Industries have become highly specialized. It takes someone with a global understanding of systems to give shape and form to things that directly address problems or improve on something that already exists. In these instances, the problem is one of inefficiency which may not be as obvious as those problems where things have completely broken down. Acute problems demand immediate attention, yet systematic problems often become the status quo and we develop a type of blindness to them over time.
If we could learn to see the world through the creative eyes of the artist, then we would have the capacity to author innovation that initiates positive change. Imagine the employee deeply embedded within a specialized role with the creative vision, hope and incentive to improve their working environment. This way of thinking is often seen as the responsibility of leadership, but leadership lacks the immersion of the day-to-day worker.
The resulting impact of a workforce of creative thinkers seeking to introduce solutions to the blind spots within a corporate structure would be monumental to any organization over a prolonged period of time. Now imagine those same individuals going out into the world to create companies, products, services and solutions that address inefficiencies beyond those already identified by an industry. The impact would inspire entrepreneurship unlike anything we’ve ever seen before and human evolution would accelerate as a direct result of our creative innovation. While these things are happening and are doing so at an increasing rate, the question should be asked- what suffering has been prolonged and unnecessarily endured by removing creativity as an essential tool in our fundamental education of generations of children? This is the fundamental idea behind the need for STEM to STEAM initiatives. Creativity and art, particularly here in the United States, have been relegated to the whimsical and ephemeral wants of the individual, but creativity, imagination and all that art embodies are the fundamental catalysts behind global innovation. Imagination is a wellspring for innovation.
Ideas inspire ideas.
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