People who have the character strength of “Creativity” in abundance are people who come up with new and helpful ideas and ways of doing things.

Creativity comes within the “Meaning” arm of our PERMA wellbeing starfish.

Creativity means thinking of new ways to do things. When faced with a problem, creative people define the issue clearly and then come up with multiple solutions.

There are so many different ways in which you can be creative. These includes writing (developing ideas), art, music, craft and even using an everyday household object in a new way.

“The Whisper” is a book about a girl who lets her imagination run wild.

“The Girl Who Thought in Pictures” is about Temple Grandin, a scientist whose autism was a strength that gave her the ability to think differently (creatively). This enabled her to solve some important problems related to treating and handling cattle in a compassionate and humane way. She won many awards for her work and study in this area and there is even a film based on her life story.

This picture story book is based on her life.

“Ish” by Peter Reynolds, is another picture story book about a boy with a ctreative mind.

I love the creative ways that the children in this clip are able to think of to solve problems

Creativity is not just about making something, it is a way fo thinking to solve problem (for older students).

You can reflect on this strength by asking yourself:

In what situations are you most creative?

How does creativity help you to solve problems?

What holds you back from expressing your creativity?