The really neat thing about creativity is that it covers a broad range of disciplines – from the scientific to the creation of a simple idea. It can be a physical object or an invention, a printed literary work, or a painting. Creativity can involve the spiritual or business studies; cognitive science or education, technology, engineering, and philosophy
It is interesting to me that as a worldwide pandemic has threatened all of humanity, people around the globe have stepped up to miraculously solve seemingly insurmountable problems – from making use of snorkeling masks for protective face masks to figuring out ways to have more than one patient on a ventilator.
Using creativity and technology, laboratories have already started work on making a vaccine for the virus. Other labs are in the process of making tests that can diagnose if someone has the coronavirus in just a few minutes.
There are lots of definitions for the question – What is creativity? I like Jeff Goins’ definition. He says: “Creativity brings good things in the world that otherwise would not exist. It’s a noble act of pushing back the darkness and giving hope to despair.”
Thank you to the healthcare workers and first responders working tirelessly to keep our communities safe.
Inspired by the generosity of our partners (employees), we are offering all front-line responders a free tall brewed coffee at participating stores in the US. pic.twitter.com/e7Z8aRCtMt
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) March 26, 2020
Holding on to hope
As Common Dreams points out – “A pandemic is all-inclusive. We cannot survive it, or move beyond it, by protecting merely some people. We have to protect everyone.” Yet, the pandemic has led to something seemingly unique. Call it creative empathy.
We have seen this creative empathy in the news videoes of “Italians serenading one another in high rise apartment buildings and playing music together in a kind of triumph of spirit,” as one Italy-centric Twitter account put it on Friday.
We have seen this creative empathy in the city of Detroit reinstating water service to thousands of people who were cut off for not paying their bills. And we see today that Internet providers like Comcast are boosting speeds on their basic packages and offering free internet to low-income customers.
Joanne Fabrics is giving away supplies and guidance for its crafting community on making 100% cotton face masks and serving as a collection point for completed masks, while Crocs is donating 10,000 pairs of shoes each day to healthcare workers.
With President Donald Trump extending the social-distancing guidelines until April 30, this means we, as a nation, will have to continue self-isolating. But one thing is for sure – We will manage to get through this by being creative.
It can be something as simple as the Facebook Spiritual folks paint group – a forum for creative folks to share their artwork and ideas during this tough time we are all facing.
Museums worldwide are now offering virtual art events, including behind-the-scenes videos of artists and screenings of independent films. So, we will get through this, especially if we all hang in there and make use of our creativity.
