By: Osigbemhe Cos-Kenny
Coskennyboliviia@gmail.com
The words creativity and inventiveness can be interchangeably used. The oxford advanced learners dictionary defines the word creativity as the use of imagination or original ideas to create something. Creativity is the act of turning old into new or imaginative ideas into reality; it is also the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns and to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena to generate solutions.
The ‘advanced’ world is undergoing a shift from the information age to the conceptual age, in other words, the inventive, creative and empathetic people are more likely to thrive in this new world. The most inventive amongst us happens to have an upper edge than the rest of us. Most mainframe computer manufacturers disappeared in the space of about a year, the entire lifecycle of the video rental business for example was barely more than two decades; publishers of printed works have either reinvented themselves or gone out of vogue; the music industry has been transformed seemingly over night; commonplace products such as the thermostat and the smoke detector for example are being given a new lease on life through enhanced functionality and they are commanding amazing price premiums for getting it right.
The slogan “innovate or die” isn’t just a catchy one. It seems that everywhere you look these days mainly the business landscape is littered with the burned-out hulks of those companies that did not see change waves coming. As centuries go by, we undergo changes at least as dramatic as the industrial revolution.
Following the theme that presents the character of Dr. Omokhogie Adamu therefore, in the first chapter of the book ‘Flying Five Flags’ co-authored by him, Dr. Omokhogie Adamu and Lois Otse Adams, the growing up of a child was creatively presented to readers, I quote; “The innocence of a child is often considered to be ‘affectionate’ because it dwells in a world where it is not conscious of his environment. It will continue to dwell in it’s serene world until sounds start to make meaning to it. It knows no wrong and cannot wrong because of its tenderness. Its eyes would begin to see, it’s ears would begin to hear and other vendors would begin to perform their various functions. The mouth, from day one, has already formed the habit of swallowing warm sweet milk to satisfy the pang of hunger. The demand becomes greater as the little body becomes stronger and learns to produce of its own making”. Following the quote therefore, so much of what makes life worth living are creative pursuits. When people are asked to choose from a lot the best definition of how they feel when doing whatever they enjoy the most, the most frequently chosen is “designing or discovering something new”.
Even though all creativity may not lead to fame and fortune, one can do something from individual’s point of view, which is even more important; making day-to day experience more vivid, more enjoyable and rewarding. Let’s get creative because the world is in dire need of more creative young men and women.
This Essay got the writer, (PRO, AiS Creative Club) 3rd position and only winner of the Dr. Omokhohie Adamu Prize for Essay Competition, organized 14th February, 2020, by AiS Creative Club.
