One of my favourite places when I was at school was the corridor of art classrooms; each one a riot of colour and texture, getting smaller and smaller as you made your way into the building. On the walls were crowded images of the exquisitely realistic and the alarmingly unfamiliar: human bodies, natural forms and everyday objects competing for attention.

At the centre was a small projector room, with blackened walls and a collection of small rickety chairs pointing at a screen. We would gather round, plunged into darkness before the projector flickered into action and sit entranced by our teacher’s descriptions of bold abstracts and fluid lines.

We were surrounded by creativity.

But when it came to it, brush poised above the paper, the instruction to ‘be creative’ could often feel like a roadblock. The pressure to produce something worthy felt enormous, but the reality is that creativity is a process not a destination. It comes in many forms and looks different to different people.

Creativity is taking the time to share your perspective on the world.

It is finding the beauty in the everyday and finding ways to represent information and share your views.

It is being responsive and resourceful: changing your mind, adapting your approach, and inspiring others to come with you.

Whatever it is that you create, be proud of the perspective you have shared.

 

Mrs F Ashton
Assistant Head T&L (DGS)
RET Associate Director of Education