Inbuilt Creativity

Language is a socio-reflective learning process. Your parents, after they have stopped with the "goo-goo" and "gar-gar" talk to you like a real human being. You learn to speak by listening to others. I can qualify this a little from my daughter. Brought up mainly in Greece, she is very fluent in that language. Mainly as she has been surrounded by examples of speakers of the source. As for her English, she has had me, and even though her first word was "Daddy", in English, she has not had so much exposure to the language, and therefore has some grammatical difficulty. On a different note, creativity seems to be an inherent thing. Not necessarily from parental skills or even grand-parent skills, but a species based trait.

All kids at an early age show some ability to make marks. Even if in some comparative assessment it would be noted that they all hold the same degree of ability. No one child being exceptional among the rest. They draw stick men, they draw simple trees and clouds, etc. This ability for creativity is inbuilt. It can even be seen in our cousins, chimpanzees, who without any guidance and training can make simple marks on paper, and if watched, even find a fascination in the process.

If we trace our steps back 300,000 years and our early beginnings as man, we also can note that our first forms of communication were not vocal be aesthetic; in the form of paintings, ideograms and symbols. This furthers the idea that the notion of right side abilities being a genetic development of evolution is strong. We are more able and willing to make marks than to utter words. Of course this is all driven out of us at the early age. Whether it is through educational mismanagement of the subject, or simple social disregard to the process of creativity.

I was watching a documentary the other day, and it showed some old footage of men working at victorian machinery. What struck me in the images was that the machinery that was created, was cumbersome, ugly and only seemingly designed to serve the purpose, rather than having any right brain involvement. This seems to be a flaw in the education system, where engineering and sciences are not tied in to or hooked up to arts. Nature is one of the best designers on the planet, and many a well-known product and designer have sought inspiration and design aspects from nature's folds. However, does this get extended into the process by which we are taught mechanics or mathematics? No!

This creativity is not necessarily restricted to the primates. Many creatures create things; whether a nest or shelter or mating apparatus. They consider the aesthetics of it combined with the nature's laws that will make it functional. This is pure design at it's best. It was a relative step connection to man's path to 'craftsmanship'. The age that came after farming and before industrialization showed man at his best with regard to creative aspects, in relation to functionality. We still see a great deal of this in ethnic tribal art, that has not really changed a great deal in the many years since man stood up. The reason it still holds aesthetic beauty and great functionality is the simple reason it has not become victim to the mechanics of mass production.

The industrial revolution and the modern education system did an injustice to the arts, which has still this day, been perpetuated by the technology age. Many things in this day and age, even though designed, are designed with a concern to economics and viability in materials used in engineering. Rather than a principle of seeking out the best material for the job, there is too much reliance on financial aspects. One good example against this, is in China, where instead of using metal scaffolding they still employ bamboo scaffolding. Not because it is green and pretty, but because it is strong, in large supply and basically the best material for the job.

Our right side of the brain has been undermined, and maybe through evolution, as literally become a slight smaller than the dominate logical side. Is this an intended evolutionary step, or the fate that occurs when aesthetics is not nurtured in the whole of mankind? The one saving grace in all this, is that we all still dream. Dream in our right side.; our fantasy side. Maybe it gives us hope, maybe it makes us realize that what we do in our world, as regards to design, is less than it's potential. We call ourselves masters of this planet, but on a size by size ratio termites can build bigger and more structurally sound high rises than we could ever image. Why? Because they understand the link they have with their surroundings, where as we simple take from the surroundings.

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