Why I’m adding Creativity as Your Unique Capital to Bourdieu’s theory
I’m shamelessly adding a new capital to Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on our different capitals: creativity. Your creativity is your unique capital, or currency if you like. Here’s how I believe that works.
Pierre Bourdieu was a French sociologist, anthropologist, philosopher, and public intellectual. Wikipedia. Bourdieu talked about how the capital we each have with us in our "rucksack", decides what kind of life we are set out for.
Bourdieu talked about 3 main capitals - here super shortly explained:
Social capital
Social capital refers to the social relations and networks you have in your life. The resources and the quality of those resources. And the impact of those human resources.
Economic capital
Your economic capital is about your money, finances, and assets. Material Goods. That kind of stuff.
Cultural capital
Your cultural capital is your level of education, your intellect, your style of speech, and how you dress. Your manners and skills.
This is a very quick and short explanation. If you want to learn more and dig a little into Bourdieu's theories, just google him. It's interesting stuff. Basically, we each have this "baggage" we carry around, based on how and where we grew up. It's things like the social status of our parents, the area we grew up in, and so on.
Creativity is your unique capital
This "baggage" plays a big role in how well we do in school, and later in life.
We talk about “climbing the social ladder”.
We’re divided into the working class. middle class, upper class, aristocracy, and royalty.
But I think there's a capital that is way more important than social, economic, and cultural capital, and that is creative capital.
Your creativity is part of your personal DNA, the melting pot of all your mind, body, and soul experience that is so uniquely you, that no one can do the same.
As every one of us is creative just by being human, our imagination is where we all can meet.
Creativity as an equalizer
Imagine if we, in our education systems, focused on finding each child’s creative capital. Each child's fantasy. Imagine if we spend as much time investigating what it is each child has inside of interests and passions, as we do on maths and spelling. If our mission in life is to investigate and try out ways to express ourselves creatively. Imagine!
My theory is, that it wouldn't matter then what social status you come from. How much economic capital do you have in your rucksack?
We would not look at the color, status, background, sexuality, our parents' income, and other things which we have no control over. But are still being judged. If the focus is on our creative capital, then there can be no comparison. There can be no "us and them" because creativity is personal. In creativity, there is no right or wrong.
There are mistakes in applying the creative act. Failing many times is an essential part of applying your creative thinking to action. That is different than doing something wrong. In creativity, you almost cannot do something wrong.
“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns”
Creativity is a practice that needs nurturing
Nurturing creativity is mostly about nurturing two things in us:
Individuality
How to work together.
We have got to celebrate ourselves and focus on our own creative voice and expression. This must come first.
In some cases, but not all, we flourish from collaborating with others.
In my experience, to be able to work well and equal with others, we have to have a strong sense of self, and our own creative strengths.
Since we’re not all school teachers or parents, and have the opportunity to nurture their creative side, we can nurture creativity in ourselves.
What a perfect place to start.
How to find your creative capital?
You find your creative capital by expressing yourself creatively. There is no magic formula.
I like taking photos in a very imperfect, non-pressure way. Looking at things from a different angle, and just playing for fun. I love it.
My advice to you is to experiment with different kinds of creative work. Have you always been interested in books and writing? Then try writing a really short story.
As Steven Pressfield says: “Put your ass where your heart wants to be.”
You may have to get really still to discover that tiny voice or feeling inside that guides you in a direction.
The business of daily life so easily takes over our minds and souls, so being still is a good way to start to figure out how to express yourself creatively.
Ask yourself some questions:
What do you love?
What would you like to have more of in your life? Why is that?
What pisses you off in life?
If you could do anything, what would you do?
How would you express these feelings?
Be curious about who you are. Make it your mission not to be like everyone else.
Write, doodle, paint, sculpt, walk, talk, film, play, photograph.
Express.
Be rubbish!
Fail. Laugh. Try. Fail. Laugh. Try. Fail. Laugh. Try.
Be curious. Who are you? Why?
Your creative capital is what you are here for. It's what makes you who you are. I believe this completely. There IS no comparison. There can't be. We are not meant to be the same, we never can be.
We share many things of course. Overall, we are all part of each other, the same human race, with the same set of feelings, and the same need for belonging, love, and kindness. And so much more.
It starts with you and me. We must challenge "what we know to be true". Cause maybe we don't know.
It’s not about getting the perfect job, or the right education, or going for manager jobs. It's simply about using your fantasy and expressing yourself creatively.
Simple, but not easy. But OH MY G so worth it.
Hopefully, you’re getting inspired to be a little curious about your own creative capital.
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