The subjectivity of creativity

A guest post by the fabulous Miss Fox.....

 

I’ve been watching ABC-TV’s Life at 9 series, the latest instalment in a project
that has been documenting a group of Australian children since birth. Since
they are about the same vintage as my No 1 son, it has the added fascination of
comparison with my brood.

And it’s very Scientific, as it has guest spots by Researchers from the
Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, as well as a LifeLab where the
Children do Interesting Things for the Researchers to look at.
It’s an engaging program with some real personality kids in it, and I can’t do it
justice here. But it has me thinking...

A recent episode was about Creativity.
I asked my husband: “Do you think the kids are creative?”
He looked at me with that endearing quizzical look they get when not sure what
answer to provide. “Yes?”
“Maybe we need to provide more opportunities for them to be creative...”
“As long as it’s not fiddling with the remote or my phone settings, they can be as
creative as they like.”
Which wasn’t really on point and showed a distinct lack of creativity. I started to
fear for the children....

Like most other kids, they draw, play music, cook, dance and make up games
more complex than Minecraft. They build blanket cubbies, set up ‘shops’ and
execute gymnastic moves on the trampoline.
This is what it used to be meant to
be creative.
We’d say they had good imaginations.

According to this show, that’s being artistic, imaginative, but not necessarily
creative... the Researchers said that being creative is about being able to solve
problems and come up with new ideas – a different way of doing things. It’s
a thinking skill. It was explained that the adults of the future need to be able
to think flexibly and work with less structure and boundaries than we have
been accustomed to. I think that was why they had them in the LifeLab making
skyscrapers out of marshmallows and wooden sticks...(????)

Kids today, the program explained, have possibly less opportunities to develop
the ability to think creatively, as so much of their time is scheduled in activities
where they are told what to do and how to do it. This includes what I thought
were creative activities of the type kids do after school and Saturdays.
They also have decisions made for them by ever vigilant parents, so they never
have to come up with a solution to problems.

Now, you don’t need to convince me of yet another benefit of down time, and free
play time for kids.

But is this another box I need to tick to ensure my kids become well-rounded?
How many problems can a kid in a loving home have that need solving??? Unless
they are going to figure out how to pay this winter’s electricity bill or clean the
gutters, I can’t think of many problems we can throw their way either...all in the
name of creativity development.

I would definitely agree that learning how to solve problems through new ways
of doing things is a life skill we all need.
Looking at things from a different angle, and having a positive, can-do approach
to problems, is something I definitely want my kids to develop.
Well, I refuse to feel guilty that my kids don’t have enough opportunity to think
of new solutions to problems.

So I did some assessment, and I’m happy to report that my kids are well on their
way to being Creative:

When I find uneaten lunchbox sandwiches stuffed in a bedroom drawer, I will
see it as a new and novel solution to the awkward problem of having to fess up
that they didn’t eat their lunch.

When I spy one son offering to pay the other one a dollar to take out the
compost, I will see it as a clever solution to the problem of lack of time and
inclination to do household chores.

When I hear my daughter tell her father in her best “Daddy loves me” voice that
yes, of course Mum said she could watch TV, I will see it as a brilliant solution to
the difficult problem of being caught indulging in illegal screen time.

Hell, my kids are creative! What was I worried about?!

Problem solved.