You & Me Creative!

Creativity is a very broad topic. However, for me it is a never ending process. Just what I shared in the class, for as long as there are problems or situations, there will be creativity. It brings out the best in an individual. My classmates told me that there was a discussion last week about creativity and whether it is inherited or learned and discussions about Japanese creativity. With that we are asked to come up with our 3rd reflection blog.

Creativity for me is all about “Nature vs. Nurture”. Both nature and nurture play significant roles in the development of creativity of a person. Based on what I learned when I was still taking up Sociology, I would tell that a person’s creativity can be a product of both human effort and so-called will power. Human experience is affected and shaped by many variables.  So if you have creative mom and dad, there will be a tendency that their genes contain something that makes their brains perceive the world and articulate meaningful experience through whatever medium in a unique and different style. But to attribute it all to genes would be simplifying the beautiful complexity of the creative mind.

However, I believe that biological inheritance of being potentially creative is one part of the story. An individual’s early history has a significant effect. Interest and curiosity tend to be stimulated by positive experiences with family, by a supportive group or environment, with a rich cultural heritage, through being exposed to many opportunities and pressure with high expectations. In contrast, perseverance seems to develop as a response to a precarious emotional environment, a broken family, a feeling of being rejected and discrimination. Creative individuals seem more likely to have been exposed to both or all of these circumstances.

Also, I think that curiosity and drive are in many ways the “yin and the yang” that need to be combined for becoming creative. Curiosity requires openness to outside stimuli. It is playful and deals with objects and ideas for their own sake. Drive needs the inner focus, seriousness, the competitive spirit and being goal orientation. The curiosity and commitment of creative people often directs them to confront the social problems that most people are too content to leave alone. That’s why I think Japanese are full of curiosity and drive that’s why they are very creative.

I wasn’t able to get the copy of the lecture about Japanese creativity but let me just share my first hand experience with Japanese and how they are pushed to be creative and link it to the issue of Nature vs. Nurture. I have cousins who are Japanese and they go home in the Philippines once a year. Often times, we talked about how their technology differs from others. One of my cousins, Naoko Takara, told me that during the time that she was still studying, they were really thought how to be not just creative but competitive as well. She said that the generation is is behind a drive to redefine Japan as a leader in design and innovation in terms of fashion, architecture, video games, and hybrid. She said that their country is already transforming itself in ways no other major economy has by completely redefining its national mission to one of creativity and innovation. Also, Naoko told me that they are being taught and trained in school to be more creative, have a greater tolerance for risk, and want to make a real difference in the world.

To cap off this entry, I highly believe that in each one of us, we have a potential to be creative. We got it from our genes. It’s like a seed that our parents planted and all we have to do is nurture it to grow and develop. Integral part of the development is our society and its influence on how far can we go to be creative. Japan is doing a great job in etching to the mind of their people to sustain their credibility to be on top of the world in terms of being creative. As for the Philippines, I think we have a great potential, it is good that in this day and age, there is a strong influence of social media for us to be creative and be innovative as Filipinos. But for as long as we don’t imitate and create our own with Filipino heritage, we can be there on top and be competent in terms of showing to the world that Filipinos are competitively creative as well.