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Stifling Creativity

By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

As a teacher and advisor of many high school students, it is fascinating to see the structure and environment we create for our youth. We urge obedience and humility, and demand good behavior with the promise of reward.

And we think to ourselves, is this the best environment to nurture creativity? It is hard to think the affirmative.

There was a speaker earlier this week that had the chance to answer a young lady who asked an impressive question. Instead of answering it directly, the speaker answered with a question that was meant to belittle her question. Then the speaker went on to charge the youth to get involved.

Wait...what? How can we charge the youth to get involved, then when they actually try to engage with authority, we shut them down?

The advertising community has that issue, too. We keep the youth from thinking for themselves through creating an environment where thinking individually coincides with going against authority.

That is not sustainable.

We need a creative class in order for the marketing and advertising industry to keep rolling.

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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