Creativity: One of Our Greatest Gifts

Creativity is a basic human capacity we all possess. It’s simply “generating new ideas that have value,” according to Sir Ken Robinson. Yet, creativity is a significant factor in contributing to satisfaction in our individual lives and quality of life in our workplaces and communities. It is one of the primary growth indicators today driving business profitability, development of geographic regions, and solutions to the most difficult societal issues facing us all.

However, we have a huge problem in our 21^st century American society. In our over-committed, fast-paced technologically savvy lives, we often forget, or perhaps have never discovered, our purpose and our innate creative gifts and talents that make life joyful, rewarding and transformational.

Most especially, our children are growing up in school and home environments where high stress expectations for excellence and no tolerance for failure, a narrowed curriculum without room for hands-on learning and experimentation, and heavily programmed schedules without time for unstructured play, are the norm. Our children go through 12 – 16 years in an education pipeline that rewards compliancy and good test takers, but often sets aside the “out of the box” thinkers, those who question and debate ideas, and those who cannot sit still, as problem children.

Interestingly, American business leaders today are desperately trying to find workers with exactly these same qualities – the ones that know how to generate creative ideas, think critically, communicate, and collaborate – but they’re very difficult to find, in fact, almost like a “needle in a haystack,” according to an Oklahoma corporate leader.

Creative Oklahoma is leading a statewide movement to change this paradigm with educational programs and services that provide resources to students, teachers, employers and employees, and communities to develop and hone their imagination, creativity, and innovation skills to make a positive difference.

We cannot make this change alone – we are a young, statewide nonprofit organization reliant upon private support. We need your voice and your ideas!

We also appreciate at this time of year, any tax-deductible gift you may wish to provide. Your support gives students with the Oklahoma ArtScience Prize program an opportunity to develop solutions to global issues; it provides the opportunity for Oklahoma teachers and students to attend the 2015 Creativity World Forum in Oklahoma City on March 31^st and learn strategies for change from some of the top creativity leaders in the world; and it provides support for our cSchool faculty to train educators, businesses, and communities how to employ problem-solving techniques to solve their most important issues.

Donate now before December 31^st to make your 2014 tax-deductible contribution!

And, if you’re not already a member, become part of the Creative Oklahoma movement for only $50 for individuals and $25 for students! You’ll receive a monthly e-newsletter with in-depth creativity articles contributed by our cSchool faculty and a 20% discount to the upcoming 2015 Creativity World Forum as a member.

Have a wonderful holiday season and remember –

Your Ideas Matter!

                                                                                    Susan McCalmont, President
                                                                                    December, 2014