 1 – Restore meaning to the word “creativity”
Just because something is strange, or transgressive or extravagant doesn’t make it creative.
Surveys say that Italians, particularly younger people, have rather confused ideas in this regard. This isn’t the case in other countries. One need only compare the richness and depth of the definitions of creativity found in various languages in Wikipedia with the Italian page.
We need to restore to the word creativity its ethical and functional dimension, whereby it is understood once again as a new and effective solution to a given problem. It is a new vision that illuminates phenomena heretofore obscured. It is the discovery that opens fertile new prospects. It is the felicitous intuition of an entrepreneur who fills an unacknowledged need or opportunity, or the insight of an artist who explains unknown aspects of the world and ourselves.
Essentially, creativity is something new that produces something good for a community and that, as such, fills us with wonder and gratitude.
If the nobler, more constructive connotation of the word is not restored, we will continue to talk about lots of amusing novelties but will probably not do anything useful with them.
2 – Emphasize meta-skills
Creativity is a mental attitude, a way of looking at the world by noticing relevant details and asking questions that aren’t obvious. It’s a style of thought that combines logical and analogical abilities, and that is geared toward understanding, interpreting and producing positive results. It is this pragmatic aspect that distinguishes true creativity from fantasy on the one hand, and being merely sly on the other. There is also the extraordinary potential extension of creative thought.
If we do not consider creativity, like learning and communication, as a meta-skill necessary for producing new and useful results, we lose the coordinates of the phenomenon and we fail in both intercepting and transmitting its essence.
3 – Consider all creative endeavors as a whole
Science and technology, the arts, business, education, communication, sport… Creativity is everywhere. Some expressions of it are simply better known than others and have greater resonance in the media. But only by recognizing equal merit in every creative act, in every context where it is exercised, can we redesign our mental landscape and build a social environment wherein creativity is fully recognized and rewarded.
Favorable environments are essential for developing creativity. We must raise awareness of the value of creative contributions and find ways to recognize, encourage and reward creative thought in every sphere of activity.
4 – Combine theory and practice; connect skills
Creative ideas are generated by the sort of short circuit caused by the combining of distinct and distant elements (in this lies the magic of analogical thought) and different skills. We must build networks and facilitate opportunities of encounter, and the web is an incomparable tool for doing precisely this. We must also avoid keeping theory separate from practice, but rather integrating processes and methods in the field, gauging their effectiveness theme by theme.
The last century has produced hundreds of theories of creative thought and dozens of models of the creative process. If we start theorizing about theories we descend into futility, and we lose sight of the real issue.
5 – Give visibility to exemplary instances of creativity
You can’t “teach” someone how to be creative, but it can be learned. And one learns by observing exemplary instances, as if by contagion. Behind every creative achievement is a fascinating challenge that deserves to be recounted, along with intense emotions that can be shared. And these emotions are a powerful motivating force, particularly for young people.
Rather than organizing conferences “about” creativity, we should be organizing encounters among people who think creatively, and among these people and the general public. We need to spread the idea that they are simply normal people who know how to do exceptional things.
6 – Cultivate talent, celebrate skill, reward perseverance
As Edison said, creativity is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Without specific skills it is impossible to produce anything worthwhile. Without perseverance even the best talents cannot withstand the frustration inherent in any creative process and become lost along the way. Talent, skill and perseverance are the values we must promote in every field of endeavor.
There are no shortcuts: creativity is hard work. This needs to be said, particularly to young people. After the Second World War, a single generation completely rebuilt Italy. We need to recover that energy and that spirit.
7 – Encourage instruction and training
Back in the Aristotle’s day, everything that anyone needed to know was stored in the memories of cultivated men. In Leonardo’s day, it was stored at least in Leonardo’s memory. Today it is impossible to know everything, but nevertheless we need to know how to know, and learn how to learn. The challenge in these complex times is therefore more complex, and the place where we begin to face that challenge is the classroom. The Italian school system, as evidenced by the findings of OCSE-Pisa, has as many areas that demand improvement as those that can be considered excellent.
The quality of education, from elementary school to university, and the diffusion the concept of lifelong training are of paramount importance: without them we will go absolutely nowhere. This must be said loudly, clearly, tirelessly and incessantly at every opportunity.
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