World Day of Creativity and Innovation
April 21st marks World Creativity and Innovation Day, a day that highlights the role these qualities play today. In a constantly changing world, thinking differently, imagining new possibilities, and seeking unique solutions has become a priority.
In the university setting, especially in programs such as design and architecture, fostering creativity goes far beyond encouraging spontaneous inspiration. Creativity must be approached through experimentation accompanied by critical thinking. This involves awakening active curiosity, a desire to explore, test, and build, but always with a clear purpose: generating new, useful, and relevant solutions to the challenges of the present, says Paúl Carrión, a professor at the Faculty of Design, Architecture, and Art at the University of Azuay.
Education, in this context, plays a fundamental role; it is important that educational processes always keep the creative spark alive. Education cannot be limited to transmitting knowledge; it must generate experiences that allow us to think differently, question the established order, and discover new ways of seeing the world.
Carrión mentions that one of the most powerful ways to foster a culture of innovation, both at the university and in society at large, is to overcome the fear of making mistakes. Mistakes are often the starting point for the most original solutions. However, we live in a culture that rewards obedience and repetition, where "safety" is often valued more than innovation. Therefore, it is key to transform this logic and begin to reward curiosity, initiative, and the ability to think beyond limits.
However, young people face significant challenges on their creative journey. One of them is the constant pressure to innovate, to "create something never seen before." Added to this is the fear of making mistakes and an ingrained need for immediacy: achieving quick results, without the time required by a genuinely creative process. But innovation doesn't come from rushing. Creating meaningful work requires patience, trial and error, reflection, and, often, starting over, says Carrión.
In this sense, creativity is not a skill exclusive to artists, designers, or communicators; it's a universal capacity that should be exercised by all professionals, regardless of their field. All disciplines face problems that require solutions, and this is precisely where creativity becomes an essential tool.
Innovation isn't simply about having a "good idea"; it's about finding different, more sustainable, more efficient, and more humane ways to address challenges. It's a constant practice, not a single moment of inspiration, says Carrión.
On this day, it's important to remember that creativity doesn't belong only to a certain group. It's present and necessary in all professions. Every decision, every project, and every problem is an opportunity to exercise it. Practicing it daily is what will allow us to build a more ingenious, humane future, one that's adapted to contemporary challenges.
