by Sundar Balasubramanian
[box]Finding your Element changes everything. Sundar Balasubramanian on the nature of creativity. [/box] [box type = “bio”]Sundar followed the linear path of high school in Madurai to a bachelors in engineering at a remote town called Pilani, followed by an MS at Cincinnati and settled down to work as a Design Engineer. Based on what he has learnt, he hopes to create that space for his children where they can explore and find their Element.[/box]Lessons are learnt in life through experience and observation. Experience is certainly better than observation but can also be painful, if you’re one of those who despise making mistakes. Observing is easier; not as powerful as the former but effective nevertheless. In the lines of examination, I want to indulge you in a case study that involves Arvind Kejriwal, a social activist who single-mindedly pursued the enacting of the most important and powerful law in a country of billion people – The Right to Information; M.S. Subbulakshmi, a vocalist in the Carnatic mould whose magical voice is beyond compare; Roger Federer, a tennis star who has won more Grand Slams than anyone else ever; A.R. Rahman, a highly talented musician who produces records selling in millions; and Andrew Stanton, an animation movie director who has won the highest accolade twice for his outstanding screenplay.
Let us proceed by stating the obvious: they are all tremendously successful in their respective fields. Digging deeper, we find that they are extremely passionate about what they do. The deep affection they have towards their work is such that they cannot imagine doing anything else. They are also very hard working and made the most out of the opportunities that they got. They are all in their Element.
What is the Element? In the words of Sir Ken Robinson, a world renowned creativity expert:
“It is the point where natural talent meets personal passion. The Element has two main features and there are two conditions for being in it. The features are aptitude and passion. The conditions are attitude and opportunity. The sequence goes something like this: I get it; I love it; I want it; where is it?”
Finding your Element changes everything. If it has the potential to alter the course of one’s own life, how do we figure it out?
We are all born with natural talents. There’s no doubt about that. Children are the most creative people we can find on earth. Talents within a person are plural more often than not and there are creative ways in which these pluralistic talents can be synergized. Education should serve the purpose of nurturing these creative talents within each individual and letting them grow in their own unique ways. Sir Ken’s thesis, however, is that modern day education works towards the opposite by systematically killing creativity.
Such a strong statement strikes very closely to heart for most of us. Upon some introspection and reflection of my own past education, I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with Sir Ken. In India, school education is predominantly focused on basic sciences, language and math. It is probably true everywhere in the world, but the focus is highly enforced in our country. Students excelling in these fields of study are awarded incentives and they follow lucrative career paths in engineering or medicine.
In fact, the reality is that standardized tests in these subjects and the corresponding results can make or break a student’s career. The premium given to these utilitarian fields puts immense pressure on a student and if the person’s interests do not resonate with these areas, then he or she is, more often than not, deemed a failure. The over-importance placed on these subjects diminishes and sometimes completely eliminates the chances for exploring fields such as the arts, theatre, music and dance. These other fields get labeled as extra-curricular activities. Natural ability and intelligence is much more diverse than common sense and the sad reality is that it is hardly acknowledged in the Indian education system.
I am an engineer and I like what I do now for a living. Do I absolutely love it? Can I not imagine being anywhere else and doing something else? The answer is an overwhelming NO. Looking back, I feel that finding out what you love to do early on in your life is an excellent thing. Since there’s no fear about making mistakes and taking risks in the younger years of a person’s life, , one should be exposed to as many diverse fields of work as possible then. The goal should be to find the playing field that would be the most natural and one that invokes the highest level of interest.
In today’s world, we prepare our children for an uncertain future. A future where there are jobs that cannot even be imagined today. A future where the technological landscape would be far more advanced and global interaction would be tremendously strong. In such a scenario, what is the best we can do for them? We can strive to create an environment that would give them the best chance of finding their Element.
It would help to recognize the characteristics of the Element in order to help children find their own. Element is a form of talent that the child is passionate about exploring and pursuing. Sir Ken points out three important characteristics of human talent. First, it is diverse. Our Element comes in myriad forms through the different senses we have. Academic ability is just one of them. Secondly, it is dynamic, in the sense that different human faculties interact to enable it. Thirdly, the Element is distinct by nature.
Another important aspect to remember is that it takes time for children to discover what they really like and want to do. It is a process that needs to be encouraged and allowed to flourish. Some children may figure it out early and some may take their time. Parents should encourage their children to “have a go” at things they like to explore. The children are bound to make mistakes, but as Ken points out: if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.
Pic : FlutterbyNessa – http://www.flickr.com/photos/vee_smith/
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