Adam Blatner
Words and Images from the Mind of Adam Blatner
Dare to Be Creative
Originally posted on August 30, 2017
I’m wondering what I might yet do, what others are too busy to do. First, I’m not the only one, but perhaps your question will generate good things: I need help in my goals to integrate the best creative developments of the creative arts therapies.
One thing I think you’ve noticed is that normal people need encouragement to use the creative arts, to improvise. The conventional school system says in effect, "I don’t care about your creativity. Learn what we know. That’ll do you." But it doesn’t teach people to dare to be creative!
I like this topic, “Dare to be creative”. It seems risqué and challenging in a positive and courageous way. It is important to examine the current therapeutic accepted norms and ask questions about growth and effects being measured regarding change and recovery. Some schools of thoughts say everyone is creative (M. J. Kirton- http://creativity.murli.com/person/kai ). Some say creativity is learned. If we start from the place of everyone is creative already. We may need to rethink “normal people” definition and to identify in context of “ wetiko” like syndrome society. We are looking normal people through the lens of cannibalism and the cannibalized.
To the Cree, and most Native North Americans, greed was a serious psychological malfunction. The Cree called it Wétiko. Native American philosopher Jack Forbes explains that the overriding characteristic of a wétiko, a Cree word literally meaning “cannibal,” is “that he consumes other human beings for profit, that is, he is a cannibal” … (from Columbus and other Cannibals, a book, in addition to American Holocaust by David Stannard, A Little Matter of Genocide by Ward Churchill and Native American History by Judith Nies, that ought to be required reading by every high school student).
Impoverished in creativity, creative energy, and lack of daring in the context of predator and prey to human potential for self and others makes a conversation about encouraging people to dare to be creative much more dynamic. Daring to be creative takes on a broader meaning. Requiring deeper dive in understanding and problem solving. Survival is on the menu. Protecting or exploiting current potential of creative people. Daring may not be the issues. Keeping, utilizing, expressing, and experiencing creativity in a “wetiko” laden society maybe the framework we use to better problem solve.