2014 will see another group of leaving cert students prepare for exam's, the results of which will determine the next chapter in their journey. This is a very significant time for students, a time when little can be left to chance in the pursuit of the best possible outcome for each and every student.
The following information and insights are shared in the hope that it will aid in some way this journey.

When you sit there with pen in hand, the exam paper in front of you, everything you need to successfully complete this exam is there with you.
No notes, no I phone/internet, no books, just you and this exam paper and of course there is your brain, your very own personal information storage and processing devise.

It may help you to think of your brain in this way as there are many similarities between how your brain manages knowledge/information and how your PC does it.

Learning is the equivalent of uploading or programming, your brain will remember what's important, repetition tells the brain that this information is required and needs to be retained. Your brain has absolutely no problem in retaining important, required information.
But why is remembering, recalling an issue for some?

The brain has a filing system, it records and stores information, grouped by association. the information relating to your family and home is linked by neurons in your brain as is each seperate subject. problems arise through poor file management.

I will choose one subject 'MATHS' to explain file management, please note that the same principles apply for all subjects.
You have studied maths, sufficient repetition and your brain has filed this away ready for the exam.  Problems with recalling this file/memory occur when other information gets entered in the same file. If there is a negative relationship or issues with the teacher or someone in the maths class this impacts your mood and this gets linked by association and stored in this maths file.
How does this impact memory / recall.

One of the prime functions of your brain is to avoid, ignore and dismiss information in memory that makes you feel bad or  stressed.  Any piece of information and experience like boredom or conflict within the maths environment will be 'bookmarked' by your brain as not serving your best interests and so is to be avoided. In effect the maths file is contaminated with data that will block the flow of memory. Your brain will avoid recalling maths due to its negative associations. 
How do you avoid this?

Self awareness. Take personal responsibility for how you manage your study and your relationships. Do not let the rights and wrongs of negative issues stand in the way of the college place you want, the career and lifestyle you aspire to.  If there are issues to be addressed, get them resolved as you prepare yourself for the best possible outcome at exam time. The next insight to enhancing memory would take a whole research thesis to explain, so I won't.
The mood you are in has a direct effect on quality of flow from memory/recall. Remember, if you have studied it, it is in there. A calm, cool, positive mood is ideal for ease of flow.  low mood is like a dial up internet connection,  calm cool and positive is like high speed broadband.

Stress/anxiety.
If this is an issue for you then get advise and guidance. A certain level of stress is to be expected, high stress levels will undermine recall. It takes energy and mind-space to process stress, your brain needs this energy and space to attend to processing exam related information. Get stress out of the way and your memory will flow better.

Focus / Attention.
It goes without saying that this is important when studying, it is even more vital when doing exams. In the hour preceding the exam it is important to not preoccupy your mind with activity unrelated to the exam subject. what you are focused on will be primed in your brain. If it is the exam subject then when the clock starts you are ready to go, if not, lets say you are in a deep conversation about last weeks concert, then when the clock starts it will take up to twenty minutes for your brain to bring exam knowledge to the fore of your memory. The best use of the preceding hour is to use it to relax and only entertain thoughts of a positive outcome.

Your Relationship to each subject.
How you feel about each subject will determine how well you remember the required information relating to it. Any negativity or regular thinking about a subject you dislike of hate is, in effect programming your brain to avoid this information. At the unconscious level your brain will treat any information that makes you feel bad as unimportant to your needs and is to be avoided - avoid means poor recall.  You should already be familiar with performing well in your favourite subjects, for all subject and the points you need, work on developing a positive feeling towards it, do this and you will remember/recall better.

Last but not least.
Your brain burns up a lot of energy when working hard. Avoid going into an exam hungry, it will put a strain on you and your brain.

Your brain is the most advanced information processor on the planet, have confidence in it and yourself.

What can creative development do for you?

If we consider education and training as the acquisition of knowledge and skill, creative development influences and determines ones level of success in both. Creative development also determines the quality and success in the application of knowledge and skill. How does it do this?

Creative development organises and developes the mental processes that manage knowledge, experience and skill. Everything from ones personality to ones profession exists as stored information in memory and how it looks feels or performs is a matter of information processing. The education system historically has focused the most of its efforts on increasing the knowledge and literacy of students. In the main, the development of the mind/person has been left to chance. If you doubt this just consider for a moment that even the well educated have generally not been well equipped for the trials and tribulations of life. Success and failure, personally or professionally are encountered at all levels. Creative development isn’t a cure for lives ails but is sure can stack the odds in ones favour.

Memory: We intake vast amounts of knowledge and experience, the brain is always recording and storing. The average person intakes or is exposed to negative knowledge and experience, it is the processing of this internal conflicting content that has the most negative impact on memory, especially unhelpful when we need a free flowing mind at work or when engaged in education or training. Dealing with this is explained and addressed in creative development.

Confidence: Being highly confident is a direct result of internal content and how it is processed. Lack of confidence is also a direct result of internal content and how it is processed. Low confidence comes from some experience/knowledge or circumstance that is stored as memory and will continue to impact until it is resolved. Creative development can help in understanding this situation and how it is resolved.

Skill / Talent: In any given field there are people who are good and there are those who are really great, sometimes described as gifted. The difference between, in most cases is down to the quality of mental development – dynamic mental processing ability, also known as creative ability. Everybody can develop dynamic mental processing ability, if they choose to.

Social engagement & communication:

This is one area very important when it comes to engagement in personal development or seeking to develop a career or business, and also an area most neglected in the journey through the education system. Like creative development, social and communication skills were left to chance in an environment that demanded you be quite, speak when spoken to or had you stand up to be told off in front of an audience – your class – peers. Those for whom the outcome has been issues with social engagement, being uncomfortable in unfamiliar settings or fear of public speaking, you need to know something;

This is but experience stored in memory, experience which can   be resolved, changed in a way that removes any barrier to positive social engagement or speaking publicly with confidence and self assurance.

Intelligence: Even with the latest evidence from research which confirms that the difference between people is minute, many are still unaware that intelligence is something that can be developed, increased and expanded. It make a big difference if intelligence is nurtured and developed as early as possible but thanks to the plasticity of the brain it is capable of continued development right through adult life. You are smarter than you think you are.

The science of creativity unveils many secrets to enable us to better understand what we do, how we engage in life and how we can discover our own fulfilling niche. For adults creative development offers the opportunity to explore ones potential and realise it.

Does creativity have a code, some secret that if revealed would trigger a revolution in change and development affecting every area of society?

“Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.”  William Plomer (African born English Writer, 1903-1973)

A Code?...... A Secret?, Maybe not, but my guess is that creativity does have a reasonable explanation, one that will hold the “power to connect the seemingly unconnected”, in a big way, with profound implications. Where is this explanation going to come from, who is going to provide it? The above quote by William Polmer will to some extent help answer this.  

The answer will flow from a collaborative merger of sound, verifiable, evidence based knowledge and insight from many sources coming together to connect the seemingly unconnected.

Who are they?

Neuroscience.  With the help of ever more sophisticated technology scientists are now able to observe the working brain in real time, allowing them to clearly observe the brain in action. There is much greater understanding now about how the brain learns, stores and processes knowledge, how separate areas, with separate functions coordinate in the sharing of information that allows us to function, play a musical instrument, pilot an aircraft or remember how to cook your favourite meal.

The Arts.  The majority of accomplished artists may never bother to reflect deeply on the why’s, what’s or how’s of creativity, they just get on with it. They live it, breath it and their lives in the main is an expression of creative mastery. Then there are those that do all of this and are curious, want to know how it works, especially those whose careers have evolved in the direction of mentoring, nurturing and teaching the next generation of creative’s. Through their work, a great number of mentors / teachers have gained significant insight and expertise into the creative evolution of their students, what works for them, how to reveal the individuals unique zone of highest creative potential and expression. In short there are many in the arts world that holds insights and answers relevant to the bigger picture of social, cultural and economic positive change.

Education.  Like the arts world there are educators at all levels within the system that don’t just do the job of teaching as prescribed. Some do ask questions and reflect on the nature of what they do, why and how in a way that goes beyond and deeper than the transferring of information from one head to another.

The student is much more than a potential accountant, IT technician, doctor, bricklayer, product developer, there is a whole person sitting at their desk with a whole life to express and develop. Many teachers have hands on real life experience of the positive benefits of educating and nurturing the development of students. Their contribution to positive change, their on the job expertise is a valuable link in the chain.

Business and enterprise development.

Wow....this sector sure does have its experts in understanding and developing human creative potential, it also has some serious non-experts.

In the interconnected, co-dependent ecosystem of local and global business, the ecosystem is suffering from contamination and pollution, of the mind variety. Just like the natural world, isolated infringements on the welfare of individual components of the ecosystem will eventually reach a tipping point and threaten the whole system, is this not what we are living right now in our ecosystem of human relations and activity.

The good news that there is an abundance of entrepreneurs and business leaders that have an indebt awareness and understanding of what is good for them and good for you too, ecofriendly mindfulness if you will. They also have a track record of tried and tested expertise just ripe for sharing as we connect the seemingly unconnected.

The list of well informed potential collaborators could go on and on. Connecting the dots will be a natural evolution; the greater explanation of creativity will be born out of the necessity for a collective response to address the global stalemate we are now in. There are many people in key positions of power and influence, some of whom don’t make change easy, vested interests or a stubborn attachment to the status quo. For whatever reason, like the sick patient who just can’t shake off the ailment they will eventually have to consult with, listen to their doctor’s advice and try the medicine. We all know creativity has many good side-effects beyond any particular creative task.

A thought!

The natural world apart from Homo sapiens may contain within it a useful template to aid in the understanding and application of creative processes.

Networking is a seamless extended matrix that supports the system. How do we do it, if I Just look locally there are numerous independent business networks that operate in isolation not naturally reflective of their role as common elements of the whole community they share and depend on.

Sustainability.  Predators may eat those below them in the food chain, what they are not aiming for is to wipe out their source of food. This is just what some big corporations, banking cartels and some political interests have done, over feed on the food chain to the determent of the whole chain.  

Power and Leadership. The ego doesn’t enter the frame for the dominant male lion, the position is only held if he is capable of holding it. The objective is not to wield power of the pride for the sake of it but his power instils courage, cohesion and confidence in the whole pride, a mutually beneficial arrangement, and right lion in the right role for the right reason. Now how often in our superior intelligent human world do we exercise the natural wisdom of placing the right people in the right leadership roles based on their natural ability to fulfil the roles objectives?

Innovation / adaptability. The animal kingdom has no control over changes that may occur in their environment, yet they have the ability to withstand even the harshest changes in conditions. We have the distinct privilege of being able to create the business and economic environment that we live in. It can be tracked, mapped, manipulated, expanded and contracted. Perfection is a big asks, but some connecting the dots on the seemingly unconnected may help harmonise the climate for everyone.

A unifying theory of creativity would be sweet. Right now, to address our current needs a good explanation, coming from the people and sectors that have embraced creativity as a core value and their actions and works to prove its worth.

       

COLLECTIVE COLLABERATION

Every individual is a powerful self contained creative force perpetually engaged in creating and maintaining their individual reality, whatever that reality is; relationships, career, business, interests or passions. Collectively, individuals either intentionally or unintentionally create the collective experience of reality. Whether we like it or not we the people are engaged in a perpetual collaboration, what you see and experience in your life and in society all around you is product of this collective collaboration.

So what!!

The unfortunate part of all this is that the majority of this collective collaboration is happening unconsciously. We are somewhat unconscious / unaware of how we collaborate and the impact this is having on achieving positive change on a large scale.

I shall attempt to link this idea to real events and conditions we now experience as individuals and as a community. If you turn the clock back ten years and then move forward, what you will find is that our current reality was created by thousands of individual choices, decisions, actions, inactions. Everyone was involved.

Imagine for a moment that beginning ten years ago that all decisions by major players in all sectors were logged in a supercomputer, hooked up to a projector and we can view the future results on screen. The screen represents a timeline and picture of reality at whatever future time you wish to view.  If such a thing were possible then what you would notice that the picture would be in a constant mode of change – with every decision or action at the beginning of the timeline the future picture is altered, for the better or worse all depending on what is taken place in the ‘then’ present moment.

But what about international events that we could not control? They played a very major role in where we are at now. The individual or community may not have control over international events destined to impact them but they certainly have control over what that impact entails. What would we as individuals do different if we were aware of what was coming down the line. What would business in your county do different if they were aware of how the next ten years might unfold? Ok, we can’t change the past but we can explore the process and utilise it to influence the future, after all we have learned a great deal of what does not work, we can also become more aware of how the future is created in the present moment.

If we could take a snapshot of the year 2018, what do you think it might look like?

The picture will be based on current conditions and mindset of the collective, especially the mindset of stakeholders and key players in government, banking and enterprise who wield greater potential for negative or positive influence. Right now my guess is that 2018 will not be a picture/reality we would welcome. The good news is that the creative power exist to alter the picture any which way we choose. We still may not control future international impacts but we do get to manage the degree to which we protect ourselves from the negative while capitalizing on the positive.  

The secret is moving from a state of collective unconscious collaboration to a more productive and cohesive state of conscious intentional collaboration.

Some points for consideration.

What does the dramatic increase in unemployment among the minimum waged have to do with the following:

Sale of luxury cars - Designer clothes - 5 Star dining out – Quality private healthcare.

A dramatic increase in the former means a dramatic decrease in market demand for the latter as businesses decline and fold.  Society is a social and economic ecosystem; we are all tied together and will rise and fall together, as is our current reality.

APPRECIATION!     ENGAGEMENT!    PARTICIPATION!    INTERGRATION!   SUPPORT!    AWARENESS!

 “Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.”  William Plomer (African born English Writer, 1903-1973)

There is a common denominator that ties together all people of all interests to the field of creativity. That common denominator is the internal creative process. I refer to the processing mechanistic of the brain. This is the systems management of learning, development; it facilitates interests, passion and will determine a person’s most suitable occupation.

There is not one occupation out there that does not rely on internal creative processing.

There is not a single business sector that does not rely on this internal processing for it quality, success and sustainability (about 80% of businesses are unaware of this).

How knowledge and experience is processed is what produces artists of all types from writers to rock artists and all in between. In education it is this creative process that has the potential to transform the experience of learning and teaching if utilised to its natural potential.

Threading all this together could be the key to spreading a more inclusive awareness of creativity, its benefits and possibly strongly influence a greater relationship between the wider community and the arts.

There is a need to know that creativity is relevant, more than that there is a need to understand in a tangible way the role of the creative process in life, business, education and the quality of community social connectivity.
The arts world, its people are intimately familiar with such things as;

• What it means to follow your passion.
• Discovering your area of natural artistic expression.
• The very personal human growth that happens when engaged in what one loves and has a passion for.
• Success comes in many forms and not just the bottom line of a spread sheet.

There are an infinite amount of insights and a depth of wisdom within the arts community worth sharing for the benefit of the wider community.

None express better than Ken Robinson a powerful argument for the importance and value of creativity.

 “Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it's the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves.”   Sir Ken Robinson.

  

Pervasive Creativity.

What is Pervasive Creativity?  The term pervasive is used to suggest, imply or put forward the idea that the creative process is present and in action in every human activity, by everyone regardless of talent, ability or productive quality of any given activity.

The word pervasive came to the fore in my attention in relation to another unrelated matter so when checking the words meaning – ‘all encompassing, enveloping, invasive, persistent, omnipresent’, it occurred to me that it almost perfectly encompasses my understanding of creativity and its role in everyday life. 

Creativity is valued, talked about, marketed and promoted in most business and education sectors and at all levels, what is to be gained from my or anyone else’s continued obsession with analysing creativity? For me the driving force is the thought that the fullest potential and benefits of creativity are going unrealised in about 80% of all sectors. The reason I make this statement is based on what I see all around.

Mainstream Education.

There is a broad range in the level achievements by students that are generally provided with similar education, taken factors of social, economic and environmental conditions into consideration the outcomes are still in contradiction to what is possible for the majority. Potential is not being realised or results achieved on the scale that it should be, why? I feel it’s not that we don’t know how it’s just that there are too many people involved in bringing about changes needed. We are so entrapped in the way ‘things have always been done’ that the changes that are made usually lag many years behind, we fear making a brave dramatic leap.

Sir Ken Robinson, an authority on creativity in education puts it bluntly, “the education system doesn’t need to be transformed it needs to be scrapped”. This man travels the world informing and promoting creativity in education. Many educational institutions that have encountered him have gone on to make sweeping changes based on the insights and shared knowledge from his lifetime dedicated to this subject. What about the ones that haven’t capitalised on his or other help from the sciences on creativity/human potential. My opinion is that many simply do not grasp a deep enough understanding of the subject to enable them to comprehend the potential benefits. Creativity is pretty well understood by the 20% that stand out at the forefront of achievement in education, technology, the arts etc. Neurologically, people are just not that different, evolution hasn’t given us an 80/20 divide between the really smart successful and the rest.  Incorporating the science of creativity into education I believe would push us towards a more authentic return on natural potential with the majority of students hitting straight A’s (as a norm).

There are many issues that negatively impinge on a student’s journey through the education system that eventually show up in exam results. Addressing all of these may not be the remit of a school, but one thing is sure, the education environment presents a significant opportunity for not only education but the growth and empowerment of students. If we want to comprehend such life concepts as, drive, motivation, passion, purpose, self determination and the potential of an individual to carve their own unique niche in life then a closer exploration of the arts and the role of creativity is a place where discovery of understanding is closer to the surface. We will then possibly grasp why personal meaning, purpose and loving what one does actually produces higher levels of mental functioning.

The human is wired to avoid or ignore what is boring, uninteresting and deemed lacking in purpose; this is natural instinct at work. We will retain and recall experience and knowledge that is interesting and stimulating.  There is a middle ground where we engage in activities for practical reasons with no strong feelings one way or another, this matters in an educational setting as the feeling will reflect in results attained. If for example a student needs maths for future college entry and career but does not enjoy the study of maths. Their choice is to develop a very positive ‘relationship’ to the subject – this will elevate their learning and recall capacity or option two – work twice as hard to get reasonable results. The same applies to all subjects studied.

The brain processes information, vast amounts, making a cup of tea involves complex mental processing, so does driving a car or developing a new technology; as far as the brain is concerned it is all just information processing with a purpose. The mechanics of this processing with purpose could be deemed the brains M.O. A.K.A pervasive creativity. If we could take a step back and consider the pervasive nature of how our brain processes and manages information then we will see beyond limited concepts of creativity and discover the key/code to unlocking human potential. Facilitating education in a manner that concurs with natural learning processes, I believe will result in a massive reduction in workload and a widespread increase in productivity and achievement.  To date the development of education programmes has been industry centred, this is a mistake, too many winners and losers, person centred education balances the playing field as higher levels of potential are realised by more and more students, everybody benefits.

Entrepreneurship.

In business and enterprise ‘people’ are the most critical factor. In the current climate we hear of collapsing markets, bust banks and market cycles, what we really have is the end result of a perfect storm of decisions and choices made by people. There is enough knowledge of the human psyche out there to enable us to fully understand the factors that lead to poor decision making or bad choices. Enough is known to accurately predict all sorts of future outcomes. Enough is known to enable a much greater influence on how the coming years will unfold, we as a society can have a high degree of control and this can only be enacted when the creative power of the person is fully utilised and capitalised on. So much of the business and political system is strangled by red tape and overly complex systems. We are slaves to systems that are supposed to serve us. Many small businesses stay small due to the complex and burdensome regulations and laws attached to employing staff. Creative dynamic thinking can be targeted at this issue and every other issue out there to great effect, even more so when all interested harness not only their knowledge and expertise but their creative potential. There is an outdated notion still prevailing that creative ability belongs in the arts and in some business sectors with some wider spread in the high tech areas when the scientific fact is that creative ability is the driver of excellence in every profession and all activities that require a thinking functioning brain. Creative mastery is achievable by just about anyone. The brain can manage a degree or PhD, dynamic mental ability determines the productivity of knowledge and experience, the quality of application; if you don’t believe this just consider the errors made by highly qualified and experienced individuals. There is an art and science to getting thing right most of the time, professional development through education and training needs serious attention given to personal development. You can have one without the other but there is a price to pay. Any entrepreneur can develop the levels of mastery seen in the arts, design or technology and apply it to affect within their own field, no matter what that is.  The clues to developing this mastery are found in the arts and can be understood with the help of science. I don’t expect you will find anywhere a successful artist not passionate about their particular art. When doing what you are genuinely interested in and passionate about the brain produces chemicals that support a higher level of functioning, greater retention of learning, improved recall, progressive growth in talent, skill and competence.

It’s not just what you know that counts; it’s how you process what you know.