Imagination and Creativity

The Beauty of Imagination and Creativity

Now I must warn you, this article is going to sound very romantic and fanciful, but I think that imagination and creativity are themselves romantic and fanciful. A confined body can still create, imagine, and find ways to show its individuality. This is why I don’t want to shrink back from making this article so fanciful, because children’s fancy is often looked down upon as childish and unproductive and they can get shamed into thinking within the same confines that adults do, which I find more damaging than helpful.

Children’s imagination and creativity

Children simply see the world differently. There are a number of books and movies which try to give us insight into how children see the world. A few of my favourites are Anne of Green Gables, Calvin and Hobbes, and The Secret Garden. These books show how young children can be fascinated by things that seem to be nothing of consequence to the rest of us, like the plants around them or ants going on their way.

They may pay more attention to things than we do. They may be delighted by simple things which themselves would seem to carry no point of interest to us. But when a child sees something that sets their imagination on fire, it can become their sole focus and interest.

In Issue 3, I briefly discussed how children are constantly constructing an understanding of the world as they grow as learn. I think that it is this very thing that helps them imagine and create so boundlessly. They have less of a concrete understanding of how things function in the world, therefore, they are able to be more delighted by what they see around them. Everything around them is new and fresh and worthy of investigation.

I know that many people might be worried about the consequences of an “over-active” imagination and children getting lost in their imaginary worlds in a way that is “weird”. This can happen, but is not the norm. I once read a book called the Philosophical Baby, by Alice Gopnik where she discussed that children are very much aware that their play is imaginary.

While it may seem that they are lost in their own worlds, and there is a point where they may struggle to differentiate between imagination and reality, children are often able exist both inside and outside of their imaginary worlds. They actually delight in knowing that what they imagine isn't real, but can still be enjoyed.

There is, of course, a darker side to imagination and creativity and some of the things it could tell us about children’s minds, particularly in the context of trauma or even mental disorder, but that will be discussed in other Issues.

Further, imagination and creativity show us that we do not have to work so hard to keep children engaged and entertained by always putting something in front of them as their brains are able to create and imagine naturally. Now, this does not mean that children will always be engaged and never bored.

However, often the solutions to children’s boredom which we try to place in front of them can cause more issues than solutions. Sometimes they create a hindrance and distraction from allowing the mind to naturally create. Why would we deprive children of these things? Of this opportunity to grow, learn, and explore naturally?

Worldbuilding and Escapism

Imagination and creativity are all around us, very much forming the structure of our world. They can be a productive outlet to an otherwise restrictive world.

They are shown in the books we read, games we play, movies and tv shows that we watch. In drawing, painting, music, singing, dancing, playing, imagining, and writing. In everyday living, it pushes us to show our quirkiness and individuality. Like adding some funky socks to an otherwise serious outfit. Or choosing to form our letters a certain way when writing.

This is why movies and books which discuss future miserable worlds often feature the removal of the ability to think, feel or create. The ability to think, feel, imagine and create are the basis of our individuality as the human race and as individual people.

Often school is described as limiting creativity and imagination and producing uncreative people. While we will discuss education another time, it is important to note that education does not remove the creativity, it in many ways introduces us to the limits and boundaries of life as well as new ways of solving problems. This means that creativity and imagination still need to be fostered even at home, but with the knowledge of how the world works.

Opening up a world of possibilities

We are imagining all throughout our lives. Whether it is imagining ourselves in a particularly attractive house, car, or outfit, imagining what a perfect holiday would look like, imagining a life better than the one we’re currently living, or imagining a life where we are without those we love.

Imagining allows our brains to create scenarios, place ourselves in someone else’s shoes and see things from their perspective. It can teach us to appreciate our lives and those around us, or it can drive us to pull up our socks and improve our lives to a better place. Knowing that there is something better than the life we’re living.

It is these things which have driven humanity to advance and innovate all throughout history. From the development of technology and transportation, to ways of making everyday living easier.

Imagination and creativity by nature hold no boundaries. In fact, they break boundaries and take us out of the norm. Therefore, they hold the promise of possibility for the individual alone, or for society as a whole. They see and shape the world in a unique way with a starting point of hope, without much guidance or restriction.

By virtue of having no limits and boundaries, imagination and creativity have formed the basis of the world we live in. They allow us to live outside of the rigid structure of life and the world and to express ourselves as we are without guardrails and social conventions.

Out of our imagination, we create

Creativity and Imagination have the ability to turn one thing into something else. The innovation that comes out of imagination and creativity starts off in childhood. Skills, talents and dreams are often acquired in the world of creativity and imagination. Children can make toys out of anything and build whole worlds around those objects. Be it a stone or stick.

This ability evolves into adulthood with people creating the most interesting things simply by imagining that one thing could function as another thing. Turning aluminium cans into a colourful sculpture of a giraffe, plastic bags into a rug, bottle caps into a necklace, seed pods into sculptures, long wires into fully functioning toy cars which can be raced. They bring colour, life, and interest into our world.

Encouraging imagination and creativity

Now we know the value of these two things, it is good to know how to encourage them. As with other things, children should not just be left endlessly to their own devices, but I would say that giving children the freedom to exercise their imagination without putting boundaries on what to imagine, what is or isn’t possible, or imposing your own ideas onto them is the best way to allow it. That said, guidance if imagination and creativity take them down the wrong path is still important. Here are a few simple ways of doing this:

1. Do not try to explain what the child has imagined or created, rather allow them the opportunity to explain it to you, asking questions. This will also help them express what is in their mind verbally.

2. Encourage pretend play. This is a way of channelling imagination and creativity in a social way and can include more people in the process.

3. Read fictitious stories to children and engaging with them on it. Stories that have extended narratives can help children to follow an extended thread thought, understand cause and consequences, and better understand social situations. Reading to them alone is not enough though, that’s why engaging with children brings real value.

   Asking questions like “what do you think will happen next?” or “what do you think about xyz?” or “why do you think this person did xyz?” are all ways of encouraging children to think, imagine, step into others’ minds, be creative, and communicate.

4. Ask children what they think about events or daily life and encourage questions. Now, there is a time in children’s lives where they seem to be asking every single question under the sun every 5 minutes, and I imagine that that can become quite exhausting to be present and engaging for every single question. So, answering as much as is possible, or even encouraging children to discover some of the answers themselves (in a child-appropriate way, of course!) could help.

The Takeaway

Imagination and creativity, the mark of an active, working mind, are part of the purest, unbroken state of the young child. They need to be encouraged and supported. They make life just that much shinier and more exciting for children and adults alike. They can bring hope into an otherwise darkened world which then spurs on change. Like I said in the beginning, out of what we imagine, we are able to create and that ability starts in childhood.

Therefore, let us celebrate the beauty of imagination and creativity.

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