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How Traditional Education Kills Creativity

Sir Ken Robinson is a legend in the fields of creativity, innovation and education. And while he gave this classic TED talk some time ago, it’s even more relevant now.

Why not apply some of what he says to your situation?

We Have No Idea What’s Going To Happen

Are you on your current path because you want security?

I know I was for years. But security is a mirage – because you have no idea what’s going to happen.

If you accept this, why not do that which scares you most? Because that’s often what will make you most happy.

We Are all Born with Tremendous Talents and We Are Educated Out of Them

It’s not your fault that your first thought when you get stuck is to ‘learn’ more or find out ‘how to’ do this and that. I do exactly the same.

It’s because we have been taught, some might even say indoctrinated, that one way of learning is good and that mistakes are bad.

Our endless quest for more information/tips/advice is both a safety blanket against making a mistakes (there’s that security rearing it’s ugly head again), and an excuse to avoid doing something.

It’s not that all learning is bad, but there are other equally effective ways of learning that don’t depend on someone telling you how to do it.

Let me give you an example that will make a lot of sense if you have children.

How do they learn to talk/walk/play/eat/behave when they are young? We don’t ‘teach’ them by telling them how to do it. But they still learn. How do they do that?

Our Education System was Created for the Industrial Age

The way you are conditioned to learn is often the very worst thing you can do if you want to be creative. Traditional top down education methods were devised to make you into a factory worker, not a creator.

This is one of the reasons I have such a problem with so many of the music and music production courses and ‘how to’ tutorials I see everywhere.

They do have their place, and I have no doubt that the people who create them have the very best of intentions.

But there is a reason that most of my clients who have gone on a course or who have become ‘how-to tutorial junkies’ haven’t finished anything in months (and sometimes years).

Intelligence is Diverse, Distinct and Dynamic

People are different. Different ways of learning work better for different people. But the way we are taught (and taught to learn) is the same.

The best way for any individual to achieve their potential is to find what their learning preferences are and work with them at their pace that keeps them challenged.

One to one attention, while not always practical, makes this possible.

Waste of Talent

This is the biggy.

I am now doing what I am doing because I’ve become aware of the huge and scandalous waste of talent that I see around me. And the way we are conditioned to teach and learn is making the situation worse.

It boils down to the fact that most of us have been taught what we can’t do, not what we can do.

Now I’m not arrogant enough to believe I can singlehandedly change this, but if I can help just one person use their talent, I will have done something useful.

Take Aways and To Dos

If what you are doing now is for reasons of security, think again.

You don’t have to give it up immediately, but what else can you do which will make you happy?

It might the thing you’re most scared of. But what exactly are you scared of? What’s the worst that could happen?

Is the way you are learning your craft helping or hindering you?

How much have you actually done in the past week, month or year? If the answer is solely “well I’ve learnt…”

DO SOMETHING.

TAKE ACTION.

Trust me, you’ll learn sooooo much more.

Find a mentor.

Not only will you get one on one attention from someone who is doing what you want to do, you’ll consciously and unconsciously model them, the way children do.

In my experience this method of learning is almost immediate and profound.

Start noticing what your preferences are.

Do you like learning by seeing, hearing or experiencing? Do you work best when you’re sitting down? Standing up? Moving?

Become aware of your preferences and adjusting your strategies to fit and you’ll work and learn more quickly and easily.

What CAN you do?

Have you discounted doing something just because someone told you (bear in mind that it might be you) that you can’t do it or you’re no good at it?

If you’ve got a secret desire to do something that you think you can’t, ask yourself why.

What’s your experience with learning your craft? How much has it helped or hindered you? Or do you prefer to just “do” and see what happens?

Please go ahead and share in the comments below…




Filed Under: Featured Post Tagged With: creativity, education, learning, Sir Ken Robinson, TED

How Could “Creative Flow” Help You?

Don’t you just love it when it just works, you can do no wrong, and you’re in a state of effortless creative flow?

It’s an incredible feeling and I’m sure you’ve experienced it.

Now be honest with yourself – how often are you in flow?

There are people who can turn it on like a tap. Maybe you know one of them. Maybe you already are one of them! And I believe that if one person can do something then it is possible for anyone to learn do it.

So it’s my mission is to help you get into creative flow more often than you do now. Who knows, maybe even to help you become one of those annoying people who can just turn it on!

What could you achieve if you could simply choose to turn on inspiration whenever you wanted to?

In my own creative career as an electronic music, I’ve written, produced and released a huge amount in 17 years. I lost count at 300 tracks, so I know a thing or two about getting into creative flow (and probably even more about getting stuck!)

And anyone who knows me well will tell you that I think a lot. Like an awful lot. I’m always analysing my and other people’s processes and strategies.

By doing this for nearly 2 decades I’ve worked out some startling stuff about what works and what doesn’t.

Why does someone who has exactly the same brain, body, equipment and skills work like a genius on one day and like an amateur the next?

What are the areas you need to focus on to get into flow?

How do you just turn it on?

What would you do if you could?

Since I’ve become so fascinated, (actually let’s be honest, obsessed) with these questions, it’s become my mission to help people like you get into the hyper productive and hugely enjoyable state of creative flow whenever you want.

And this blog is just the beginning…

 

Filed Under: Featured Post Tagged With: creative flow, creativity, creativity training, flow

How to Dispel Fear with One Question

You’re at the end of the creative process. You’re about to complete.

But you can’t get to the finish line. You keep tweaking, perfecting and polishing. In fact if you’re honest with yourself, you’re thinking of scrapping it all and starting over.

Sound familiar? Well don’t worry, this happens to everyone.

Just stop and ask yourself one simple question:

If I finish this now and send it out into the world, what’s the worst that could happen?

The answer is probably:

Someone won’t like it.

Hmmm, but someone won’t like it whatever you make and however you feel about it.

And the negative repercussions of not finishing are much worse for you and your confidence than any amount of criticism.

So finish it. Send it out. Move on.

Because what’s the best that might happen?

Well you’re never going to know unless you finish it, are you?

Filed Under: Featured Post Tagged With: creativity, Fear, procrastination, Productivity

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