Creativity - Giovanni Corazza - Mistakes Happen, So What?

We need a little bit of that divergent information to cross the borders within our minds from what we know to what we haven't yet thought about.

 from Giovanni Corazza - TEDx Roma - founder of the Marconi Institute of Creativity

I teach two students about design.  They are both 9th graders and come from relatively privileged backgrounds.  They are both smart and clever, like design more than their other classes at school, and yet they are not moving forward with the speed I believe they have.  One of the students' issues is procrastination and I am not writing about his situation today.

Creativity is the issue of the other student.  Simple questions, like "What would you change about your room?", seems to paralyze him.  And yet, he would like to create new products/furniture.

Though talking with him, he does realize that he has an issue.  While he resists new things, he will try new things if he sees a need.  For example, he believed that his perceived lack of sketching ability would hold him back.  Sketching was daunting for him.  I showed him sketches of famous architects ( one example:  Architect's Drawings: A selection of sketches by world famous architects through history Link 1 Link 2).  He saw and understood that his drawing skills do not need to be perfect, just improved.  He signed up for a sketching a class and decided, in the end, that it was a good thing he did it.

A small success is always a great start.  But now we are back to the creativity issue.  He is willing to try something now but what?  I reasoned with him that creativity is like any other talent/skill - it gets better with practice and training.  Like singing:  "You might not become the best singer in the world, but you can improve."

"Would you like to learn how to improve your creativity?"  He said yes.  Success!

Thinking that I could easily find a book or a website with creativity-building exercises, I agreed that in our next meeting we would start on it.  I remember DeBono and his 6 Hats and Lateral Thinking and his Thinking Course.  Going to be reviewing those today.  But I am not sure if that will be good as DeBono, being creative, realized that corporate gigs are the way to go to make cha-ching.

Then I remembered the Pingpong ball test. People are graded on their "creativity" and abundance of new uses of the little white ball.  But I think that is too confrontational for my student - don't want him to feel pressure.

So I searched.  ARGH - like any social science topic, there are multitudes of ideas and research.  SUNY Buffalo has a Creativity Center - WITH VIDEOS (always a good break - for both of us - from a two hour private session with a student).

There's even a card deck:  The Game of Creativity.  That looks promising as a simple way to instigate a discussion on divergent thinking.  

And there's more.  If I find anything GENIUS I'll post it.  

Basically, what I understand is that creativity is merely making a new connection.  Innovation/Utility/Profit/Acceptability are just filters.

Here are some links from "reputable" sources about building your creativity skills:

Fast Company  10 Surprising Ways to Transform Your Creative Thinking

Forbes  Three Ways To Improve Your Creative Thinking

California College San Diego  5 Tips to Improve Your Creative Thinking Skills

I'm going to do some reading.  Maybe a trip to the book store.  Or, I could be creative and find a solution in my ironing I am about to start!

Gratitudes:  Duck-Duck-GO, Sea Monkey Browser, Electric Fans.