Creativity helps develop quality human beings
Helvy Tiana Rosa, Contributor, Jakarta
"What does 'future'mean Bunda? What will my future be," my 7-year-old son, Faiz, asked me before suddenly grabbing my hand and shouting, "Let's play `future', Bunda!"
Quite right to ask, son, what your future will be. Quite right to be curious about what will happen next. Will you manage to shine in the midst of stormy times and competition from your peers? What can your mother do to prepare you for the challenges of the future?
Hopefully Faiz and millions of other children can grow up to be people of great quality. But what is "quality"? I'd like to define it as: virtuous, smart, caring and creative. Human beings who use the resources at their disposal to benefit other people in a way that is loved by God.
How is creativity useful? Is it really so important in preparing a child for the future? Reynold Bean suggests that, "we can help children to be capable, flexible, adaptable and to make imaginative decisions in a constantly changing world".
So if we can foster children to be more creative we can equip them with the ability to overcome challenges.
Certainly experts have different definitions of creativity. In his book, You and Creativity, Don Fabun describes more than 50 notions of creativity. Dr. Myron S. Allen in Psychodynamic Syntheses describes creativity as the formulation of meanings through syntheses. John W. Haefele in Creativity and Innovation says creativity is the ability to create new combinations of ideas with social values. George J. Seidel in Crisis of Creativity says creativity is the ability to connect and link ideas but in a strange and impressive manner.
Reynold Bean's assertion that creativity is a process is the most interesting to me. Creativity is the expression of one's basic character in a satisfying way, that results in the communication of that character to other people.
My conclusion is that the creative people are those: 1. With the urge to improve their surroundings. 2. Who are sensitive and responsive to others. 3. With the wish to go deeper than the surface. 4. With curiosity and the drive to question. 5. Who prefer to think deeply, and try to understand. 6. Who concentrate, and apply themselves to a problem until they really master it. 7. Who have the willingness to experiment, seek and develop. 8. Who are optimistic, enthusiastic and confident. 9. Who are able to cooperate and engage in productive work with others.
My definition of creativity is quite broad and I feel sure that creativity has very positive influences.
First, I believe creativity can be developed, despite assumptions that genetic factors are responsible for it. Parents can foster their children's creativity and give it every opportunity to develop.
Second, creativity helps children to develop self-esteem and not be afraid to assert their individual identities. Creativity helps children learn to love themselves and this confidence develops integrity in their relationships with others.
Creativity strengthens self-awareness. The creative processes helps liberate children to express themselves. A child that feels secure and protected from ridicule or punishment is often a child that feels free to speak their mind, without censorship. Under such circumstances children can be comfortable in themselves.
Third, creativity facilitates communication. And an ability to communicate helps a child achieve success in many spheres of life. By building a child's creativity we give them the means to express their feelings honestly in a subtle and skilled manner. This is important in forming an ability in the child to be flexible and adaptable and to look for alternative solutions to problems.
Finally, creativity helps children to achieve in many fields and to solve daily problems -- in science and technology, the arts -- at home and at school.
The writer is a novelist and the chair of Forum Lingkar Pena, an association of writers that within five years of its existence has amassed more than 3,500 members and produced hundreds of books.