Mathematics and Life 54 12 Actions to enhance creativity

12 actions to enhance creativity

Important Unlike the exact sciences or technology, it is very difficult to establish a universal cause - effect relationship in human relations. For example, if you take a 500 /- worth basic, second hand mobile handset or you take the latest iPhone, the keypad will have the same order of buttons. You take a discarded model car or a Tesla, clutch, break, accelerator would be in the same order and places. In any mood or using anything you start / hit a power button, the same light will start or get off.

However, it is not so in social sciences like human nature. Even the same person may give, often give, different reactions to the same stimulus (A technical term in psychology meaning some activity that has some response). Like see the tone, behavior toward you of the same selfish person when he wants something from you and when he becomes capable due to you.

Therefore the list of actions given below is not the order of priority, but just a checklist of things to do, to the children and more to yourself to be creative. I am putting bulleted dots instead of numbers to say there is no order in the list as this and then that. Each individual's journey is unique.

Accept that the child exists on her own. They are not your clones, robots, servants….nor are you clones of your boss.
Allow to open up. In developing creativity, small is big. A smile saying go ahead can open a creative mind more than an expensive toy can open.
Structural scope to express. Ask open ended questions and wait for all to answer. Do not be in a rush to cover a lot in a short time or conclude meetings quickly.
Accept different answers. You are not the end of knowledge. Knowledge evolves, it is easily available. So accept others’ answers too.
Accept different mediums of answering. In the media avalanche, a child / employee may answer on WhatsApp, through a blog writing, may send a video / audio. Many times to avoid obvious disputes, within family I send audio before a key meeting so that all are on the same page.
Tolerate ambiguity. It is not essential that all children / employees, family members are perfect communicators. Try to understand their silence. That body language of wanting to say something but falling short of words and or courage to express.
Keep some free hours. Google allows all of its employees to experiment on their ideas for some time in a day. I have seen many features in the Gmail lab coming in the front. When you recall, you last had an hour or more doing nothing official and a great thought came up ?
Have fun Travelling, bird watching, binge jumping, adventure sports….are sometimes great ways to trigger the creative mind. Some others are more creative sitting alone with their paint brush, iPad, pen and paper….pursue and let pursue the reason of inner happiness.
Public reward Nothing dies faster than an unrecognised creative idea. As such, the creative mind is quite lost, giving recognition, public acceptance gives them solace and the push to keep going. Putting a child's painting on a frame, reading out her poem in a family function, allowing the wife to dance in the public, an employee conducting a meeting on his Idea with the boss attending it are some of the many ways to endorse their creative expression.
Creating a forum on an issue is accepting the need for a change and doing something about it. It may begin with once a week meeting and catches up or is closed as the situation allows.
Do not discriminate. As such, our Constitution does not permit to discriminate between two people on any basis. All are equal before the law. However, in practice the reverse is true. It is not uncommon to see outright favouritism, nepotism, cult following. But these organisations, families, remain mediocre or also ran types. If you want yourself, your family, organisation to be a bunch of creative people, do not discriminate on any basis. It creates fear of the uncertainty and nips creativity in the budding stage.
Inclusive environment. It is very important that all feel it is their family, organisation, country. The child should feel he has a say and will be heard in the way he can express. If you search, contact the Prime Minister. You will see so many ways to connect. Including a snail mail address. There are people who can hardly afford writing a postcard. How will they approach the PM ? If you recall, at times our Apex Court has accepted postcards as a petition, has taken suo moto cognizance of public interest matters being discussed in the media. These are all ways to say this is everyone’s country.