Dark Joseph Ravine, founder of online store Kindness for Success, has always been a proponent of creativity. He encourages others to use their own creativity to succeed in all areas of life. Though education was a challenge for Ravine, before graduating university, he learned how to incorporate creativity into his learning, which helped him attain much better grades. Sometimes, it is hard for people to get good marks because our culture tells us to have fun, take it easy, and not work as hard. Ravine shares his experience about how being creative can make learning and working a more enjoyable experience, bringing forth even greater success.
Ravine explains that old-fashioned lecturing as teaching may no longer work anymore the way it used to. He says, “People are more focused on having fun and enjoying themselves, making it hard for teachers to educate them. Teachers should make learning fun by taking learning material and making it into a game or a fun activity. For example, teachers could use flash cards with numbers and ask students to create their own equations along with coming up with an answer. They then quiz the other students in small groups to build math knowledge. Another example would be a reading activity involving students studying English Literature where they can pretend to be the characters by acting out each scene, as though they are filming a movie. This helps students gain a better understanding of the material being taught to them. English teachers can also instruct students to write a paragraph or essay about a topic which pertains to their life. Talent shows and games are a creative way to teach others.” Creativity will most likely be the new way the next generation learns and will, therefore, make life and learning much easier and enjoyable for everyone.
Some people may not be naturally creative, but if we could all incorporate some form of creativity into our lives, this would be ideal. Ravine notes, “Creativity is truly everywhere. We only need to look for it. There are a lot of ways to use our creativity. Our creativity lies dormant, waiting for us to tap into it and discover it.
Ravine believes that we cannot get anywhere without creativity. “Creativity adds a spark to whatever we produce and enhances our learning. We will suddenly find ourselves enthralled with the material we are learning as well as the process of learning itself. This is because we are adding a piece of ourselves into it and making it our very own.” Ravine thinks we all have what it takes to be creative and become contributing members of society. “Let us concentrate on finding who we are and what we are capable of,” says Ravine. “By doing so, we will ensure our creativity not only enhances our daily life but the lives of others. We can be the person who encourages others to be in tune with their creative self.” And with that, we will find ourselves living better lives and learning better than we ever did before.
