just wondering again after reading the threads on creativity about how people view education when it comes to teaching creativity ? Do you think colleges give a good design education or would one be better off learning on their own ?
being or becoming creative is not forumlaic. so the idea that by going to a good college someone is going to teach you how to be creative is a crock.
but having a good group of professors that teach the basic fundamentals of design and help shape a student’s ability to observe, interpret and realize coupled with the surrounding environment of other students is a great incubator for creativity. throw in a few internships working with people that are “creative” for a living and you’ve got quite a good chance of becoming creative yourself.
creativity is organic. there is no one way to be creative. I am creative in ways that my engineering counterparts are not and vice versa.
so to answer your question yes college is a good place to try and become creative. the key to everything i said above is the inclusion of many people in the “creative process”.
You can learn the theory of design and creativity from books, and you may be creative, but it doesn’t come near being surrounded by like-minded people in an education environment.
Many graduates complain about the lack of ‘teaching’ at their schools, or that they had to pick everything up themselves. But somehow during those 3-4 years the school turns potential creative talent into something that can be used in the real world (to varying degrees of success…)
Not to forget the importance of internships though -If an college turns an artist into a designer, then an internship on top of that makes them a professional.
I think that creativity is organic, but skill, craft, and even process can be learned, and are important. The most creative individual in the world won’t produce anything worthwhile if they cannot discipline their mind to a process which refines and improves their original idea, and produce a product or the necessary drawings and specifications for a product to be produced from.
Creativity is the BASIS for design, but it is not the only requirement for success.
I think skill, craft and creativity can all be “learned/taught”. What it requires is rigorous practice, intensity, persistence, dedication, and focus…things most people in general do not have. Surrounding yourself with people who have a similar level of passion is for many, including me, the best way to get there.