Naturally, since I am not in fact a world famous sociologist with an endless supply of PhD's on the subject, my answer to the question of can creativity be taught is opinion. Nothing more. Nothing less, hopefully.
However, having spent the better part of my adult life in a career surrounded by creativity...I feel as if my opinion is at least POSSIBLY valid...so here goes. Everyone take cover.
First off, everyone is well aware that there are many variations of 'creativity.' The world has accountants, and then the world has accountants. One could be more 'creative' than the other in their problem solving...willingness to think outside the box. One might simply have a broader set of definitions as to interpretations of rules...and that makes him or her 'creative.' Doesn't it?
(Hmmm. Maybe accountant was a bad example...we'll see.)
But society tends to look at the word 'creativity' and immediately conjure up images of artists, actors and photographers, architects, musicians, and artists and yes, writers too. There's certainly a mystique to being labeled 'creative.'
And so, being able to chime in on the writers, I can tell you that in my honest opinion, creativity SEEMS TO BE something you are born with. A majority of the writers I have known confirm that as well.
But here's what else I believe...
I believe that creativity can be NURTURED.
Absolutely. In fact I'm sure of it. (read on)
I believe that if a person deemed to be 'non-creative' were to put him or herself into different life learning patterns, that person could develop creative-abilities.
Am I suggesting a endless diet of MTV's Real World and a re-read of the latest issue of TV Guide or anything by James Patterson? No.
I'm suggesting that people need to expose themselves to more creative outlets in order to think and be more creative. Not watching daytime television and picking up an unfinished novel will start the ball rolling. Don't you still have the instructions for REALLY using that digital video camera?
How about putting some classical music on your Ipod on shuffle and actually letting it wash over you as you mow the lawn. Heck, you'd at least FEEL as if you were doing something creative. And that might lead to something new you might want to try the next day.
Personally, whenever I felt I had been tapped out in terms of my own creativity, I would run, not walk, to one of those funky magazine stores in the West Village in NYC and just start looking at pictures and reading the first parts of articles. Or grab The New York Times Book Review. Or rent ET.
Didn't matter.
It would refuel my creativity batteries. And almost every 'creative' in advertising I knew had their own way of recharging.
