Experts like Howard Gardner and Ken Robinson affirm that in a society in which work is no longer for life, the development of creativity is essential. But what does it really mean to be creative?
In Robinson's own words, creativity is the act of generating ideas that have value. This implies that the person who generates the idea must deeply know the field of knowledge to which it is directed, something that can only be achieved if he is trained to develop his element.
Discovering the "Element"
The element is what your son or daughter is good at, that he is really passionate about and that seems to stop time when he dedicates himself to it. It may be that he has always shown a special talent for drawing, listening to others or cooking. No matter what the item is, the sooner you discover it, the better.
Until very recently, we said that a person was creative or not. However, today it is known that creativity can be developed if we focus each person towards what they demonstrate a natural talent for.
When we do what we like, work becomes an exciting game in which each situation we face helps us bring out the best in ourselves and share it with others. Which at the same time, makes us feel recognized and valued by our family, friends and clients.
This feeling of fullness is addictive and proactive in itself. Therefore, the people who prepare to develop their element are highly creative and problem solvers in their field.
Steps to develop the item
Unfortunately, schools are not yet designed for students to learn to grow in their element. This is a job that will touch you as a father or mother; and you will be the one in charge of coordinating the teachers so that, as far as possible, you help your child to enhance his personal talent.
Ken Robinson advises us to follow four premises to help anyone develop their talents:
1. Find out what his gift is: what he is good at. You haven't taught him, nor has the school. But what good is it…
2. Observe what you are passionate about: it shows. It shows because he begs you to leave it for a little while longer; and it is that when he finishes doing what he likes so much, he is in a good mood, is more sociable and wants to share what he learns with others.
3. Educate him to be proactive and resilient: developing the element is not easy. Your child may have language learning skills, but he will not begin to speak them fluently until he practices them intensively.
In your head you may be very clear on how to talk to someone in Japanese, but it is not until you are in a real situation that you really put your talent to the test. And many times… it won't work out the first time. Therefore, you should help him get up whenever he does not see his expectations met and encourage him to continue fighting to do better.
4. Inspire and connect with mentors - the item needs constant inspiration.
Once your son or daughter already knows what he really stands out for, you have to make sure that he receives the right dose of inspiration so that he can develop continuously, for this, it is essential that you surround him with other people who already master the element.
Teachers and mentors will help your son or daughter shorten the learning curve they will have to experience to exploit their full potential, they will encourage and understand them more easily, since they have gone through the same thing to get where they are.
If you do your job well and follow Ken Robinson's advice, your child will not only feel fulfilled as a person, but will also possess a pro-social personality and demonstrate autonomy to deal effectively with any professional situation. So if you find out what its element is, do your best to develop it and don't let anyone take it away from your dream.
