How to be more creative

Are you creative? Not very many people say yes. Many people think of themselves as blankly uncreative; that they can’t draw, they’re not good at coming up with ideas – but everyone has the capacity (as with anything).

After listening to a brilliant podcast on the source of creativity, here are a few things that were brought to mind.

Be inspired. There are things out there that spark your curiosity. You’ll know the feeling; getting an idea after hearing something, seeing something, hearing something. Being creative is about using those inspirations as best you can.

And, apparently, you don’t need to look very far. Sting, after feeling like he’d run out of songs (he had written quite a few), returned to his hometown and realized that it contained endless inspiration, which eventually lead to his acclaimed musical The Last Ship. It was the little memories that he didn’t think were that important that set his mind whirring the most. 

Don’t care. Did you know that when you enter a ‘creative mode’, the part of your brain responsible for conscious self-monitoring shuts down? It stops caring – it is no longer worrying about how you are behaving and how you might be judged. This means that you are no longer inhibited and more willing to make mistakes. Lesson: don’t be afraid to be an idiot.

Work on something you’re interested in. Have you ever been told to ‘follow your passion?’ Have you ever wanted for the person that said that to you to be harmed because they haven’t understood the crux of the issue; that you don’t know what your passion is? Instead, Elizabeth Gilbert suggests that you follow something that you’re curious about, something that you’re interested in. It might lead somewhere, but the worst that can happen is you spend your life learning and exploring the things that you’re fascinated by.

We definitely recommend that you check out the full podcast here: TED Radio Hour - The Source of Creativity

Growth Mindset and the X Factor

X Factor is one of the most dramatic things on the telly. It might not be as sparkly (or as popular anymore) as Strictly, but the collection of flashing lights, pyrotechnics and booming Phil Dickenson announcements make for classic Saturday night entertainment. 

With such a big and influential reach, it is interesting to see how X Factor encourages, or discourages, some of the attitudes and perspectives which are important for the young and impressionable part of the audience. So, the other week, Franklin Scholars found themselves watching X Factor with a particular focus on growth mindset.

Growth mindset is the understanding that intelligence and skills are malleable. You can change how clever you are, you can improve your ability in maths, and you can become better at sports. The counter to this is a fixed mindset where you believe that your intelligence and skills are innate; things that you were born with.

People with growth mindsets tend to persevere more at tasks, see mistakes as learning opportunities and look for more challenges in order to keep getting better. As a result, people with stronger growth mindsets usually achieve more and are happier with their lives.

Onto Saturday night: The X Factor sends out some mixed messages when it comes to encouraging a growth mindset.

First, the bad: 

Singing is a big offender when it comes to ‘innate’ ability.  There is a prevailing attitude that belting out a tuneful song is something that you can either do or you can’t. And the X Factor is full of clips and phrases demonstrating that view:

“You’re a natural.”

“You have a real gift that not many people have.”

“I was born to be a singer”

Not helpful, ITV. Yes, genetics plays a role in the state of your vocal chords, but no one was born humming a melody. A voice can be trained and worked like any other part of the body.

But, there is a lot of good on the show! 

Lots of the contestants demonstrate a whole lot of growth mindset.

“Please, Simon. Tell me how I can do better.”

“I’ve been trying and trying for years. Just getting knocked back.”

Members of the public show real passion for a dream. They are working towards a glorious goal and won’t let anything set them back. 

Admittedly, that goal – of becoming a popstar - is quite an unlikely one. Not many people become multimillion-selling recording artists. It’s something that doesn’t happen that often. But these guys are all in it to win it. 

Why? Why are they putting so much energy and hyper-emotion into something that is statistically unattainable? How has X Factor warped the odds and got the nation so invested?

Because X Factor shows a clear progression towards the dream. No matter your age or background, the first step is simple; you queue for the first auditions, you make it to the judges, then to bootcamp, then to judges’ houses, then you fight for survival every week in the live shows, simply singing a song every time. The journey to becoming a popstar is completely explicit. Contestants can easily visualize themselves at each stage. 

That’s incredibly useful. It’s something that helps us achieve the targets that we set ourselves; breaking them down into smaller, reachable chunks. It’s something we should be supporting young people with too. Yes, this maths problem / an A* / your dream job might seem a long way off – so how can we break those down and progress forwards, rather than being stunted by the enormity of what we’re facing.

If X Factor teaches us anything, it should be that.

Ignore the IQ Test: Your Level of Intelligence is Not Fixed for Life | IFLScience →

We’re getting more stupid. That’s one point made in a recent article in the New Scientist, reporting on a gradual decline in IQs in developed countries such as the UK, Australia and the Netherlands. Such research feeds into a long-held fascination with testing human intelligence. Yet such debates are too focused on IQ as a life-long trait that can’t be changed. Other research is beginning to show the opposite.

Did you know the the creator of the IQ test didn’t believe in fixed intelligence either?

What can we learn from the Southampton FC Youth Academy?

Here at Franklin Scholars HQ we are very interested in the idea that emotional intelligence (EQ) is as crucial to students’ success as academic intelligence; that a good level of emotional intelligence may in fact be a prerequisite for academic success as well as emotional wellbeing, and that both EQ and IQ are very much malleable, and can, as such, be developed.

When we read Carol Dweck’s ‘Mindset’, we were reminded of the fact that early IQ tests were actually developed not to be a fixed measure of a person’s intelligence, but instead an indicator of those students who were being failed by the existing education systems, and for whom other methods of teaching and learning might work better.

On reading this article about the Southampton FC Youth Academy over the weekend, we were intrigued by the approach of the club’s psychologist, Malcolm Frame, in developing an emotional intelligence programme for players.

“Emotions drive thoughts, thoughts drive behaviour, behaviour drives performance,” says Frame.

This makes sense to us… and any football fans will attest to the fact that the Saints’ youth academy is producing some of the best home-grown talent this country has seen in years – so they must be doing something right.

Franklin Scholar, 15-year old Irene Kolawole, is named as an #iwill ambassador for Step Up To Serve

We are very proud to reveal that Irene, one of our inaugural cohort of Franklin Scholars at Langdon Academy, has been named as an #iwill ambassador, as part of the Step Up To Serve campaign for youth social action.

Read about how and why here.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate not just Irene, but all her fellow Franklin Scholars, for the really important work that they have done and continue to do in their schools around the country.

"Once A Franklin Scholar, Always A Franklin Scholar"

– by Lemuel, Year 9, St Mark’s Academy

At the very moment I walked through the doors of our very first training session, I could already feel a sense of excitement and connection with a teacher whom I never actually called a teacher, instead, I’ve simply known her as a friend. (Because she didn’t like us when we call her with Ms. Instead, she wanted us to call her simply with just her name) and her name is Jess, the most down-to-earth person I’ve ever known.

Before the training session, I felt so nervous as usual – as most of my friends can relate to, I’m the kind of person who just sits down in a classroom, with my mouth shut; someone who wouldn’t let anyone distract him. I’m that kind of guy!

But everything changed when the Franklin Scholars initiative suddenly walked into my life – my school life. Our training session with the Franklin Scholars team made me realise that I’ve been living under a rock all these years; they made me feel right at home and that I could talk to them by allowing myself to be vulnerable.

Then the actual peer mentoring began, and I couldn’t be more privileged to share this experience with a special Year 7 called Leonardo. He’s a very likeable boy who has become more confident over time. I call him Leo, to make things a lot simpler! He became an inspiration to me because he showed me that you don’t need to be nervous at anything, you just need to have fun, learn and be yourself.

Two amazing role models walked into my life and showed everything that I lacked all these years and I’m eternally grateful.

During my time as a Franklin Scholar, there have been some ups and downs along the way and the way all my fellow Franklin Scholars dealt with it was incredible. Jess and Leo were always there to keep things positive for everyone, and not letting anyone give up at any point. Everyone played their part.

Because of Franklin Scholars, I’ve finally found the two things I’ve been missing: confidence and determination. Because of Franklin Scholars, I’ve become a better person. Because of Franklin Scholars, I’ve finally found a reason to keep on going and to never give up no matter what the situation is.

My ultimate goal: I want to inspire people. I want them to look at me in the eye and say ‘because of you, I didn’t give up’.