Innocent Elogie
JULY 18, 2023
By Rev. Fr. Innocent Elogie,
Executive Speaker/Club Advisor
INTRODUCTION
History has it that the level of development we have attained in our world today is as a result of creative and innovative minds of human beings like us. These people saw the challenges in their communities and came up with novel ideas that have not only benefitted them, but have contributed to world’s development. Think of cars, aircraft, computer, cell phones, social media softwares and apps, Google search engine, notebook and biro etc, all these were borne out of people’s ideas and creativity. Even the best book you have come across, the best theories you have come across, music, movies, paintings, etc, they are all people’s ideas. In our time, we can also be creative enough to come up with ideas and innovations that can help our community in no small way, and better the world at large.
It is on this backdrop that this presentation seeks not only to enlighten you, but also to inspire you to look around you and harness your creative abilities for social impact and development. You know, the little things around us can be a source of inspiration to our creativity. Someone once said that there are always opportunities around us, just that we are not observant enough to see and utilize them. Wherever you find yourself, there is always something new you can change the world with.
KEYWORDS: Harnessing, Creativity, Social impact, Community Development.
HARNESSING
According to the Cambridge dictionary, to harness means, to control something, usually in order to use its power. Thus, harnessing in this paper will simply mean the ability to take hold of, to control and manage something in order to use its influencing power.
CREATIVITY
The English word ‘Creativity’ comes from the Latin term creare, “to create or make”: It is the use of imagination or mental power to create something; i.e to be inventive. It is the ability to make, produce, generate or otherwise bring into existence something new.
SOCIAL IMPACT
The phrase ‘Social Impact’ can be seen as the effects on people and communities that happen as a result of an action, an activity, project, program or policy. In essence, the definition of social impact means any significant or positive changes that help to solve or at least address social challenges. It is the consequences of activities, projects, programs, or policies that can create a change in the knowledge and behaviors of individuals, groups, organizations or the generality of the people.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Community development is the advancement of activities within a community which may include the political, economic and social life of the people. It is the improvement of the quality of life of people in the community.
From the forgoing, we can therefore say that “Harnessing Creativity for Social Impact and Community Development” simply means using our creative minds to bring about positive development to better our lives and our community.
HOW TO BE CREATIVE
Whenever we mention creativity or talk about creative minds, some people may only picture writers, artists, or musicians, whereas creativity goes beyond that. We will understand our creative ability better when we realize that we are all rational beings
Creativity is a skill that you can work on with time, training, and effort. There are many areas you can focus on to improve your overall creativity. Engage in creative exercises like reading, writing, and listening to music to sharpen your creative mind. Learn as much as possible and open yourself up to new ideas and experiences. The points below can help you and contribute to your creativity.
1). Be reflective. Every piece of creativity is a product of reflection. Sir Edward Kelly once said that the eternal truth are revealed through mediation and make all men who receive them the magi of their time. There is so much noise around us today so much so that many, especially young minds find it difficult to engage themselves in meaningful reflection. To be creative, you must develop the discipline to often reflect in the quietness of your heart for inspiration.
2). Listen to music. Simply playing music in the background can inspire you creatively. It can help you focus better and increase your overall concentration. Classical music tends to work particularly well for creativity and concentration. Not every genre of music works for everyone. While classical music has beneficial effects for many, experiment a little to find the music that best helps you concentrate and feel creative.
3) Make something with your hands. Using your hands to create means you get information from all of your senses. This can help encourage more creative thinking. If you want to feel more creative, try activities in which you create using your hands. For example, try something like writing, knitting, sewing, or other crafts to bolster your creativity.
4).Read more and write more. Reading is great for your creative mind. Make a habit of reading regularly. Pick books from multiple genres and styles of writing to expand your horizons and this will surely strengthen your creativity. Try to make time to read every day, and not just read, try and write something everyday. And once this habit is sown, it becomes a hobby that you do effortlessly.
5) Be open to new experiences. Do not be afraid to start something new. The most creative people are willing to engage with multiple ideas, broaden their horizons, and be surprised. Avoid resisting and dismissing things that are unfamiliar to you, and accept opportunities to try new creative endeavors.
6) Always approach things with the beginners mind. Start as a beginner. You might not be perfect, but just start something. Be ready to learn more and take correction. Do not give up even if the process is tough.
7) Prompt yourself to think of new ideas. Challenge your thought and engage in activities that actively force you to think of new ideas. Your creative ability is not in your muscular strength but the ability to bring your mental imagery into material expression daily and hourly.
8) Socialize with different people. To give your creativity a jump-start, socialize as much as you can, particularly with people who are different from you. Spending time with people whose life experience and world view is unlike yours can expand your mind and offer fresh perspective on everyday things. Look forward to meeting new people, attend events or do activities that are outside of your normal routine and engage in conversation whenever possible.
BENEFITS OF EXPLORING YOUR CREATIVITY
It is easier to imagine things in our minds, but bringing them to reality is what makes us creative. A society that has lost touch with its creative side is an imprisoned society, in that, generations of people may be closed minded. Hence, the benefits of creativity cannot be overemphasized and these include but not limited to the following:
1) Creativity Helps Us Think Outside the Box
We live in an era of conformity. People tend to follow trends and conform to society’s expectations, in order words, doing things same way as old and yet not getting desired results. This is why we must think outside the box. Creativity helps us break away from these societal norms. By thinking creatively, we can come up with solutions to problems that others haven’t thought of.
- Creativity Makes Life Fun.
You want to add a little extra to your life? Creativity adds just that and makes it more fun. For example, being creative allows you to express yourself in ways that you can’t with regular everyday activities. It’s a great way to let off some steam and explore different aspects of your personality. And even if you don’t consider yourself to be a creative person, there’s still great satisfaction to be in creating something new. - Creativity Can Help Us Learn New Things and Learn Better
Learning new things is another benefit of creativity. Think back to school experiences. How much do you learn in school? Probably, not too much! Most of the learning happens in class. But if you are creative enough, you would learn a lot more than the average student. For example, doing those things that fascinate you such as article writing, poems, painting, sports etc may one way or the other help you learn a lot more than the typical homework assignments. - Creativity Allows Us To Be More Original.
Being original is not easy. After all, we’re surrounded by thousands of other people who are trying to do the same thing. But if you’re creative, you can stand out from the crowd. For example, if you love music, you can compose songs that no one else has ever heard before; if you love cooking, you can cook dishes that nobody has ever cooked before just like Hilda Baci who just broke the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time; if painting is your passion, you can paint pictures that no one has painted before. All of these examples show that creativity allows us to be more original. And do not settle for imitation because imitation is limitation! - Creativity Improves Our Lives.
When was the last time you had a breakthrough moment? Chances are that you experienced something amazing that has made an indelible mark on you. To be creative is to discover new possibilities that can improve us. Everyone wants to become a better person; creativity allows us this chance to explore our potentials. It helps us identify areas that we can improve upon. By doing so, we can become better versions of ourselves and have fuller lives.
CONCLUSION
As a predicate on the above, if we want us to be better than we are today and our community to be better than it is today, we must engage our creative ability. We must always engage ourselves in reflective thinking, and come up with ideas to tackle the challenges that bedevil us and our society. The most important thing I want you to remember today is that creativity lives in all of us; to harness it, you will need constant effort and don’t be afraid to embrace risk.
Finally, I want you to know that you maybe creatively talented but this is not enough! You need character, discipline and dedication to sustain your creativity and to make it count. Most men have failed, not for lack of creativity or talents, but for lack of character, discipline and dedication. The world is in dire need of young minds who can make positive impacts in all spheres of human endeavours. Be a sign of positive change in your environment and never be pressured to conform to the league of vices perpetuators. Embrace at all times the virtue of discipline. No matter how many times life treads on you and peer pressure weighs you down, always maintain your balance because there is a part of you that is being groomed and nurtured that will make it impossible to slide off the track. Let that spark inside of you to succeed in all you do always spur you to achieve your set goals, and never be deceived into believing that there are short-cuts to success.
Give this a thought!
Thank you and remain blessed.
