Why is creativity important?

Creativity is our biggest asset. It’s our “human brand,” so to speak. Creative people can bring new products and ideas into existence that were once unimaginable, helping solve problems that affect the entire world. While more and more jobs are taken over by AI and technology, a creative mind will be the most sought-after human trait. It is our creative literacy — the ability to participate in the creative process, to see beyond what exists — that will help us stand out as innovators and collaborators. And it is through our capacity for design thinking — a human-centered approach to design that draws from empathy and optimism — that allows us to be open and curious, and create a fulfilling and meaningful future.

A creative society is also more open-minded and tolerant of different cultures and points of view. When we raise creative thinkers, we are raising citizens who are more collaborative, better able to listen to diverse opinions, and better at identifying and combating prejudices. Creativity opens our minds and brings meaning and joy to our work.

Is everyone creative?

Creativity is a skill that we all possess at birth. In a 1992 study conducted by NASA, they designed a test to help identify the capacity for divergent thinking and understand the true source of creativity. They tested 1,600 preschoolers and found 98% of them tested at the ‘creative genius’ level. Then they tested the same children at 10 years of age, and again at 15 years of age. The results were shocking. While the creativity of the 4 and 5-year-olds was at almost 100%, it went down to 30% when they reached the age of 10, and just 12% when they were tested at age 15. When the same test was given to a group of adults, less than 2% were creative geniuses.

So what happens to our creativity as we grow? When children are young, they try everything and never worry about being “wrong.” From learning to walk to learning to talk, stumbling or using inventive language is not a deterrent or a reason to feel self-conscious. They just keep trying, discovering, learning, and giving it a go. But as children grow, they enter a more structured, adult-directed school environment with lots of rules to follow and much less freedom and agency to make their own choices and find their own voice. Qualities like imperfection, fearlessness, and daydreaming that once were key to inventing new games and generating ideas are no longer encouraged. Our educational system doesn’t teach children to think differently as much as it teaches children how to follow instructions and obey the rules. Eventually, these children grow into adults who have lost the ability to think creatively for fear of making a mistake. To quote Sir Ken Robinson, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”

How do we stay creative throughout life?

This truly is the magic question. We know that a childhood filled with open-ended art and play is essential for building creative confidence. However, this confidence can only last a lifetime if the opportunities for generating new ideas, problem-solving, and imaginative thinking continue to be encouraged and cultivated at school and at home. 

But before we stay creative, we must first begin. Start a creative practice early. Designate a space in your home or classroom as a “yes space” where children can grab their own supplies and make whatever they want. This space can be part of a play area, a small table in the kitchen, a rolling cart, or a shelf in a home office. Even toddlers can learn how to access simple materials such as crayons and paper on their own. Only keep materials out that you are ok with children accessing themselves. And be conscious of the fact that children want to be where you are so pick a space close to the hub of activity. Remember, the key to developing a child’s creative confidence is getting out of the way. Experiences should be child-led with the purpose being exploration, discovery, and innovation.

As children grow, add more materials for them to choose from. The art space might move to their rooms, or become the whole kitchen table. Your child might gravitate towards other creative and playful pursuits like building with Legos, cooking, writing songs, dancing, or putting on shows. Encourage and indulge all creative paths so that they continue to cultivate flexible and imaginative thinking into adulthood.

If you are a teacher, embrace a flexible mindset when it comes to creativity in the classroom. You don’t have to do “art projects” with your students, which can often feel like too much pressure or beyond your skill level, you simply have to provide some materials and allow children to use them without any instructions, in their own way, with the ability to bring them to any space in the room. Giving children materials and agency, and trusting that they are full of incredible ideas, will go a long way to building creative confidence and cultivating an empathic and collaborative spirit. (If you want to do more, you can join our course or our workshop series.)

Creativity is our greatest asset as humans. We can raise creative thinkers and confident risk-takers by simply providing the space, time, and materials for children to develop those lifelong skills and habits. As the famed psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi once wrote, “Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives...most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity.”