Creative Geniuses

“Colleges hate geniuses, just as convents hate saints.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is the first day of school for many of my friends who are still in college. It is utterly odd for me to have worked a shift this morning and be at a coffee shop later in my day and have no worry of a class schedule, what books to buy, or trying to figure out how early I am going to leave my house so I can get a parking place that isn't on the other side of the campus. It just feels weird not to have school.

I have been going to school for 17 years (yes I'm including preschool). I have had homework, stress, extracurricular activities for 17 years... and I no longer do. Well, I do have stress and I do other types of activities, but it's not the same.

Seventeen years of school and I have to completely admit, I don't miss the format of it at all. As I have had time to look back at my four years of college with the rose colored glasses off of my face, I have come to realize that creativity is really not liked and that people are so one-sided that we are not taught the big picture. Oh, and if any brave soul does bring up a different idea than the rest of the class or a new concept that the professor does not like, then it doesn't matter.

“Colleges hate geniuses, just as convents hate saints.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

 I am choosing this moment to take liberty of changing my view on what genius means. I will start by sharing one  of the many definitions of what genius means from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:  

Extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity

 The reasoning of focusing on this particular definition is
1. I have never heard this definition of the word
and
2. The part after the adverb is interesting (as manifested in creative activity)

So if my understanding is correct of this definition, a genius can be created and stimulated by creative situations. Does anyone else find this interesting?

Now let's take a quick look at the word creative:
Creative comes from the create, which is starting something new or not imitating something. A synonym of this word is IMAGINATIVE.

“Colleges hate geniuses, just as convents hate saints.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

I bet by this point you might hate the quote I have been posting, but are you finding the deeper meaning? 

The system has been okay with the way they have been doing things for who knows how long and they do not appreciate people calling them out. People, geniuses, saints are challenging institutions or people in power. And what is one thing that causes challenges? Creativity.

Creativity is thinking outside the box. It is looking at an old way and inventing something new from it. I believe there is much of this in today's world and have been digging deeper and deeper into this slow paradigm shift that is happening with how we communicate, how consumers look at different products and how this changing the way we view media.

These connections are key to be able to look to the future and I yearn to learn more. I believe if we are not using transmedia communications and truly understanding both the positive and negative effects of it, then how can we best reach this ever changing consumer base. 

The baby boomer generation is getting older and the millennials are gaining ground and starting careers. We must be prepared to best reach this group and not by cheap gimmicky aspects either. We need to understand how these mediums have become integral parts of their lives and then move our products to be connected with this.

To best do this though is to think creatively. I have ideas forming on how to do this and really do not wish to share them on the web yet, but I believe there are many others just like me who are yearning to challenge the people in power or who set the rules. Too many times we have been asked to read about people who challenged the system (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and many other people), yet they choose to hinder us to think creatively like the people they admire so much.

This is my declaration of change and my declaration that I will find a unique way of reaching this base. Things are changing and I am determined to be a part of these creative geniuses.

I do not claim to be a genius nor will I ever claim to be this. I do not believe I am smart enough to be considered a genius, but I do believe I dream enough to be driven to make a difference. 

Dreams and challenges won't happen unless we get the motivation to make it happen. So with the start of this new school year for so many, how will we continue learning and challenge what we have be trained and taught to believe? How will we change the world? How will we make a difference instead of just sitting on your computer all day? 

I know I have my motivation of making things happen, how about you?