Author: Sir Ken Robinson
| Short Summary |
| Out of our minds: learning to be creative (2001) offers a review of the current system of education, and how it is failing our kids. The authors do not suggest using technology as a fix, but rather on a fundamental change in our approach to education. The book also contains some great advice on how to teach your children some basic skills for being more creative, as well as how to work with others to accomplish things in ways that may not occur to you as an individual. |
Detailed Summary
Creativity is the most valuable skill you could have, given the future of the world is more uncertain than it ever was. It might be the only valuable skill. In a world where we need to adapt faster than ever to succeed, it would be out of our minds to not get out of our minds. Instead of thinking about problems we face every day in old ways, let’s challenge ourselves to solve problems in a way that makes us think differently.
The author tells the story of a global education revolution – a grassroots movement to return the educational system to its original purpose: getting each individual’s mind working and leaving them with tools to do good work in the world. Tens of thousands of people around the world have been inspired by Sir Ken Robinson’s original talk. They are now seeing his ideas transformed into action. They believe that if we can change the way we educate our children, we can unleash their creativity, helping them to solve the problems we face and build a better future for all of us.
Out Of Our Minds is about how we can set ourselves and our children up for doing good work in organizations around the globe, thanks to leaving behind the old mass education model and unleashing our creativity. We are the first generation who have been exposed to a steady diet of social media, digital technology, and information overload. However, we are also the last generation who will have that experience. In the next decade or two, our children will go to school without learning how to be writers and thinkers. They will know how to use technology, but they won’t necessarily how to code it.
Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative Key Points
The world is evolving faster. So, you need to be unique by creativeness
The world is changing faster than ever, every day. The days of just showing up and following the rules are long gone. From here on out, all good careers will be built on being creative. And that means you’re going to have to be ready to create a lot of different things for yourself. The rules change faster than we can keep track of and in such a world, following the rules is dead, creativity will be our way to stay on top
Because of this, the job market has changed dramatically. Jobs that were once for life, are now for a short amount of time and to land a job, you need to be more than just qualified, you need to stand out. Many recruiters are turning down resumes where the person was qualified for the position. Meaning: you need to show them how you’re going to solve their problems so hiring you and not someone else is the best option for them. You need to be different by being creative.
A lot of people want to get into business for themselves because they dream about striking out on their own. They picture the proverbial “lone wolf” who, without having to answer to anyone but themselves, can run wild with their unique ideas, molding their workday into what they feel like doing at any given moment.
Creativity is the application of imagination
Creativity is the process of novel and useful idea generation. It is widely thought to be a phenomenon of the human mind. However, it may be more accurately described as an aptitude of the entire human brain. Creativity manifests itself as an aptitude because aptitude is a latent cognitive ability that becomes expressed in different individuals to different extents.
See your world in new ways, and learn to make it better because of that. How do we accomplish that? We tell the stories of writers and thinkers by doing the same thing they do: considering our actions, our thoughts, and what effects they have on others.
Inventing is the process of designing and making something new. It doesn’t have to be a physical object. There are no limits to what can be created with the human imagination – or the ability to apply it. We’re big believers in the power of imagination. We do our best to harness creativity every day, whether it’s through our content or our company as a whole.
The same cannot be true for our creativity. Creativity requires a combination of understanding, observation, and inspiration; a genius, a vision. As simple as this may sound, it’s relatively rare in people, and even rarer in companies. The reason is that so many businesses are run by folks who don’t think – they only have habits.
Let go of the old patterns and try to learn new things
Most of us were taught that learning by heart and doing what we’re told is what will make us successful. We were always told that creativity is a privilege for the few, reserved for geniuses and artists.
Letting go of old ideas and embracing new ones is a very important part of the creative process. To create a better world, we need to let go of old patterns and take risks to be able to learn something new.
We make mistakes, and sometimes we fall flat on our faces, but we will never succeed unless we let go of our rules-driven approach to work. If you’re the type that’s afraid to be the first one to experiment. If you hate it when you see stuff around your workplace that doesn’t make sense. And if you’re frustrated by the amount of unnecessary bureaucracy slowing you down every day. Then you will resonate with these quotes.
- We think we’re the ones to get blamed if ideas don’t work out.
- We believe creativity is synonymous with chaos.
Out Of Our Minds: Learning to be creative Quotes:
“Being in your element is not only about aptitude, but it’s also about passion: it is about loving what you do.” Ken Robinson
“All technologies are neutral. What counts is who uses them and what they use them for. Any material, any tool in the hands of an artist, can result in a work of art.” Ken Robinson
Out Of Our Minds: Learning to be creative Review:
There are very interesting facts in this book. The author provides all the information in a very simple manner. I loved his writing style. From history to human evolution in creativity, he covered all the topics. A must-read for everyone.
To whom I would recommend Out Of Our Minds: Learning to be creative summary?
- A student who is bored from his studies and wants to get some interesting information.
- Anyone wants to learn about creativity.
- Anyone leading a team.
Link: https://amzn.to/3PIz3ys