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I have long pondered what sparks inventiveness and resourcefulness. How to kindle the power of creativity? Parents, teachers and corporate executives alike have searched for the source of original insights. If Boulder discovered the taproot, we could bolster our community.
Courses in neuroscience, creative writing and the creative arts, among others, are dedicated to this aspect of learning. Governments and corporations seek to stimulate innovation. But they have not unlocked the secret of what drives this process.
Museums are repositories of creativity. They provide clues about how to discover the roots of creative expression. I often leave exhibits brimming with excitement, energized by virtuosos of imaginative thinking.
While working in Helsinki this week, I visited its Design Museum and remain in awe of the innovations forged by local artisans. A poor country that experienced a civil war and lost international wars in the twentieth century, Finland advanced by developing a renowned system of education and carving out a niche in the global economy. This niche has enveloped new styles of furniture, fashion such as Marimekko, games like Angry Birds, and novel technologies, including from Nokia, the heart rate monitor, and the internet browser.
Last month, I viewed France’s most famous artwork, Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise.” It is still on display at the National Gallery’s exhibit “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” in Washington, D.C.
At a time of civil unrest in France — its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the exile of Napoleon and fighting in the streets — rebellious painters cut against convention. Unlike prominent artists of the day, who offered clear-cut lines, impressionists produced hazy images. They had the audacity to break a prevailing paradigm.
The kernel of something new emerged. Years ago, I stumbled upon the Nobel Museum in Stockholm. It featured the inventions and biographies of laureates.
Among them, the following are striking: One trait of Marie Curie and her husband Pierre, who made breakthrough discoveries about the basic principles of matter, was that they had the fortitude to tilt against the mainstream. The chemist Linus Pauling, after mulling a problem for years, suddenly found answers. He drew them not only from his subconscious but also from taking firm stances on public issues, such as his opposition to nuclear weapons testing.
Martin Luther King Jr., at the Nobel Prize ceremonies in 1964, spoke about the power of resistance and the “creative turmoil of genuine civilization struggling to be born.” And playwright-poet Wole Soyinka attributed his creative energy to Yoruba mythology, the melding of cultures in Nigeria, and the years he spent imprisoned during the country’s civil war.
At first, lingering at the Nobel Museum didn’t gel for me. I couldn’t conjure what inspired masterminds of creativity. After all, there are vast differences among their fertile imaginations.
Upon further reflection, it may be possible to etch features of the ability to think expansively. Collaborative circles — knowledge networks — are catalysts for productivity. A climate of freedom to reformulate taken-for-granted truths is crucial.
And adversity, a contingent rather than a necessary condition, may induce creative power. For some people, creativity means living apart from cultural prohibitions and disturbing ingrained casts of mind. It can entail betraying silences, learning how to listen to diverse voices and allowing quirky thinking.
All told, a mix of factors comprises creativity: versatility, playfulness and the kind of athletic stamina developed from watching the ball. A mental workout requires striking the ball cleanly and with zip, staying balanced and anticipating the next move. It concentrates the mind.
Fortunately, Boulder is making strides on this path. Storytellers are cultivating the cathartic tales of immigrants and curating them for public events. The Museum of Boulder features “Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History,” a way to learn about the African American experience in Colorado.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 1295, the Creative Industry Community Revitalization Incentives legislation, in May 2024. In short, worthy efforts are underway in the Boulder area. Public authorities and private groups need to redouble their efforts to nourish creativity.
This can bring people together and strengthen our community. Make no mistake about it. Creativity is key to Boulder’s future.
Jim Mittelman, a Boulder resident and Camera columnist, is an educator, activist, and author, most recently, of “Implausible Dream: The World-Class University and Repurposing Higher Education.”.
