Submission A: Final Written Manifesto
I m a g i n e t h e F u t u r e
In the transition from childhood to adulthood the value of imagination is lost and creativity is suppressed.
The school system teaches us that there is always a right and a wrong answer; that there is a right and wrong way to think; that there is a right and a wrong way to behave; that we will be rewarded for being right in life and punished for being wrong. This instills in us a hunger for right and a fear of wrong. Self-consciousness is taught.
Creativity does not operate according to right and wrong; it is not compatible with self-consciousness. Creativity is carefree; explorative; it is original. Creativity makes the world a more interesting place; progresses humankind; allows us to imagine the future.
The school system teaches us to be right; to be conventional; to be sensible; to be rational; to believe that being imaginative is childlike, and childlike is wrong. It teaches us that creativity is a thing only some people have; that creativity should be reserved for the arts; that creativity has limited purpose in the real world.
The school system should teach us…
1. Having imagination is not childlike. Having imagination is human.
2. Play is good for the soul.
“A spontaneous, playful mindset is low in self-consciousness” ~ Zabelina & Robinson, 2010, p. 57
3. Creativity is yours. It has no blueprint.
4. Don’t be afraid to be wrong.
“If you’re not prepared to be wrong you’ll never come up with anything original” ~ Robinson, 2006
5. Don’t be afraid to be right, either.
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Robinson, K. (2006). Do schools kill creativity?. Presentation, TED talk.
Robinson, K. (2001). Mind the gap: The creative conundrum. Critical Quarterly, 43(1), 41-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8705.00335
Zabelina, D., & Robinson, M. (2010). Child’s play: Facilitating the originality of creative output by a priming manipulation. Psychology Of Aesthetics, Creativity, And The Arts, 4(1), 57-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0015644