The Huffington Post – C.M. Rubin
“We can hear the thunder, Oklahoma City! At your resounding forum last weekend, your city illustrated loud and clear that creativity is alive. It is sweeping down the plains, an insuppressible force of nature inspiring, uniting, renewing, committing us once again in our belief in Picasso’s thesis that “Every child is born an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” If you do something well enough, if you do something often enough, you will ultimately bring about positive change. I’m convinced we are making progress. Study after study after study has reminded us of the importance of learners honing their creative skills. And of course, timing is everything. The 21st century world desperately seeks young people who are creative, can problem solve and who have the social and emotional skills to collaborate and work productively with others. “When you convene a group of passionate, dedicated people all committed to a movement, you walk away with renewed hope that we are getting closer to that tipping point,” comments Faber Castell Chief Jamie Gallagher, whose enlightening presentation concluded with the important take home that educational efforts need to also “satisfy business needs” so that creativity “is not just seen as a theory but as a solution.” Educator and moving creative advocate Jean Henrickson told me the forum inspired her to “amplify the work of building creative, relevant learning environments for all children.'”(more)