Thinking outside the box or just playing inside it?

In a previous post about creativity, I got very philosophic about defining creativity but after watching a video of Ken Robinson, I have been inspired to tackle the issue from a different angle.

A point made in his speech was that we don’t grow into creativity but we grow out of it and I feel that this is a very justified argument.

As children we are ALL very imaginative, using our minds to create pretend situations that only we can see. Children have the ability to turn a cardboard box into a realm of spells and dragons. We’ve all been there. Everyone can turn around and proudly say that one Christmas they spent longer sat in the box the present came in than playing with the present itself. Surely this ability to dream up scenarios is a defining aspect of creativity. Everyone can or has done it meaning that everyone is creative, it is something we are born with.

It’s just our journey through life that causes some people to lose touch with their creative thinking.

Within the industry creativity is a must. The ability and requirements needed to develop a unique and interesting game requires the creative flair or artists and designers as they have been encouraged to continue grasping onto their creativity throughout their education.

Which brings me onto a comment made to me this week.

What if we weren’t bound by the paths of education? What if we were all allowed to be creative and live life doing what we enjoy?

Well for starters we wouldn’t have much of a life to live as we all slowly descend into anarchy and chaos. Can you really imagine a conference room of dancers heading the Tesco corporation or the Houses of Parliament filled with expressionist painters. Sure it would be nice and everyone would be happy, but sometimes the job needs doing. Why else do people work in jobs they don’t like. It’s so they can earn money to do the things that they do enjoy in life.

But luckily for me I am doing something that I enjoy and I get to be creative as a result of it.