Damian Barneschi
AETE 501
September 16, 2010
Paper #1
Is There a Formula for Creative Beings?
As self-proclaimed misfits, my friends and I never envied the “popular” kids in high school. Instead, we usually identified with creative people who were a part alternative cultures and lifestyles – those who chose paths different from the norm. Reflecting on this years later, my friends and I made some interesting observations regarding the graduates from our high school class. After interacting with numerous classmates at both our five-year and ten-year reunions and viewing countless Facebook pages, we saw a definite pattern. Many of the men and women from our class who were once both popular and received good grades are now leading rather mundane lifestyles. They are often working undesirable jobs and are still living in our small, suburban hometown. On the other hand, many of our friends, most of whom were not part of the “popular set,” now seem to be working in exciting career fields. A 2010 article by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman in Newsweek titled “The Creativity Crisis” may help to better explain the above mentioned observation.
According to the article, there is an astounding correlation between creativity and accomplishment. Data analyzed from a 1958 study of 400 third graders shows that the correlation between childhood creativity and creative accomplishment was more than three-times greater than that of childhood creativity and IQ.[i] Bronson and Merryman also talk about the social and environmental characteristics of highly creative people. According to the article, people that are creative typically grew up with some type of hardship. Researchers state that hardship by itself doesn’t necessarily lead to creativity, but it does force kids to become more flexible. It is this sense of flexibility that helps with creativity. Although my five friends and I all had reasonably stable upbringings, we definitely were not accepted by the popular kids at school. Instead of attending parties with our classmates and participating in school sporting events, my friends and I had to develop our own forms of creative entertainment. This often meant playing music, making clever crank calls or doing improvised sketch comedy routines.
Although it’s possible for students to be popular and creative or to be popular and highly successful, these combinations are likely the exception rather than the norm. Through the article, one can deduce that hardship breeds creativity and creativity breeds success. New Mexico neuroscientist Rex Jung states, “Those who diligently practice creative activities learn to recruit their brains’ creative networks quicker and better. A lifetime of consistent habits gradually changes the neurological pattern.”[ii] Perhaps my friends and I were part of this lucky few to have the unique combination of attributes necessary to produce a creative individual.
[i] Bronson, P., & Merryman, A. (2010, July 10). The creativity crisis. Newsweek, Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html
[ii] Bronson, P., & Merryman, A. (2010, July 10). The creativity crisis. Newsweek, Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html
