www.womanthismonth.com 57 September 2013 You do this by encouraging curiosity, by using everyday experiences to inspire new ideas and by building their confidence. Creativity is about experimenting and using tools, equipment and the environment, being dynamic, thinking out of the box and critiquing solutions. Have you ever felt you are not imaginative? If so, take a little time to brainstorm your thoughts around this subject. Consider where this belief came from, the impact it has made on your life and how it may influence your child’s thinking. What have you learnt? How does that make you feel? What do you want for your child? The changing world of work Innovation and creative thinking are two things that are values in the changing world of work. Many of the most successful companies value it as essential. They encourage employees and teams to take the time, space and energy to be creative, to re-invent products and services and to consider new solutions to problems. Jeff Mauzy and Richard Harriman in the popular book Creativity, Inc. state, “Divergent thinking, the ability to make mental connections between unrelated matters, … [as] one commonly accepted indicator of creative capacity and the breaking and making connections [as] where most of the work of creativity gets done.” Try it out Have a go at being divergent, right now, for two minutes. Think about or jot down as many things as you can think of that are round and made of wood. How did you do? What was your score? Were you worried that your answer may be wrong or even silly? What is it that helped you think divergently? What is the learning here for you as a parent? Now consider the other end of the scale. Describe a time when you felt most creative. What did it feel like to be creative? What made this event a success? What were your success criteria? How can you replicate this feeling of success both at work and in your personal life? One important piece of learning is that it’s alright to make mistakes, especially if you are a child. Encourage them to experiment in safe environments, to make a mess (it can always be cleaned up) and to learn from their mistakes too by developing them. Some of the greatest artists critiqued their work in a negative sense so much that they would not display it for others to share. What message is that telling you? Is being perfect the best way? Is anything ever perfect? Encourage curiosity Your child will be naturally curious and will know instinctively to ask questions. In fact, children often ask better questions than adults! Listen to them and build on your child’s curiosity. Inspire their imagination with open questions such as: What’s that picture about? Why have you put it there? What if you had all the space in the world?Encourage your child to think of the answers or solutions. One important piece of learning is that it’s alright to make mistakes, especially if you are a child
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