It's extremely important to prioritise creativity just as much as academic pursuits in student's lives. There is nothing wrong with academic excellence and classroom focus, although we need to understand that the best students pair high performance in exams with creative pursuits outside of the classroom.
While schools often encourage creative approaches to learning, and present many different subjects that allow students to demonstrate their creativity in this sense, many students are not aware of the importance of having a creative outlet, whether in school or outside of it.
Creativity is not simply drawing pictures or writing stories. It is the ability to take what we know and use it in a new way, using curiosity, experimentation and imagination. Creativity is seen as an essential skill for the modern world. People with creativity are often idea driven, flexible and suited to work in a variety of environments.
Yet, creativity is also valuable intrinsically. Drawing pictures and writing stories are important for children precisely because they teach these universal skills. That's why addiction to social media and technology can be so dangerous - it takes away creativity by giving people hyper-accessible entertainment in seconds. It's why people are losing hobbies and other creative outlets.
Some of our most meaningful learning happens outside the classroom. Hobbies give us something that formal education can struggle to provide: the freedom to pursue an interest unlimited by assessment, timelines or any other similar constraints. Most importantly, the choice is almost unlimited and based purely on a person's interests and enjoyment. This allows for deep learning and adaptation, however that was never the initial reason for pursuing the activity. It was about interest, and the creativity flows on from that expression.
It is important to have these creative opportunities in class, however they are just as significant out of the classroom to allow students to develop interests and skills that form the basis for their other work-oriented pursuits.
