The following contains excerpts from the book, inGenius (Tina Seelig).
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we know that creativity is vital to a successful artistic career and in life. Students should feel a sense of creative freedom in their musical pursuits to explore new opportunities and ideas. This is not limited to only musical studies, however. We are convinced that through learning music and artistic disciplines, it helps shape the thought process of the student in broader ways that affects their outlook on life. Learning to create, and feel comfortable with the creative process, gives individuals the freedom to explore throughout every area of their life, allowing them insight that others may not see.
This book’s subtitle, ‘a crash course on creativity,’ is appropriate, as the author demonstrates a remarkable knowledge on the subject. Her much research, combined with her own classroom experimentation on the subject, gives her substantial credibility.
From a philosophical perspective, she formulated a diagram of the key ingredients to creativity, those on the ‘outside’ and those on the ‘inside’. The inside ingredients are: 1) Imagination, 2) Attitude, and 3) Knowledge. The outside ingredients are 1) Culture, 2) Resources, and 3) Habitat. She concludes the book by discussing how all of these are inter-related.
Belief
Believing that there is a solution to a problem is critically important, and is a developed mindset that can exhibit itself in the thought-patterns of individuals. “One way to change your attitude is to change your vocabulary. At Facebook, Randi Zuckerberg told her team that she was changing the name of their group from Consumer Marketing to Creative Marketing. Despite the fact that it seemed like a small change, it had an instant impact on the group…The change in their name gave them explicit permission to exercise their imagination.”
“This story is a reminder that you see what you want to see. If you view yourself as a creative person, you are much more likely to come up with innovative ideas.”
Peter H. Diamandis, founder of the X PRIZE Foundation…once saw a sign with Murphy’s Law in a colleague’s office. It said, ‘If anything can go wrong, it will.’ Peter interpreted that common saying as an admission of defeat. He walked over, crossed out ‘it will,’ and wrote, ‘FIX IT!’ in large letters. The new sign said, ‘If anything can go wrong, fix it!’”
“In order to find creative solutions to big challenges, you must first believe that you’ll find them. With this attitude, you see opportunities where others see obstacles, and are able to leverage the resources you have to reach your goals. Your beliefs are shaped by the language you use, and the language you use is shaped by your beliefs. This concept is both profound and freeing. Your Innovation Engine is limited only by your dreams and drive, which together open up a world of possibilities.”
We believe in the potential of each student in our music school in Odessa, Texas. No matter what difficulties they may face in their artistic development, we are confident that there is always a way towards progress and success.
Summary and Interconnection
The author summarizes:
“Knowledge in any domain, from miners to music to mushrooms to math, is the fuel for your imagination. That is, the more you know about a particular topic, the more raw materials you have to work with.”
“Your imagination- the ability to create something new- is a powerful force. It is the catalyst required for creative combustion…There are specific skills…you can hone…These include connecting and combining ideas, reframing problems, and challenging assumptions.”
One of the most important things we can give students in our music school is a new perspective in how they view themselves and the world around them. Providing a broader context for their lives means greater freedom to create.
“Your attitude is the spark that jump-starts your creativity…your mind-set and attitude are within your own control…While measuring their subjects brain activity (EEG), Jason Moser and his colleagues at Michigan State found that those individuals who think intelligence is malleable say things such as, ‘If I make a mistake, I try to learn and figure it out.’ However, those who think that their intelligence is fixed don’t take opportunities to learn from their mistakes.”
Using a simple test, their team noticed brain waves occurring within a quarter of a second. “After the experiment, the researchers asked the subjects if they believed they could learn from mistakes. Those who said yes turned out to be the ones from whom there was a larger second signal; it was as if their brains were saying, ‘I see that I’ve made a mistake, and I will learn from that error.’”
Mistakes will happen, but what a student is encouraged to learn at our music school in Odessa, Texas is how to turn a mistake into a learning experience. The slogan ‘Failure isn’t final’ is good as long as the student learns from the experience.
“Resources are all the things of value in your environment…The more knowledge you have, the more resources you can mobilize. For example, the more you know about fishing, the more fish you can catch; the more you know about copper, the more you can mine; and the more you know about venture capital, the more likely you are to get funding…It is important to note that some of the resources in your environment are easy to spot, while others require physical or mental mining…Unfortunately, in some parts of the world people don’t recognize the assets in their environment. They are so focused on trying to replicate the assets in other parts of the world that they don’t see the value in their own resources.”
We encourage students in our music school in Odessa, Texas to develop an appreciation for the untapped resources and opportunities within their own community. Even when resources seem sparse, there are hidden possibilities yet to be discovered.
- Your attitude sparks your curiosity to acquire related knowledge
- Your knowledge fuels your imagination, allowing you to generate ideas.
- Your imagination catalyzes the creating of stimulating habitats, leveraging the resources in your environment.
- These habitats, along with your attitude, influence the culture in your community.
- Your knowledge provides the fuel for your imagination.
- Your imagination is a catalyst for the transformation of knowledge into ideas.
- This process is influenced by a myriad of factors in your environment, including your resources, habitat, and culture.
- Your attitude is a powerful spark that sets the Innovation Engine in motion.
“Essentially, creativity is an endless resource, initiated by your drive to tackle challenges and to seize opportunities…Creativity can be enhanced by honing your ability to observe and learn, by connecting and combining ideas, by reframing problems, and by moving beyond the first right answers. You can boost your creative output by building habitats that foster problem solving, crafting environments that support the generation of new ideas, building teams that are optimized for innovation, and contributing to a culture that encourages experimentation.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we are convinced that every student has the ability to be creative and to explore new artistic possibilities. We find it both challenging and exciting to help them see a bright future and a life filled with unlimited potential.