Creativity is the Change You Wish to See in the World

By: Chris Sykora*

“The opposite of bravery is the status quo.” Duncan Wardle

There’s a reason for the phrase, “Go with the flow.” Conformity is simple. But what if I told you the creative process trains us to embrace change and challenge norms? No, this isn’t a lesson in how to make protest art. Rather, it’s about simple thinking differently, challenging our assumptions, and turning thoughts into action.

Maybe, like me, you’re concerned about how people struggle to connect with others, themselves, our planet, and information. Even our embrace of the bubbles media algorithms put us into is closely associated with our response to new and diverse ideas. As a culture, we seem to resist creative thinking and innovation, or the unknown. I feel like too many people fear change. We’d rather put things into neat and expected boxes rather than risk it. Even when we know the norm is unhealthy. Throughout my career, I’ve joined multiple committees that devolved into all-talk and no action. Even the people who say they want reform don’t truly want to change much about their own practice. Why?

I suggest several causes of inaction: bias, ego, fear, lack of imagination, and poor problem solving skills. But beyond that, down at the root, is a lack of understanding for the creative process. And even if we vaguely grasp the tenets, we don’t truly commit to the work of creativity.

Let’s first acknowledge that creativity is widely misunderstood. The creative process is omitted from lesson plans despite being the #1 skill required worldwide for careers. When I survey my students, only about 7% report learning specifically about the creative process; and this was, of course, done in an art class. I teach in a high school. Even these students struggle to explain the specific steps or have any clue how to manifest it. I have met very few adults who can do this, either. 

Curiosity is the Soil for Learning.

The most vital step of the creative process is curiosity--another misunderstood term that is foundational to learning. Put simply, it’s an open eagerness to learn something new. It thrives in the space between the known and the unknown with its abstract and also concrete elements. I go into depth about the types and processes of curiosity on my podcast, Hey Teachers! Let’s Innovate Education. When it’s coupled with reflection, we’re able to release our ego and seek progress for everyone. This helps us push past fears, break biases, and embrace change. The creative process strengthens mindfulness and compassion for self, which psychologists now recognize as fundamental to self-improvement [Nir Eyal], speaks about the nonjudgmental state of mind that curiosity places us in order to embark on journeys of personal growth.

And, of course, among other clearly identifiable stages, the creative process also involves creation. We create, make, put into action. We release our ideas into the world and watch them interact with known and unknown variables. Then we’re able to assess, edit and improve upon our ideas. By engaging in this process, we problem solve and embrace failure as an opportunity for growth. We connect the dots, commit to improvement. We progress. Putting our ideas into the physical world so that they can interact is the only way of knowing their true potential, flaws, and rewards. Progress requires creation.

Let me interject here and explain how fundamental failure is. I’ve written extensively about this on my website, but I’ll humbly admit Einstein said it best: “Failure is success in progress.” We learn through productive struggle, and practicing this develops a growth mindset. Fixed mindsets are antithetical to creativity, since the creative process requires us to try new things and frequently fumble. Educators who embrace the creative process also teach failure as a necessary step. Our education systems are riddled in a fixed conception of failure. A “failure” shouldn’t result in a poor grade on a permanent record. And it’s not an end point. It’s actually more of a starting point. Viewing failure as fixed and final is detrimental to, well, everything.  

Imagination is the vehicle, or in other words cognition.

Creativity is circular: a never-ending system that ebbs and flows, turning failures into growth and new ideas. The vehicle here is the imagination. And while I’m sure you’ve thought of imagination in a mystical, magical way, I’d like to define it concretely as cognition. Imagination allows us to see beyond the thing right in front of us and is how our brain makes connections, comprehends, and dreams. It serves as a bridge between emotion and intellect, and without it, we couldn’t see the world from someone else’s perspective. Empathy, an obviously vital aspect of compassion and change, is a form of imagination that helps our mind detach itself from our own myopic perspectives and to think and feel through others. It allows us to imagine through others. Starting from that place of curiosity we connect. The relationships we build and the empathy that results powers us towards change. Starting on a personal level and growing to a community and then beyond. The creative process requires us to be curious, to be inspired, to connect, to build, and then transform.

Another powerful form of imagination is narrative — a well-known tool for change as good stories have been proven to motivate people. Stories are possibly the most powerful cognitive device available to humans. Higher-level learning emerges from language and expression. We have an inherent need to convey meaning through stories and connect emotion to context. Human beings have long related to the world through stories, which help us process information. Instead of seeing data as just particular categories of knowledge, we can see it as human adventures and discoveries, as products of challenges and struggles to overcome within a context that relates to our lives. Through narrative, we can turn information into meaning and then into inspired action. Teachers really should be the storytellers of our culture.

Have I convinced you to dig into the creative process? Don’t worry if you’re disenchanted by its practical nature and identifiable steps.. We can still make creativity sound mystical, magical, and larger-than-life! After all, it’s the grand human intelligence that connects all other forms of intelligence. Creativity is how humans learn and grow--mind, body, and soul. On a small scale, though, it’s a highly useful tool. Utilize the creative process to educate others or to simply live your best life. At the end of the day, the purpose of education, of human existence seems to be an act of improvement. The Vygotskian view holds: Thinking emerges in a growing individual as a result of interactions with the cultural environment in which they grow up. Action through collaboration with others, both psychological and physical, creating moments of value. In other words, the Creative Process.

*Chris Sykora

Chris Sykora holds Bachelor's degrees in Education and the Fine Arts, including a Masters in Education Leadership. He currently teaches visual art at Deerfield High School, co-founded the nonprofit Arts ConnectED for which he serves as an Executive Director (more about Art ConnectED here), and leads professional development opportunities across Illinois in the form of videos, classes, workshops, and presentations.


His website ChrisSykora.com is committed to furthering the advancement of CREATIVITY in education through investigation and student agency. All of which is the focus of his TEDx Talk, How Creativity will Save Schools.