‘Creativity is intelligence having fun’?!?

Working with very limited resources in a local NGO in Argentina makes you re-think things for sure. I have to be creative in my lessons as well as with making decoration for my room or other arts projects. In Europe we have gotten used to having all materials available whenever we want to make something. Now I suddenly find myself keeping hold of everything that looks like I might be able to use it, empty plastic and glass bottles, toilet paper rolls, bits of string, etc. I use writing paper as long as I can, write on both sides of it and try to write in small letters so I can get more on a page. In Europe they would have landed straight in the bin. And I am not the only one feeling like this. Several other volunteers that I have spoken to and who are placed in similar projects have started doing the same.

The other day I had a conversation with my boss about this topic. He explained to me how people had to be resourceful because they did not have the money to buy things (or things were just not available in the shops to buy), how they had to be creative to get by and how he saw this ability as a sign of intelligence. I am not quite sure whether I can fully agree with his statement but it reminded me of the quote ‘Creativity is intelligence having fun’ by Albert Einstein.

But where does this leave ‘us’ in the developed countries? We do not have to be that creative in our everyday lives, we just go to the next shop and buy whatever we need. Being creative is reserved to certain professions, the majority of people is supposed to be efficient. You obey orders in your work place and this makes the processes efficient and pushes our economies. But is there any other reason that there is so little space for creativity in everyday life? Well, rules and laws most certainly have a major impact as well. You need to be a specialist to carry out certain tasks. So even if you actually know how to do something you might not be allowed to do it. Also, health and safety regulations mean that you can only carry out the tasks that you are officially qualified for. Of course there are good reasons for all these rules, but are we not losing a great part of our easiness?

I cannot help wondering how I will manage to fit into European society again after my time in Argentina or whether after my time here I will be fed up with all this creativity and I will be longing for some ‘stability’. Or is it possible to have both? Can you keep creativity alive while enjoying the economic benefits of efficiency? It is certainly a balancing act that is worth trying J