Creativity in a box
I recently read a column stating that people who use terms like “thinking outside of the box” and “seeing the big picture” really have no clue what being a creative is. The column goes on to allude that the speaker wouldn’t know “out of the box” thinking if it hit them in their talentless backside, and that all they really know is how to cram 18 lbs. of “crap” into a 10-lb. “box.”
Do I share those views? Yes and no, because while I firmly believe that creativity and “outside the box” thinking comes from anywhere and anyone, I also know that the skill of doing it on a routine basis must be cultivated.
While an idea or innovation may take its roots from anyone and anywhere, we must trust those who are refined and trained to bring it to fruition. Otherwise, all creatives become are skilled button-pushers with no talent or opinion—their sole purpose to do what they’re told and not actually be creative or “think outside of the box” at all. Oh sweet, sweet irony.
Regardless, the reason I bring all of this up is because of a 10-year-old boy named Forest Pearson out of West Linn, Ore. Forest knows nothing of “thinking outside of the box” or “big picture thinking”—what he knows is that he loves snow and hates waiting.
So, did Forest except his fate that he would need to travel to the mountain or wait until every other winters snow? No, he saved over $500 and built his own backyard snow making machine. His thoughts and dreams not inhibited by cubicles or deadlines, but set free through inspiration and drive. Check out the newscast over at Gizmodo.com.
Share This
