she did.
She was 6, at the back of the room and the kind of little girl who rarely paid attention – but in this particular lesson she did.
The teacher was fascinated and went over to her and asked, "What are you drawing?" and the girl said, "I'm drawing a picture of God."
"But nobody knows what God looks like."
And the girl replied, "They will in a minute."
Why am I telling you this? Because it's a beautiful example of creativity with 100% conviction - the free-ranging potential of an untethered mind. Imagine that!
For children, imagination has room to roam. As we get older, we become aware of expectations, conventions and appropriate ways of behaving. We understand the ways of the world and start to feel embarrassed, shy or try to fit in – or purposely go against the flow out of anger, defiance or frustration rather than naturally and peacefully doing things differently.
Limitations and restrictions start creeping into the picture and put imagination into a self-conscious stranglehold, squashing the creativity that Ken Robinson believes is so vital – and he echoes Einstein who said: "Knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution".
However, we start thinking, rationalising, theorising and are respected for our maturity and sensible approach. The unpredictable, inflammatory, touchy feely imagination gets shunted into second place.
Of course, the world is not devoid of awe-inspiring creativity and self-expression – there are many people writing, composing, painting, filming, dancing, designing and sculpting amazing works of art - and creativity doesn't begin and end in the world of the artist either.
It can play a vital role in business, in negotiations and problem solving, in bringing up children, building and maintaining deep and satisfying relationships and creating a life that honestly and totally fulfils you...
Time for more creativity in your life?
The imagination of a child doesn't disappear. When we're in tune with our passions, our bodies, our selves, creativity follows as a natural impulse. There's no need to force it or be something you're not.
When Michelangelo was asked how he was able to create such beautiful sculptures, he replied that the sculpture was in the block of stone from the very beginning, he just had to chisel away everything else around it.
It's the same with our creativity. So what could you chip away to let yours shine?
It might be a limiting belief you have about yourself, an assumption you're making about a situation or simply the fact that you haven't given your creativity the time and space it needs to work its magic.
So why not get curious – and imagine what would happen if you did...
Image from: http://esquaredfashion.co.za/2009/04/20/springleap-the-creative-child-of-the-power-of-imagination/
"But nobody knows what God looks like."
And the girl replied, "They will in a minute."
Why am I telling you this? Because it's a beautiful example of creativity with 100% conviction - the free-ranging potential of an untethered mind. Imagine that!
For children, imagination has room to roam. As we get older, we become aware of expectations, conventions and appropriate ways of behaving. We understand the ways of the world and start to feel embarrassed, shy or try to fit in – or purposely go against the flow out of anger, defiance or frustration rather than naturally and peacefully doing things differently.
Limitations and restrictions start creeping into the picture and put imagination into a self-conscious stranglehold, squashing the creativity that Ken Robinson believes is so vital – and he echoes Einstein who said: "Knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution".
However, we start thinking, rationalising, theorising and are respected for our maturity and sensible approach. The unpredictable, inflammatory, touchy feely imagination gets shunted into second place.
Of course, the world is not devoid of awe-inspiring creativity and self-expression – there are many people writing, composing, painting, filming, dancing, designing and sculpting amazing works of art - and creativity doesn't begin and end in the world of the artist either.
It can play a vital role in business, in negotiations and problem solving, in bringing up children, building and maintaining deep and satisfying relationships and creating a life that honestly and totally fulfils you...
Time for more creativity in your life?
The imagination of a child doesn't disappear. When we're in tune with our passions, our bodies, our selves, creativity follows as a natural impulse. There's no need to force it or be something you're not.
When Michelangelo was asked how he was able to create such beautiful sculptures, he replied that the sculpture was in the block of stone from the very beginning, he just had to chisel away everything else around it.
It's the same with our creativity. So what could you chip away to let yours shine?
It might be a limiting belief you have about yourself, an assumption you're making about a situation or simply the fact that you haven't given your creativity the time and space it needs to work its magic.
So why not get curious – and imagine what would happen if you did...
Image from: http://esquaredfashion.co.za/2009/04/20/springleap-the-creative-child-of-the-power-of-imagination/
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