Creativity - Nurture or Nature?

All of us admire creative people! Where does creativity come from? Is it nurtured or its a natural inborn talent?

Creativity is...

An Ability. A simple definition is that creativity is the ability to imagine or invent something new. Creativity is not the ability to create out of nothing, but the ability to generate new ideas by combining, changing, or reapplying existing ideas. 

An Attitude. Creativity is also an attitude: the ability to accept change and newness, a willingness to play with ideas and possibilities, a flexibility of outlook, the habit of enjoying the good, while looking for ways to improve it. We are socialized into accepting only a small number of permitted or normal things, but a creative person realizes that there are other possibilities too.

A Process. Creative people work hard and continually to improve ideas and solutions, by making gradual alterations and refinements to their works. The creative person knows that there is always room for improvement.

Characteristics of the Creative Person

• curious
• seeks problems
• enjoys challenge
• optimistic
• sees problems as opportunities
• sees problems as interesting
• doesn't give up easily: perseveres, works hard

Believe it or not, everyone has substantial creative ability. It is still there and can be reawakened. Often all that's needed to be creative is to make a commitment to creativity and to take the time for it.

Certainly creativity can be nurtured by 3A's - Appreciate - Analyze - Apply

A simple classroom instance... 

Give a simple task, allow the children to present the same in front of their classmates, 

1. Identify and  appreciate the positives in the completed task.
2. Once if the whole class is done, allow the children for self evaluation, where analysis takes place.That's all our job is done!
3. At the end of the task, the children can generate new ideas by combining, changing, or reapplying existing ideas for their next task.

Remember this is not copying, this is creating :)