About Creativity – www.charnwoodcreatives.com

What is creativity and why is it important?

‘Creativity and related creative ideas may simply be new to a person’s way of thinking.  The key components of creativity are:
 

• Being curious;
• Identifying problems and asking questions to investigate them;
• Being open-minded and able to consider a variety of possible responses or perspectives in answer to a question;
• Having imagination – seeing more than is immediately apparent or interpreting something in a way that is unusual; 
• Having the ability to take risks, live with uncertainty, have confidence and a ‘can-do’ approach; 
• Being able to act both individually and collaboratively; 
• An ability to generate new ideas or creative behaviour without necessarily producing a product;
• The ability to make connections between disparate and apparently unconnected elements and see things in a completely new way.’

‘It is generally agreed that anyone can learn to be creative.’

Edited extract from ‘Creativity and history’ by Hilary Cooper, University of Cumbria, in Primary History Journal 63, ‘History and Creativity’, Historical Association, March 2013.

‘We believe that the arts in their broadest sense provide a vital component in the development of the individual – to develop and share ideas and perspectives on life.  To develop communication and confidence, sense of self, imagination and well-being.  The arts develop our social skills, add to our sense of community, enable the telling of individual and collective stories, release talent and develop skills that are transferable to many other areas of our lives.’ Charnwood Arts – Hearts of 3 Cities Magazine

‘Whatever a child or young person’s interests, whatever they go on to do in life, understanding the magic and power of communicating through the written or spoken word will open up opportunities for them, making them more effective learners and helping them to reach their full potential.’

Writing in Education Issue Number 58, Autumn 2012 – ISSN 1361-8539 published by  the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE)