Creativity and design are, quite simply, all around us. They are things that are with us all the time, even though we perhaps do not recognize them consciously or appreciate them.
We live in an incredibly creative age - from visual creations and designs that are part of our everyday life and practically everything we do to creations for our audio pleasure and so on. But we just do not seem to value and appreciate creativity and design enough in children and in the education that we provide for them.
A child that says he or she wants to be a designer one day is often led in another direction by his or her parents. Another child that proclaims he or she wishes to pursue a career in music is often frowned upon and encouraged to consider a "more serious career". Too often parents are still prone to the thought that creativity is not important and will not lead to good prospects.
This is an unfortunate situation in many ways. Creativity can and really should be viewed so much more positively - particularly in a child's education. Creative and imaginative play can and will be one of the most fundamental ways in which a child comes to terms with the world; making sense of what is going on around him or her and formulating it into some sense of order and normality.
Sometimes, though, adults do not see such creative and imaginative play as good, right or appropriate. A parent may be heard reprimanding a child with admonitions to "stop being so silly and behave properly" or even "behave normally", whatever that is. Childish play can be frowned upon and growing children may be expected to put away childish things but this is hardly necessary and it can be stifling.
In the early years of a child's education, creativity and play are generally accepted. Children will play with materials and manipulate them into different designs.
Paints and painting will commonly form a part of early education with children using brushes, their fingers and hands and even straws and blown air to manipulate paint on a canvas or paper.
In this sense, in the early years of education creativity seems to be accepted and is even encouraged. Small children will make musical and dramatic performances. They will, in short, be encouraged to explore their creativity but as children progress through their school years this creativity becomes sidelined.
As the school years progress that attitude of "putting away childish things" seems to come to the fore. "Serious schooling" is now being entered into and there is now little room for creativity.
One needs to look no further than schools' curricula to see this in action. Very few schools offer arts or design or indeed music subjects to students as they progress through their high schools.
This leaves an undoubted gap and indeed it may be said that something potentially very important and useful is being lost. It is often possible to meet students that are highly motivated in the arts or design but their schools have simply not been willing or able to meet this interest. Consequently, students are forced to pursue subjects which for them are of little interest and so are mundane.
Parents, too, can be part of the problem for students that appreciate and may be skilled in arts and design. Parents often fall into the trap of believing and upholding to their children that arts and design hold no prospects for careers and a positive future.
However, as already noted, creativity is all around us and is a big part of our daily life and so in fact creativity holds considerable prospects for future careers.
From architects to fashion designers and product creativity, arts and design careers have increasing prospects. We live in a highly commercial world and so commercial design careers working within advertising and marketing agencies are practically booming fields of employment and career prospects.
The ever-growing and ever-changing world of technology and all its amazing applications means that more and more people find work and careers bringing their creativity to the world through computer technology.
The list of employment prospects and careers that evolve from and revolve around creativity could go on and on and it will go on and on increasing. This means that we should get a better grip on the place of creativity within children's education and we should recognize that its place is not just in those early years of education; it is on-going and it is increasing in prospects.
Children's creativity should be seen and encouraged. It should be given opportunity to grow and develop into something that makes a positive and original contribution. Too often we think of education requiring conformity and fitting in with expected or imposed norms.
Some of the greatest minds in history (Newton and Einstein come to mind) did not fit in at school but their creativity brought them to the fore in their fields. Education should not be stifling creativity but should instead be allowing it to grow.
