From Scientific American:
Moments of brilliance arise from complex cognitive processes. Piece by piece, researchers are uncovering the secrets of creative thinking
By Ulrich Kraft
”...Research suggests that we start our young lives as creativity engines but that our talent is gradually repressed. Schools place overwhelming emphasis on teaching children to solve problems correctly, not creatively. This skewed system dominates our first 20 years of life: tests, grades, college admission, degrees and job placements demand and reward targeted logical thinking, factual competence, and language and math skills—all purviews of the left brain. The propensity for convergent thinking becomes increasingly internalized, at the cost of creative potential. To a degree, the brain is a creature of habit; using well-established neural pathways is more economical than elaborating new or unusual ones. Additionally, failure to train creative faculties allows those neural connections to wither. Over time it becomes harder for us to overcome thought barriers. Creativity trainers like to tell clients: “If you always think the way you always thought, you’ll always get what you always got—the same old ideas…”
People suffering from dementia and other forms of brain damage have shown a sudden blooming of dormant creativity. Previously stilted artists become, suddenly, wildly impressionistic; others who’d never shown any interest in creative endeavors - are now composing music with no musical training and winning art awards. All of this while their mental acuity deteriorates. Why?
We posted video of a speech by creativity expert Ted Robinson who asked the question: “Do schools today kill creativity?” This is a very serious question. An equally serious idea worth pondering is triggered by this article: as the socially mandated graces and our grip on them, wane, creativity is unleashed. What if the halter was loosened, or never used? What if we created schools that support, rather than suffocate the muse? What impact does the repression that “Unleashing Creativity” notes, have on mental illness?
Long read, but a must read if you are as fascinated by the depth of the play/creativity instinct as I am.
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