Creativity

Creativity

Analyzing it in all shades, we can define creativity as the willingness and the ability to express the uniqueness that is in us through artistic creation, research and scientific discoveries, personal and social behaviors aimed at expressing emotions, solidarity and empathy in general.
Creativity, in its many forms, is always associated with intelligence, with which there are complex links, not yet entirely understood by science. Creativity plays an irreplaceable role in human evolution, whether by powering scientific and technological progress or raising the spirit through art, literature, and music. Intelligence is not something monolithic and absolute, but embraces sensitivity and skill that everyone possesses in different ways, and can be enhanced through research, exercise, application and study. Intelligence, considered as a set of skills and sensitivity, is the ability to understand the reality, both physical and spiritual, of our being and the world around us. To enhance the creativity it is necessary to be able to overlook habits and appearances, improving, through study and research, the intellectual capacity that we have.
Creativity is often expressed through antisocial behavior, when we place ourselves and our interests above the values ​​of peaceful coexistence and empathy. In these cases, creativity is aimed at affirming the primacy of self-interest, which often does not coincide with that of humanity. Examples of these deviant behaviors are forms of totalitarianism with the cult of personality of the dictator and the enslavement of art, science and creative expression aimed towards propaganda purposes designed to extol the regime, advocate the cause and justify every action, even the most perverse, of those in power. Another example is provided by the activity of organized crime which seeks ill-gotten gains outside of any respect for the law, with the exploitation of prostitution, drug peddling, money laundering, the spread of the gambling and other illegal activities. Modern society, more than in any other era, full of possibilities of culture and learning, finds the main obstacle to the development of creativity in the lack of a participatory tissue that helps individuals to express and develop their uniqueness by comparing thoughts, emotions and intellectual property. Other obstacles are the stereotypes proposed by mass society with the phenomena of showgirls, sitcoms, hype, more or less overt censorship of opinions, media voyeurism, limited resources available for research, for the protection of nature and art. What can we do as individuals to support and fully live our creativity? First we have to get rid of those behaviors that hinder creativity and inner life, in particular the daily routine, understood as a series of repetitive behaviors that deaden our innovative and perceptive capacity. We must affirm with force and decision the will not to surrender to the social conditioning, due to influences from society in general, and more specifically, from the family, work, school or the circle of affection and friendship. As you can guess, the path is neither easy nor painless, because it presupposes an awareness of being blocked and conditionated in the expression of our personality. After comes the iron will of not resting in the attitudes and behavior dictated by conformity that surrounds us and, finally, the desire to seek, with perseverance and determination, in our hearts the most true and most characteristic humanity is imprinted in our uniqueness. Certainly awareness and willingness are not enough, because to bring out and enhance the talents that are in us we must exercise consistently in study, discussion and sharing. History teaches that those who are placed in a democracy, open to debate and free dialogue, express more easily and more completely their creativity: think of the Greek civilization, the Renaissance, the Belle Epoque, the United States of America after the war of independence from the United Kingdom, the extraordinary impulse that had the medicine, genetic engineering and the sciences in general after the Second World War. In the following chapters I will devote myself to outline some of the aspects that make up human creativity both in science and in the field more closely linked to emotions and artistic expression. We'll talk about friendship, love, literature, philosophy, painting and sculpting, music, architecture, medicine, physics, astronomy, fashion, design, and many other aspects of creativity, trying to understand what compels mankind in the search of himself and knowledge of nature and the universe.

The paths of creativity

The paths of creativity and how to promote them


All that man is able to think, he is also able to do.

(Johann Wolfgang Goethe)

In Sanskrit kar means create, kar-tr is the one who creates from nothing, the creator. Is creative activity the result of pure randomness, or is it the result of computing activities of the brain, or the result of the reflections of the soul? If we believe that it is the mere randomness used to control the creative process, we assume an anti scientific attitude, in contradiction with the more recent findings of studies on the brain and how it works. It is equally true, however, that many times, where pure logical reasoning fails, we arrive at a creative solution by accident. Creativity often follows unpredictable paths, while drawing on studies and experiences, reworks them in an original and almost magical way. Suddenly we feel the inspiration and give life to a creation that comes spontaneously, as we were inspired by our inner self. The researchers call this creative skill “lateral thinking”, the ability to roam free with the mind, combining in unconventional ways the elements to be assembled to reconstruct the puzzle of knowledge and creativity. Children love to play using “lateral thinking”, letting there minds wander to deconstruct and reconstruct the sensory and affective experiences.
The repressive upbringing, rote learning, social organization and work based on oppression of originality and repetition are the most important causes that restrain the creative intelligence. Understanding how the brain works is one of the most fascinating scientific challenges and the most important to discover the creative methods and how to promote them.
At the base of the functioning of the brain there are billions of neurons and their endings called synapses. These endings are in contact with other synapses and to communicate release chemicals in response to electrical stimulation. Neuroscientist Eric Kandel (1920), winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for medicine, with his studies demonstrated synaptic plasticity of neurons, that is, when a person learns something new it changes the connections in the brain and determines physical changes in the synapses. Repeated nerve impulses cause a change in the functional organization of the brain. The moment you are invested with new impulses, neurons sway and can disrupt normal connections to create new ones with neighboring neurons. The brain is not only learning continually, modifying its connections, but behaves like any other muscle in the body because the more you exercise it, the more it develops and the  more complex it becomes. This helps us to understand the importance of the choices we make, because all activity stimulates a modification of our automatic responses to specific stimuli. Building on these presuppositions we understand how helpful it is to encourage the development of a balanced and creative mind from an early age. An upbringing of respect for oneself and for the norms of society, an open and democratic social environment, a family atmosphere full of empathy and irony, are the basis of an innovative community that cares about the well being of its citizens. Learning changes the functional structure of the brain, that, in a newborn child, is only partially structured. The brain completes the process of development only between twenty and forty years of age. For each solicitation due to learning, follows a modification of the connections in the brain. There are no two people who have the same connections in the brain, each in the course of his/her life creates a unique and original map, different from that of any other individual.
How many times do we have the impression that dreams escape us, how many times do we let wilt our creativity, how many times we have the perception that life runs flat, meaningless. We are resigned, however change is possible. it would be enough to stop and listen to the inner self, remove beliefs that inhibit creativity, practice being receptive to new ideas and learning. This will favor the path of creativity, create new synaptic connections, encourage imagination and intelligence to manifest themselves in free and original ways.