True Fonts of Creativity


       "Creativity is at once our most precious resource and our most inexhaustible one." In the New York Times article, "Is Creativity Endangered?", one of the speakers, Richard Florida, shares his views on this topic starting with that quote. He continues with claiming that creativity stems off from a social process rather than individual geniuses. In terms of environment, what comes to mind when we see or hear the word 'social'?; wouldn't cities be the epitome of social? It's a melting pot of ideas and give birth to the biggest breakthroughs. Florida goes on to discuss iconic cities such as Athens and New York City that have allowed ideas to manifest due to the variety of collaborative networks and public spaces.

       On the other hand, he notes what suppresses creativity. Florida makes another claim and point out that the very institutions that try to expand creativity are actually the ones that staunch it. As we get older, our minds seem to perform in a more linear way, no longer encouraging out-of-the-box thinking. Our monotonous day-to-day living isn't the ideal environment for ideas to grow, letting our creativity go to waste. But he finishes his point with a positive outlook by relaying that creativity is not in danger. It's flourishing and although we continue to make progress, there's room for more if we desire to live in a society that truly encourages us to use it to its full extent.

       I do agree with his statement but I believe that not everyone wants to radically change their lives, which does come with innovation. It's not for everyone but it seems that as humans, we're always seeking for more and more changes which does sprout from spaces like cities filled with people willing to collaborate and create new ideas.

                               
- Naomi Dizon