Instruction vs Creativity

There's something that psychologists have recently found that us poets have known since half a century now: the phenomenon is called The Anxiety of Influence. And what this concept proposes simply contradicts of what we thought we knew about the world.

Harold Bloom, the one who put forth the idea, argued that while a poet may learn plenty from their precursors, their creativity may also be weighed down due to the said influence. When that happens, you simply echo the voices of the dead, long buried, into the present time.

And what happens then? You are not the identity you hoped to create. You are simply that: a voice of the past. A moon that has no light of its own, hence only reflects from the sun that inspired it. You are but a shadow that will exist for a while, then will disappear once a new star -- with its own creative light -- rises.

But what does this have to do with those of us non-poets?

Think of it this way: what influences you is often what you're "told" how the world works. Being told about it is easier than figuring it out on your own, and hence you stop thinking on how to find out further.

See, when you embark on discovering things on your own, it's not just the destination you acquire, but you intuitively realize that everything else you encounter on your journey may be somehow related, and you begin to connect the dots in order to "get there". Every adversity you encounter will get you thinking, "How do I overcome this?" and you try to evaluate every possible way, muster every creativity you can, and learn about every possible outcomes to it. This not only helps you reach your goal but also teaches you how acquire your goals faster, and even how the world generally works in every nuance imaginable. Every door, then, opens to you and you become more aware of the things you couldn't have known otherwise.

But what if you're simply handed the information, or the goal? Your mind wouldn't need to go through the effort of figuring it out, will not think out of the box, and just accept it. It thereby creates a stagnant bias which holds you back, as you find yourself conflicting with newer ideas.

Hence, ordinarily you -- when only instructed -- retain a rigid and inferior world-view which may harm your growth, but a creative and "artistic" mindset can help you constantly reinvent yourself, helping you get better than you were before.

And this affects children even more so than adults. A proper learning environment is where the child is still excited about every new thing around. Most people commonly equate education with "instructing a child what to do" (in fact, it hinders learning), but the idea itself is misguided. Education is more than a set of instructions for a child (because children are learners, not labourers); it is, to borrow from a chinese proverb, a means to teach a child how to fish through trial and error, and not to simply hand one. Giving them things to memorize rarely works. Instead, channeling their enthusiasm to enjoy their journey of imaginative exploration is a reward in itself.

After all, this is what makes intelligent and successful artists and scientists in the first place.

So remember, that to be sucessful you must think creatively like a poet -- be original, be yourself. Love what you do, find your passion, and break away from the mechanical mundanity of life. There's a gift in the present moment you're living in, so make the most of it. And enjoy every moment of your passion and dream, your creative exploration and redesigning your purpose, because you have earned the effort you put forth for it!