Can youth sports foster creativity? It depends . . .

My children are both involved in organized sports, gymnastics, and I agree it is all about perfectionism with no creative outlets.  I also feel that the skills gained from being in competitive gymnastics out way the non-creative environment it promotes.  With that said, it is all about what they do the rest of their time.  I feel that both of my kids are very creative, coming from an creative person, but we fostered that environment in our house, particularly allowing independent down time.  I think the most important factor is that children need time to get BORED! 

Here is an interesting article regarding organized sports and creativity, Written by Matthew Bowers Assistant professor, University of Texas at Austin.  ~Cornell

. . . Organized sports, on the other hand, tend to replicate hierarchical and militaristic models aimed at obedience, replication, adherence to authority, and a number of other qualities that, on a theoretical level, would be unlikely to be conducive to creative development . . . 

As someone who researches youth sports, I find this distinction to be particularly encouraging. It suggests, at least to me, that parents interested in fostering more creative development for their children don’t have to necessarily forgo traditional organized sports. They simply need to be aware of the importance of a balanced distribution of their children’s time between organized and unstructured settings . . .  <<  MORE  >>

https://theconversation.com/can-youth-sports-foster-creativity-it-depends-35074

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN: I am Not a Jerk . . . I am Just Creative

Is there a ‘standard’ creative process or is it different for everyone?  With that said, can anyone be creative?  Psychologists Guillaume Furst, Paolo Ghisletta and Todd Lubart define three personality  “super-factors” that can predict ones creative prowess: Plasticity, Divergence, and Convergence.   They define divergent thinkers as non-conformists, impulsive, not very agreeable, not being very thorough, and come across as jerks.

Hmmm, I have to think about that one . . .  ‘Mirror mirror on the wall . . .’ ~Cornell

Check out the recent Scientific American article, The Messy Minds of Creative People By Scott Barry Kaufman which discus their work.

 

The Messy Minds of Creative People

The creative process– from the first drop of paint on the canvas to the art exhibition– involves a mix of emotions, drives, skills, and behaviors. It’d be miraculous if these emotions, traits and behaviors didn’t often conflict with each other during the creative process, creating inner and outer tension. Indeed, creative people are often seen as weird, odd, and eccentric.

Over the years, scientists have attempted to capture the personality of creative people. But it hasn’t been easy putting them under the microscope. As psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who has interviewed creative people across various fields points out, creative people “show tendencies of thought and action that in most people are segregated. They contain contradictory extremes; instead of being an “individual,” each of them is a “multitude.”  << More >>

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/2014/12/24/the-messy-minds-of-creative-people/

Gelatin Molds

Soon to come . . .

The Higher Purpose of Doodling

As a kid I loved Sunday Morning on CBS; it was always interesting and still is.  Sunday is my running day, so I don’t get to watch it as much as I used to.  Either way, here is an episode that I missed . . . “The Higher Purpose of Doodling” and I can relate. 

I use doodling for a variety of reasons: I use it to get clarity around a concept, I use it to relax, I use it to communicate ideas with others and get their refinement of them, I use it to map complex systems for companies, I use it to run innovation games for business, I use it to get insight on something puzzling me. -Sunni Brown

I have always been that doodler in class, at work, or just waiting around, but I remember either getting dirty looks or even scolded by teachers.  Was I aware that it helped me?  Not at all, but I am now.  I doodle even more, but I am still aware of my audience who might not see it the same way.  

Under no circumstances should doodling be eradicated from a classroom or a boardroom or even the war room. On the contrary, doodling should be leveraged in precisely those situations where information density is very high and the need for processing that information is very high. -Sunni Brown

On a side note, I tell my students to draw / sketch everyday, it is a powerful tool to have no matter what industry you end up in.  Sometimes it is like pulling teeth, to get them to draw but I truly feel it is important.  Share this video with them, it might give them a little push . . .  GET DOODLING  ~Cornell  

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-higher-purpose-of-doodling/

Shea Hembrey: How I became 100 artists

I am currently attending a FLIBS Visual Arts training course.  The instructor shared a very cool TED talk about Shea Hembrey an artist who became 100 artists over a two year period.  Get Inspired!!!  ~Cornell