Creativity
March 2025 Character Core
Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.” There have been many incredible creative people throughout the ages. The ability to be creative is one of the remarkable things about being a human. One great example of this is Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors of all time. By the time he died, he had 1,093 patents.
Growing up, Thomas Edison was very creative. However, he struggled in school and was eventually homeschooled. The Franklin Institute states, “Edison’s mother, Nancy, knew her son was fond of chemistry and electronics, so she gave him books to read on the subjects. One book explained how to perform chemistry experiments at home; Thomas did every one in the book. A biographer of Edison once noted: ‘His mother had accomplished that which all truly great teachers do for their pupils, she brought him to the stage of learning things for himself, learning that which most amused and interested him, and she encouraged him to go on in that path. It was the very best thing she could have done for this singular boy.’” His mother helped him with his creativity, and it paid off. Thomas went on to invent the phonograph, telephone receiver, microphone, and made improvements to the light bulb, which is perhaps his best-known accomplishment.
While most of us will not invent many things like Thomas Edison, we can all be creative. Sometimes we get out of practice, but with time and work, we can learn how to practice creativity well.
