WHEN CREATIVE ENERGIES ARE HARNESSED, THEN CONCEPTS FORMALISED BY THE MIND ARE ACTUALISED IN VARIOUS FORMS,
BE THEY POEMS , SCULPTURE, PAINTING, MUSIC ETC…

ELLIOT W. EISNER IN HIS ARTICLE – “ THE MYTHOLOGY OF ART EDUCATION “ – HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT CREATIVITY : “ ALL CHILDREN POSSESS CREATIVE POTENTIAL AND BECAUSE THAT POTENTIAL IS NOT LIKELY TO BE REALISED IF THE CONSTRAINTS OF LOGIC AND RULE WEIGHT TOO HEAVILY UPON THE CHILD, A FREER, MORE PERMISSIVE ALTERNATIVE SEEMS IN ORDER. IT SEEMS UNREASONABLE TO SEE ART AS THE PERFECT VEHICLE SINCE IT IS NOT ONLY NON-VERBAL AND LOGICAL BUT PRE-VERBAL. ART ACTIVITIES CAN TAP FEELINGS AND CREATIVE RESOURCES THAT ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE REACHED BY THE MORE ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES. “

CREATIVE POTENTIAL; AN INTERESTING TERM, BUT BEFORE I GIVE MY INTERPRETATION OF THAT TERM, I WISH TO POSE AND HOPEFULLY ANSWER THE QUESTION: “ WHAT IS CREATIVITY? “
THE DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS GIVE ONLY A VAGUE NOTION THAT IT IS THAT ABILITY TO CONCEIVE IN THE MIND. NOT ONLY TO CONCEIVE, BUT TO FOLLOW THROUGH TO THE END PRODUCT WE CALL ART. CREATIVITY DOES NOT EXIST IN A VACUUM, IT REQUIRES SOME FORM OF INPUT IE: THIS INSPIRATION CAN ARISE FROM SENSORY IMPRESSIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENT, AN AWARENESS OF DIFFERING VIEW POINTS AND OR INFORMATION GATHERED FROM PAST EXPERIENCE THAT HAS BEARING ON THE CREATIVE PROCESS.

ALL THESE STIMULI AND LEARNED EXPERIENCES ADDED TOGETHER UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS IE: IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ENCOURAGES THE CREATIVE PROCESS, WILL PRODUCE THAT WHICH WE CALL ART. THIS NOW LEADS ME TO THE CONCEPT OF INSPIRATION. “THIS PAINTING WAS INSPIRED BY SUCH AND SUCH”.”THAT WAS A PIECE OF INSPIRED PLAYING” ETC ETC. WE’VE ALL HEARD SIMILAR TERMS. TO ME WE ALL HAVE CREATIVE POTENTIAL WE ALL CAN CREATE AN ART PRODUCT OF SOME FORM, BUT IT IS ONLY THE RARE OCCASION THAT WE CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT WHAT WE HAVE CREATED WAS INSPIRED, WAS BOUGHT ABOUT BY A TOTALLY UNIDENTIFIED STIMULUS.

AGAIN REFERRING TO THE DICTIONARY WE HAVE A DEFINITION OF INSPIRATION AS BEING “DIVINE INFLUENCE”. THE DIVINE ASPECT IS DEBATABLE BUT THERE IS NO DENYING THE FACT THAT THERE IS AN INFLUENCE IN INSPIRED ART AND THIS INFLUENCE ACTS AS A CATALYST FOR THE CREATIVE PROCESS. WHETHER WE INSPIRE OURSELVES EG: SIT DOWN AND SAY, “I AM GOING TO WRITE A POEM”. OR ARE INSPIRED BY SOME UNKNOWN FORCE TO CREATE A WORK OF ART OR SOLVE A PARTICULAR PROBLEM (ARCHIMEDES-EUREKA! EUREKA!). WE ARE FULFILLING A BASIC NEED OF HUMAN BEINGS – THE NEED TO CREATE!

WE AS A SPECIES HAVE ALWAYS HAD THIS NEED TO CREATE AND EXPRESS OURSELVES IN ALL FIELDS OF ENDEAVOR. IT IS THIS NEED TO CREATE WHICH HAS NOT ONLY GIVEN US BEAUTIFUL WORKS OF ART BUT HAS ALSO ENSURED PROGRESS. WITHOUT CREATIVITY, OR NEW IDEAS WE WOULD STAGNATE. I PERSONALLY HAVE FOUND THE NEED TO CREATE TO BE QUITE STRONG AT TIMES AND SOMETHING OVER WHICH I NOT ONLY HAVE NO CONTROL, BUT OVER WHICH I WISH NOT TO HAVE ANY CONTROL! TAKE THIS ESSAY; I AM AT PRESENT WRITING IT IN A VERY INSPIRED STATE. THE WORDS THAT ARE FLOWING FROM MY MIND TO THE PAGE ARE A SHEER JOY. MY THOUGHTS ARE CRYSTALISED, ACTUALISED AND MADE TO LIVE!

THIS NEED TO CREATE HAS AT TIMES HELPED ME TO OVERCOME BOREDOM EG: I PLAY GUITAR AND AT TIMES THERE IS NOTHING I WOULD RATHER DO THAN TO JUST SIT DOWN AND PLAY AWAY!
TO BECOME LOST IN THE WORLD OF CHORDS AND NOTES AND TO SUBMERGE MY IDENTITY INTO THE MUSIC. I ALSO WRITE SONGS AND POEMS WHICH HAVE ACTED AS A GREAT EMOTIONAL RELEASE, A THERAPEUTIC PANACEA IF YOU WILL. WHILE THEIR QUALITY MIGHT BE DEBATABLE I DID IT!, I DID IT MY WAY! (SORRY FRANK!).

WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO CREATE I WOULD FEEL EMPTY. WITHOUT CREATIVITY WHAT IS THERE? LOOK AT LIFE IN GENERAL: DEPRESSING, BORING ROUTINE. WHAT SORT OF WORLD WOULD WE HAVE IF WE HAD NO MUSIC, NO ART, NO BEAUTY? HELLISH! TO ME ART, CREATIVITY, INSPIRATION ARE AS IMPORTANT AS FOOD. THE BODY NEEDS NUTRITION, THE MIND NEEDS INSPIRATION AND THE CONTEMPLATION OF BEAUTY AND ART IN ALL ITS FORMS. THE APPRECIATION OF ART AND THE CULTIVATION OF ARTISTIC ABILITY HELP TO MAKE A BETTER HUMAN BEING, A MORE SENSITIVE AND AWARE PERSON. SEEING THE BEAUTY IN A FLOWER OR A SPIDER’S WEB, A SUNSET, AN OCEAN WAVE ETC, SEEING ALL THESE THINGS AND BEING AWARE OF THEIR FORM, STRUCTURE, BEAUTY, THIS AWARENESS INCREASES SENSITIVITY AND THIS WORLD NEEDS MORE SENSITIVE PEOPLE.

IT’S THE INSENSITIVITY, GREED, LIES AND HATE IN THIS WORLD THAT ALLOWS SUFFERING AND DESTRUCTION TO CONTINUE. WE ARE DESTROYING ONE OF THE GREATEST WORKS OF ART – THE PLANET EARTH. WE AS ARTISTS/PARENTS/TEACHERS CAN ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVE AWARENESS IN CHILDREN THROUGH THE CREATIVE PROCESS. BY CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT IN SCHOOLS AND AT HOME, THAT STIMULATES SENSITIVITY AND THE APPRECIATION AND CREATION OF ART INSTEAD OF PRODUCING MORE CANNON FODDER FOR THE WORK PLACE, MORE DRONES, MORE ACCOUNTANTS, MORE ECONOMISTS!!! MAKE ART NOT WAR! MAKE ARTISTS NOT WARRIORS! MAKE BEAUTY NOT BUREAUCRATS
THESE SHOULD BE OUR MANTRAS! INSTEAD OF GNP WE NEED MORE LOVE, ART, BEAUTY, SENSITIVITY!