We seem to be drowning in bad news; today the announcement came that more art programs in schools are being cut. That may seem trivial in the face of oil spills and other disasters, but I think not. How can we create a new world when so few of us understand the creative process? When we don't know how to be creative, we tend to be passive and expect governments to solve problems. That mindset hasn't worked. The government has washed ashore like a great whale. If we want the world to change, we need to change ourselves. We need to become creative thinkers.
Here's the good news. I have a studio at an art center that sits next to Boston. As I write, the place is swarming with kids enrolled for the summer art program. Our education program here is the center's great strength. We have a theater too and gallery space. And every theatrical production, every concert by a young band, every art show is part of the mission to involve kids and adults in creative endeavor.
I teach here and I see how the simple act of drawing changes lives. We learn to express ourselves and show up in the world no matter our skill level. We learn it's okay to try and to fail but also that we're capable of achieving what we set our minds on. We learn perseverance and courage. And, best of all, drawing makes us smile. We carry that joy with us when we leave class. Art takes us into a place of peace where we see clearly what obstacles are and also how to leap over them. And we learn to take action.
Art, as we all know, has never ranked high on our list of educational priorities. Reading, writing and arithmetic are core skills for any kid, along with languages and science. But art and music too have a critical role to play if we're to solve problems. Art-making teaches courage, perseverance and ingenuity. It teaches us how to create something where nothing existed. It shows us we can make things.
Creative thinking is different than analytical thinking. When we engage in creative thinking we don't just come to conclusions--we make something and see if it works in the world. Analytical thinking helps us steer the ship. Creative thinking brings it home.
We need ingenuity now. We all need to find the artist within and nurture it. How else will we develop solutions to overpopulation, poverty, health care issues, energy and environmental problems? There's no need to spell this need out--even the illiterate can read the writing on the wall.
In the midst of our current mayhem we, as creative people, can step up. We can ignite and grow our own creativity through the practice of an art form. We can engage our kids in the arts and teach them to be creative thinkers. We're all inherently creative and we can and will create a new world, one artist at a time.
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In 1993 I was involved with a tiny non-profit named Inner City Arts for Inner City Kids in Los Angeles. We brought inner-city grade school children by bus to a make-shift art center near skid row -- where volunteer artists taught them art.
I vividly remember the excited faces of these children as they tumbled into a big open loft space to experience the magic of making art. I remember watching their intent faces as they created magical art the way children can when given the space and the tools to do so.
Take at look at the amazing place Inner City Arts has become today to see what happens when a committed group of people get together and decide that the arts are not only important, but essential for a child's well being -- and the well-being of the community.
ICA has documented the results of this effort (see these on their website). It took a totally committed artist (Bob Bates) and an equally committed businessman (Irv Jaeger) to make this happen -- and of course many dedicated people to keep this initiative moving forward over the years.
Please - anyone who reads this comment - spend some time on the Inner City Arts website to see what is possible when people put their hearts into something and dream big enough.
http://www.inner-cityarts.org/ Our future truly is in our hearts and our dreams...
So get with World Creativity and Innovation Week. Every year since 2001 from April 15 (birthday of Leonardo da Vinci) to April 21 (Shakespeare's birthday). Worldwide involvement from kindergarten classrooms to global corporations. Get on board, get involved - and Huff Post devote a big news page to the whole week to celebrate how amazingly creative we are.
Mimi K