Creativity is coming to the center of education and business. If in the 1990s, it was viewed as a liberation to personal and creative expression, the past ten years of research and conversation has pointed to a central fact: It is part and parcel of how we human beings learn, engage, manipulate, and make the world - better and worse.
Here are three articles to keep you connected to the latest in the art and science of captivating creativity.
The Secret to Teaching Creativity at Business School
by Jeff DeGraff, Huffington Post
A recent IBM CEO study found that the most valuable quality in a leader is creativity. This finding has led to a shift in the way business schools teach. This shift is being led by students whose focus has shifted from a corporate to entrepreneurial one. It also reflects the need to incorporate other disciplines such as science and art into the curriculum. It necessitates a pedagogical shift from theory to experiential learning, such as through internships. See our piece on The Apprenticeship Gap. It also suggests the understanding that we will always be learning as the barriers to education come down with increased technology. Innovation expert Jeff DeGraff explains this upcoming transition.
Science Of Structure: Why Your Routine Is Killing Your Creativity
by Dan Scotti, Elite Daily
Elite Daily Lifestyle writer Dan Scotti examines various perspectives on the tendency toward routine and how they make our lives “easier” in some ways—e.g., we can go about our morning routine with minimal brain power—but how they also decrease our ability to make creative connections. Structure is good, Scotti writes, but “too much of anything can never be good.”
Can You Learn To Be Creative? Here Are Some Books On Creativity To Help
by Tricia Drevets, Value Walk
Buffalo State College in New York is the first college in the world to offer a Master of Science degree in Creativity. The program emphasizes that creativity is a skill we can all cultivate no matter what our natural predisposition. Tricia Drevets reviews books that support this idea, from The Innovative Team by Chris Grevas and Gerard Puccio (chair of Buffalo’s Creativity program) to Dear Theo, a collection of Van Gogh’s letters to his brother, edited by Irving Stone, as well as several others.
Jeffrey Davis is an author and speaker and also lead consultant at Tracking Wonder Consultancy - a boutique creative consultancy that activates independent professionals, thought leaders, and organizations to captivate their audiences and expand their impact.