Why Schools Are Destroying the Creative Impulse

Art and the Need for the Creative Impulse

Art is an expression of culture, of that which has been given us and taught to us. Thus, in the 20th century, we see the rise of Brutalism in architecture -- a reflection of the de-humanization of politics and society in the wake of two World Wars that saw millions slaughtered. These were buildings that were cold, lifeless, without aesthetic appeal, designed merely to reinforce a spiritually dead, bureaucratic vision of human compartmentalization (Johnson, 2003). Yet, just 500 years earlier, buildings were reflecting something far more glorious and magnificent: the grand structures of Rome, for instance, or in any other major European city for that matter. The culture was one that believed in transcendence, spiritual ideals, aesthetic beauty and quality, of the need to uplift (Wolfe, 1975). This was all reflected in art. By the 20th century, something had happened to cause a revolution or shift in the way we thought of art, ourselves, the world, and the purpose of life. And this too was reflected in the way painting, sculpture, plays, and architecture were produced.

Creativity may be defined as the expression of imagination, which may be something that the wars and revolutions of the 20th century obliterated. One of the casualties of war may be imagination and the ability to transcend -- but only if the inner workings of the mind and heart have first been lost. Thus, imagination is something that should be cherished by every culture because it is so vital -- the "heart and soul" of creativity as Sir Ken Robinson states.

The conditions that foster creativity are those which allow children to utilize their natural talents and their ability to be innovative. Creativity is something that depends upon the willingness to be wrong. If one is afraid of being wrong, as Robinson states, one will never make any attempt to be creative. With modern education, the tendency is to emphasize not making mistakes and this discourages creativity. Instead, children should be prepared or encouraged to be innovative and to not be afraid to make mistakes. This will encourage them to think outside the box and to not be stuffed into the uncreative, box-like structure that is modern day Brutalism in design, in thinking, and in activity.

The circumstances can be changed to encourage activity by promoting the importance of creativity on both a practical and social level. As Robinson observes, the public schooling has done nothing but create university professors, disembodied heads who live entirely inside an academic bubble. There is no connection to reality -- and the reality is that cities are falling apart, graduates are unemployed and unemployable, an MA is needed where a BA used to do the job, and a PHD is needed where an MA used to be enough. School has become a protracted system of exploitation -- and the loans offered for schooling serve simply as a debt yolk around the necks of the next generation. By promoting creativity and creative solutions outside the box, people can both set about fixing the broken system (evident in the surging popularity of persons like Donald Trump) and restoring some semblance of transcendent beauty to their surroundings. On a practical note, one way to restore creativity is to get back to the study of the humanities -- or just simply to the exposure of the humanities: students should be able to read the classics, see Shakespeare, learn from people who actually understand Shakespeare and who are not just dismissive of him, as is so often the case in today's schools.