22/10/2023
Creativity, then and now...
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When I was in school, There were 10 future doctors/ engineers, 10 family business pursuers and 10 govt job aspirants. I was the only future 'creator' in my class of 30 odd kids. The schools are still teaching the same curriculum but today every child wants to be a creator.
This is great because every child is naturally inclined to be creative but my problem is the schooling system.
We had classes on value education and moral science, which no school has today.
The pace of learning in our time was slower so there was scope to pursue creativity.
Today, the speed of learning has become exponentially high. A middle-schooler is expected to learn a minimum of 3 languages, 3 sciences, 3 branches of math, History, Geography, Global Perspectives, Art+ Craft and what not. There is no scope for creativity outside the classroom.
We studied most of these subjects too, but we still had enough time to climb the trees, play I-Spy and gully cricket, run behind the trains, watch movies and read comics every day.
We had time to burst crackers for a month around Divali,
to do 9 days of Dandiya + watch Ramleela,
and to make a lifesize cardboard 'Raavan' with crackers inside to burst on Dussera.
(And yes, we did Diwali homework too).
From Dec end, we would start flying kites till Uttarayan.
Then Holi! Absolute madness of 4-5 days. From Holi in March till exams in April, was the study season.
But May/June were summer holidays and we refused to touch books (except comics) during that time.
What I'm trying to say is that we lived a childhood full of outdoor adventures and unanticipated challenges where our actual health and lives were at stake. There was real danger and palpable thrill in our lives.
Creativity for me, was not an escape from a boring, mundane life.
It was an extension or expression of my already happening and exciting life. That's why my stories, my characters (they may seem unreal to you sometimes but I promise that I've seen better/worse things in actual life) are pulsating with life.
Today's creators (nothing against them personally, making a generic observation), are forced to create fake moments and inauthentic experiences to create excitement and most creative acts are just documentation.
Live first, then create.
Your life should not be the only source of your creativity.