thecreativeverse creativity is our human superpower.
If there is one thing uniquely and powerfully human, it’s our creativity. No other species on Earth, has a greater capacity to discover new and original ideas, connections and solutions to problems. As the 21st century kicks off in dramatic fashion with tremendous change afoot, creativity is the vital human ability that will help us thrive during these changing times.
We, Superheroes
There’s a reason why superhero stories and characters are so immensely popular these days. Undoubtedly, superhero stories are awe-inspiring and powerful because they remind us of what we can aspire to be – all powerful, creative, courageous, brilliant, truly original change-makers.
But from ancient times to the modern era, we have looked up to the myth of hero and superhero as something outside of us, as something we aspire to be but can never become, without truly realizing that we already are, the heroes and superheroes we aspire to be.
Our human abilities may not be as exciting perhaps as walking through walls, shooting fireballs from our palms or flying through the air but in the real-world, they’re just as powerful and extraordinary.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – Creativity in Action
In 2001, when William was 14 years old, he built an electricity-producing windmill from bicycle parts, materials collected from a local scrapyard and blue gum trees – the Tony Stark of windmills if you will.
At the time, William’s family had been suffering through a severe famine in their home country of Malawi and money was so tight, his family couldn’t afford to pay his school fees, forcing him to drop out of school.
Determined to help his family save the little money they had, he decided to use his natural ingenuity and abundance of curiousity to take matters into his own hands. Using only a photo with no instructions from a high school science textbook titled “Using Energy”, William learned the basics of energy production, and built his first windmill, with some scraps from a junkyard nearby.
His first successful windmill powered household electrical devices and appliances in his house and his later windmills, bigger and more advanced, powered more houses in his community. He even built a solar-powered water pump that provided the first, technology accessible drinking water for his village.
Today, William is an enginneer, inventor and author of the New York Times bestselling book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, a TED Fellow, an IDEO.org Global Fellow. He’s also co-founder of the Moving Windmills Project, which envisions a future where talented African youth co-create solutions to real needs.
In his Malawi hometown and around the world, William is considered extraordinary. Not because he has superhero strength or agility but because of his very human and very powerful creativity and ingenuity. His very real human creativity saved his family, his village, and continues to inspire a new generation of creators to change the world.
Creativity – A Natural Talent
William exemplified the best of what human creativity can solve and offer but what is creativity? Well you’d be surprised by how many definitions there are but my personal favorite so far is from the team at Psychology Today:
Creativity encompasses the ability to discover new and original ideas, connections, and solutions to problems. It’s a part of our drive as humans—fostering resilience, sparking joy, and providing opportunities for self-actualization.~ Psychology Today
I love this definition because it incorporates something not many do – the natural and inherent drive we have as humans to be creative. It is an essential, core human ability and talent we all possess. Some of us have learned to access it and harness it better than others, but we all have it, and we use it everyday.
Whether we use it at the personal level, as individual creativity or at the world-wide level as global creativity, every human has the ability to be creative. And it’s not just about creating works of art that stir the soul or inspire the masses as most people think. Creativity is also about being innovative and solving problems in a new way, creating inventions that help the world at large, saving lives and making life easier. These are all examples out of many, of our creative superpowers at work. And it remains a potent force whether the outcome of our efforts is for ourselves only, or for the larger collective.
Creativity meets the Changing Times
There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns. ~ Edward de Bonos, psychologist
We covered in the introduction to our series on Earth 2.0, Humanity in Transition, Transformation and Evolution (HTTE) and our latest post specifically on the transitional period – Humanity in Transition, the great era of accelerated, transcendental, and rather chaotic change we’re in. Observe the world around you and you can see and sense the tremendous change afoot, driven by revolutionary and radical re-definitions of ourselves, our social structures, technology and an evolving Planet Earth.
It is now, in these times of turbulence, chaos, growth, progress and change, that creativity serves its highest purpose. Author Michele Cassou sums up the value of chaotic times nicely: “chaos is the soul of creation. It plows the ground of intuition. Without chaos, nothing will grow.” By breaking old patterns which cause chaos but also allow something greater to emerge, creativity meets the times perfectly. With potential rather than fear, Creativity’s superpower resides in its fluidity and ability to see opportunities and potentials where others do not. In this way, it nurtures a deep human resilience, strength and leadership that will be vital for our survival and eventual transformation in the years to come.
21st Century Superheroes
In this changing world, the new change-makers, problem-solvers and leaders will be those who have ignited their creative superpowers and courageously work with and shape the energies of the times.
Leaders like William Kamkwamba, Hannah Herbst and Ann Makosinski, who at early ages inspired by the plight of others, are already using their mighty creativity to invent ingenious tools that have the potential to save and advance hundreds if not thousands of lives.
Leaders like Nobel Prize Winners, University of Manchester Professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, who credit their creative experimentation for yielding one of the most powerful discoveries of our century to date, the discovery of Graphene. A material a million times thinner than a human hair, the thinnest object ever created, lighter than paper and considered the strongest material to exist on earth, 200 times stronger than steel. Today, the potential application and uses for Graphene are endless. It has the potential to dramatically revolutionize technology in all industries – our human version of Wakanda’s Vibranium if you will.
Leaders like Atruio Vittorio and Andreas Vogler who designed the Warka Water Tower, a unique water harvesting system. The system’s creatively futuristic design allows for fog, humidity, and precipitation to collect on surfaces, supplying up to 100L/day. During an era of severe droughts brought on by climate change, Warka Tower has the potential to save millions of lives.
And leaders like Angélique Kidjo, a Beninese singer-songwriter, actress, and activist. She is a 4-time Grammy winner, and supports causes around the world as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador advocating on behalf of women, children, and human rights. In 2007, she founded the Batonga Foundation to provide secondary education for girls across Africa and empower the female leaders of tomorrow.
Meeting the Moment
A world in which our creative superpowers are unlocked, is a world where anything, is possible. Possible because creativity allows the very best of ourselves to come forward, like the superheroes from the stories we so love and that, is a recipe for excellence.
With creativity at the forefront of who we are, we see opportunities and solutions where others see fear and turmoil. We meet the moment with innovative ideas, imagination, inspiration, and most importantly integrity and heart instead of control, oppression and division.
We cease to be powerless within the turbulence of these times and become powerful, resilient creators instead, energized by the possibilities and potentials to create individually and together for the benefit of ourselves and the collective.
The time is now, to meet the moment with our extraordinary individual and collective abilities. What a world we could build together if everyone, tapped into their already available, creative superpowers.
Here’s to meeting the moment.
Stay tuned for more on our favorite topic!
~Carmen
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Image Source: Jr Korpa (Unsplash)
