I was chatting with a friend of mine this morning about the seeming dearth of creativity in her students. Students who are doing a degree in Creative Industries…
It reminded me of a particular point in my schooling which in hindsight was pivotal in my own self-belief in my creative abilities for many years.
I was preparing materials in advance of the composition I was creating for my O Level (for younger viewers, like GCSEs but harder…) Art which I was sitting in the summer of 1987. I’d been up to the City of London to take some photos of buildings in and around the Stock Exchange.
Miss Moon, my art teacher, looked through these photos and her comments have stuck with me for 36 years.
“You’ve got a good eye, Matt. It’s just a shame you can’t draw.”
And that, in a short couple of sentences, left me framing myself as someone who wasn’t creative.
There’s a huge connection in our society between being creative and being able to draw with the finesse of an artist. Creativity and the ability to draw are not the same thing.
However, to get into creative industries, a background in visual art seems to be desired if not mandated.
The connection holds people back from exploring ways in which they can untap their creativity. Many times in workshops over the years when I’ve asked participants to draw on flipcharts the response has been “I can’t draw”.
But Miss Moon was wrong. I might not be able to draw with the skill and expertise of a fine artist. But I can draw. Anyone who can hold a pen can draw. And these days anyone who can issue an instruction to a generative AI engine can create an image with some of the finesse of a fine artist.
Breaking this connection in our minds between drawing and creativity is crucial if we want to allow more people to bring their creative energy to solve problems and make the world a better place.
mmitII 