Creativity: Time to wake up our creative angels

• Jayaditya Kanwar

Creativity, according to the Collins dictionary, is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc. It is the process by which one utilizes creative ability.

 Creativity is the ability to generate, create, or discover new ideas, solutions, and possibilities. It can also be defined as making the best use of your thinking ability and potential and executing it in the best possible way.

Creativity itself means self-expression that is our ability to express ourselves in the form of art, poem, stories, food, and many more things. It generates better problem-solving in us and makes us see things differently. Creativity from individual perspectives is discovering ourselves in new ways that we didn't know earlier. It's just like unleashing treasures by digging at different places. So be an alchemist! You may not find the elixir of life or a philosopher's stone but will find your legend someday.

Creativity can be found in every area of life. From the way you decorate your residence to a new way of understanding how a cell works!

Creativity in medical science is narrowed down to using the right hemisphere of the cerebrum. It is the amalgamation of three features namely imagination, salience, and executive attention. In the context of healthcare, creativity is thinking divergently. For instance, when consulting with a patient we should be creative in the way— we ask questions, encourage them to speak, manage time, diagnose and manage the problem.

 It should never be locked down. We must unlock it to solve our healthcare communication problems.  Given the time constraints we are facing in hospitals, we must find creative ways of consulting with patients because the status quo cannot continue. We must find creative solutions now.

And here’s a secret for you, we all have creative angles in us, and it is high time to wake them up and put them to work. Let the creative angels inside us do the work and find effective ways of communicating with patients.

Author:

Jayaditya Kanwar

First Year Medical Student

Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar Government Medical College,

Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, India