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An analysis of “The Element”

Copyright © 2020 Teddy Ndhlovu


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Disclaimer
The publisher and the author make no guarantees concerning the level of
success you may experience by following the advice and strategies contained
in this book, and you accept the risk that results will differ for each
individual.

Introduction

The notion of the mind being the most powerful creator of one’s own life

and destiny has always fascinated me. Creativity allows for an improvement

in the status quo. One could say it shows people that they could live a

better life through the improvement of some sorts. A renowned thinker in

the “development of human potential”, Robinson spoke about the need to

reinvent education to better develop the diverse talents, aptitudes, and

passions of individuals all over the world I had come across with Ken

Robinson’s speech on TED Talks for TED Conference in 2010. Every word,

every sentence that he said has penetrated to my heart and soon enough I

realized this was one of the most accomplished teachers when it came to
the mind, its creative prowess, and for one to find his or her purpose in life.

All doubts, questions, and uncertainties about ones true “Element”, are

likely to be reconciled by Ken Robinson through his book. And I know, this

book is going to change many lives forever. It sure did mine.

Without a shadow of a doubt, after reading this book, it helped me reassure

myself about what my true calling is. It did not fail to inspire me in the

pursuit of my dream of becoming a professional teacher. This book is filled

with inspiring stories about how people found their element and how they

fought to further explore their element. The book should be read not only

with an open mind but also with an open heart. One must not be sceptical

and limit one's thinking by thinking, "Is not that what the book says?" Or

"I've heard these stories a dozen times; what's up? By browsing through

each page, discover each chapter, you will find yourself reconciling your

inner doubts and your acceptance of who you are. Or, at the very least, open

to the possibility of re-exploring who you are as a person. You must be

patient reading this book before internalization and self-actualization

appear.

The author defines "The Element" as the thing you are both passionate

about doing and good at doing. He offers some basic ideas on ways to find

the element for yourself, drawing on examples as illustrations. On the


whole, I preferred Marcus Buckingham's "The One Thing You Need to Know."

Thus, finding your element allows you to tap on that proverbial “sweet

spot” in everything that you do. Doing so empowers you to maximize

the vast powers of imagination, intelligence, feeling, intuition, spirituality,

physical and sensory awareness inherent in each one of us. According to

Robinson, the presence of such a wide diversity of intelligence and talents

in every one of us makes a uniform approach in teaching, nurturing and

managing people untenable.

The author defines "The Element" as what you both are passionate about

and good at. It offers basic ideas on how to find the element for yourself, by

stating examples such as illustrations. In general, It is very similar to "The

One Thing You Need to Know" by Marcus Buckingham. By finding your item,

you can use this proverbial "sweet spot" in everything you do. This allows

you to maximize the impressive imagination, intelligence, feeling, intuition,

spirituality, physical and sensory awareness inherent in each of us.

According to Mr Robinson, the presence of such a variety of intelligence and

talents in each of us allows for a uniform approach to teaching, training and

managing unsustainable people

An idea from the book resonated with me. Talking about standards for

education, Robinson proposes an analogy with the standards for

restaurants. Fast food restaurants apply very strict standards that apply to

the letter. The results are predictable but do not lead to excellence. The
other option is the Michelin Guide, which defines standards more broadly

and leaves it to every restaurant to interpret them. They are evaluated by

experts based on Michelin criteria. In the field of education, programs such

as No Child Left Behind are subject to a fast-food standard, but the author

states that a Michelin approach would be more useful.

In many ways, this can be thought of as a self-help book, a book that helps

the reader find and discover his passions. Ken Robinson, however, touches

readers with a good level of psychological and pedagogical research, as well

as some fantastic philosophies, making this book seem more rooted in the

truth than some typical self-help plums. The book also contains great case

studies of people who have found "The Element", both celebrities and non-

celebrities, and how their journey has been. These case studies give

concrete application to the practice of the principles of which Robinson

speaks.

To help readers to find the call for their lives, he does not ask: "How

creative are you?" but rather, "how are you creative?" This question is one of

my favourite parts of the book. It invites the reader to search and to turn

inward to determine the type of activities, passions, activities they are

actually in contact with and encourages the pursuit of these activities inside

or outside a quarry. He says very well that we are all talented and creative in

our way. I have already heard a speech from Steve Jobs, in which he said

that the only way to do a good job is to keep your job. This is favourable for

the message of the item.


Critique of the book

The most important point of the book is that each of us has a talent to

"discover". When we discover our passion, our happiness and our success

will be ours. His second point is that the formal school system prevents

people from finding their passion. Schools attract children with their

creativity and natural talents.

At its first point, there is no discussion about developing talent through

practice and hard work. The focus is almost exclusively on research. "She

just had to be who she was" is a phrase from the book and a theme that is

repeated everywhere. As a diligent reader of personal development, I must

say that there was nothing new or unique that I did not read in another

book. I thought this book was about strengthening the beliefs I had

assimilated in the past without adding anything else.

On his second point, about how schools crush creativity, he is more

convincing. He discusses problems in school curricula. He speaks of too

narrow degrees of intelligence. It presents a whole series of examples of

people who have taught teachers (or "the system") that they would be

nothing - people like Paul McCartney or Gillian Lynne, the producer of

musicals. Lynne became almost medicable for ADHD until a wise specialist

Lynne saw her feet move to music; she was a dancer. Robinson does not
offer specific practical requirements for changing school to accept someone

like Lynne instead of avoiding it, except that art programs should get more

money and priority than they do. are now doing.

A big aspect of the book was the many examples of the practice that are

relatable and inspiring. From the lives of esteemed people such as Matt

Groening (creator of Simpson), Paul McCartney, Richard Branson, Ewa

Laurance and others, have revealed their journey towards self-realization. In

many of these cases, you do not need to be a doctor, lawyer or banker.

Robinson also cited brilliant academics. An example was a world of

mathematics, Terence Tao. Without the external pressure of the social

demands placed on him, he has managed to find his place in life.

It is usually an excellent book by a great author. However, if you have heard

Ken Robinson speak several times, nothing new can be expected before

reading it.

Direct Quotes that stood out for me.

Ask a class of first graders which of them thinks they’re creative and they’ll

all put their hands up. Ask a group of college seniors this same question and

most of them won’t. I believe passionately that we are all born with

tremendous natural capacities, and that we lose touch with many of them as

we spend more time in the world. Ironically, one of the main reasons this

happens is education.
This quote resonated with me tremendously because it shows that although

education has benefitted a lot of people, it has worsened the life of many

through its lack of appreciation for some creative endeavours. More needs

to be done to schooling to ensure it takes into account the needs of every

student.

Another thing I do when I speak to groups is to ask people to rate their

intelligence on a 1-to-10 scale, with 10 being the top. Typically, one or two

people will rate themselves a 10. When these people raise their hands, I

suggest that they go home; they have more important things to do than listen

to me. Beyond this, I’ll get a sprinkling of 9s and a heavier concentration of

8s. Invariably, though, the bulk of any audience puts itself at 7 or 6. The

responses decline from there, though I admit I never actually complete the

survey. I stop at 2, preferring to save anyone who would claim an intelligence

level of 1 the embarrassment of acknowledging it in public. Why do I always

get the bell-shaped curve? I believe it is because we’ve come to take for

granted certain ideas about intelligence.

How are you intelligent? Knowing that intelligence is diverse, dynamic, and

distinctive allows you to address that question in new ways.

I think it is because most people believe that intelligence and creativity are

entirely different things—that we can be very intelligent and not very

creative or very creative and not very intelligent.


Creativity is very much like literacy. We take it for granted that nearly

everybody can learn to read and write. If a person can’t read or write, you

don’t assume that this person is incapable of it, just that he or she hasn’t

learned how to do it. The same is true of creativity.

So my initial definition of imagination is “the power to bring to mind things

that are not present to our senses.”

My definition of creativity is “the process of having original ideas that have

value.”

You can think of creativity as applied imagination.

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter

their lives by altering their attitude of mind. . . . If you change your mind,

you can change your life.”

But good and bad things happen to all of us. It’s not what happens to us that

makes the difference in our lives. What makes the difference is our attitude

toward what happens.

Earlier, I argued that we don’t see the world directly. We perceive it through

frameworks of ideas and beliefs, which act as filters on what we see and how

we see it. Some of these ideas enter our consciousness so deeply that we’re

not even aware of them. They strike us as simple common sense. They often

show up, though, in the metaphors and images we use to think about

ourselves and the world around us.


Educational System

The most powerful method of improving education is to invest in the

improvement of teaching and the status of great teachers. There isn’t a great

school anywhere that doesn’t have great teachers working in it. But there

and plenty of poor schools with shelves of curriculum standards and reams of

standardized tests.

The most thought-provoking notion that I found in this book was the

criticism of the current education system in terms of nurturing creativity

within the students. This idea is not entirely new to me. Robert Kiyosaki, in

his best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, went at great length in explaining

how the current school system negatively affected the resourcefulness and

money making the ability of its students. Whilst Robert focused on money,

Ken focuses on creativity. The constant is an educational system whose

positive value is not at the point of being debatable. Both authors give

direct examples of rich and successful people who made a name for

themselves despite “failing” in school.

The truth is that everyone has great capacities but not everyone develops

them. One of the problems is that too often our educational systems don’t

enable students to develop their natural creative powers. Instead, they

promote uniformity and standardization. The result is that we’re draining

people of their creative possibilities and, as this study reveals, producing a


workforce that’s conditioned to prioritize conformity over creativity

The book focuses on finding and solving problems in finding talent and

ambitions, and on how we can inspire today's youth. Robinson says about

the school: "We must first eliminate the existing hierarchy of subjects. The

increase of some disciplines to others only reinforces the outdated

assumptions of industrialism and goes against the principle of diversity.

Too many students go through education and see their natural talents

marginalized or ignored The arts, sciences, humanities, physical education,

languages and mathematics have equal and central contributions to the

education of students.

Robinson says our education system works against most people who find

their element and who is passionate and compelling in their calls for

education reform. This is the heart of the book, with the examples and

anecdotes that serve as proof of the failure of the current system. It also

explores the place of creativity and the arts in an educational hierarchy

that, in general, places science at the forefront and art as the second

poorest. Even in the arts, he argues that there are still hierarchies. This

integrated educational structure weakens the ability of many of us to use

our formal education as a means of exploration, where we can try a lot and

eventually discover our true "element". Robinson is particularly critical of

standardized tests - a unique model for most Western societies that

pretends to be a case in which every human being is unique. This book fits

perfectly with Malcolm Gladwell's latest opus, "Outliers" (2008), in which


Gladwell similarly argues that success is mainly due to happiness,

circumstances and openness to new ideas.

Creativity

Reid and Petocz (2004) state that creativity is experienced in different ways

in different disciplines: in education, it is called 'innovation'; in business

"entrepreneurship"; in mathematics, it is sometimes equated with solving

problems and music, performance or composition. A creative product in

different areas is measured based on the standards of that field, its own

rules, approaches and conceptions of creativity (Reid and Petocz, 2004). The

World Conference on Higher Education has expressed creativity as 'an

innovative pedagogical approach' in Article 9 of its declaration on missions

and functions in higher education (Reid & Petocz, 2004). Brott (2016)

mentions that the need for creativity is biological, physical and

psychological, an essential part of human nature and necessary for human

reproduction, growth and cultural efforts. Liao et al (2014) mentioned that

many traits were related to creativity, such as divergent thinking,

introversion, self-esteem, tolerance of ambiguity, risk appetite, behavioural

flexibility, the capacity of the tendency to neurosis and psychosis.

For years, it has been assumed that creativity and intelligence are closely

linked. The impact of highly creative individuals, such as Edison, Churchill

and Einstein, who at one time experienced difficulties at school, led to a


closer examination of the issue in the 1960s. Silvia (2015) conducted one of

the most widely disseminated studies. They have shown that creativity and

intelligence are largely independent characteristics. On the other hand,

Gomez (2007) found, a few years later, that creativity and intelligence were

so strongly correlated that they were almost indistinguishable. Since the

late 1960s, these conflicting studies and others have made the question of

creativity and intelligence a controversial issue. Perhaps the most prevalent

view today is that additional intelligence, in addition to a minimum level of

intelligence required to master a particular field, does not guarantee a

corresponding increase in creativity.

The idea that the most intelligent individual is necessarily the most creative

person is false. According to Reeves & Clark, all available creativity tests

suggest that there is simply a link between intelligence and creativity. They

do not suggest that one cause or necessarily contributes to the other. Most

IQ tests measure convergent thinking almost exclusively. Essentially, such

tests require the student to apply what he has learned to new problems or

ignore some rules of previously developed examples. Usually, there is only

one correct answer, and accuracy is determined by logic, rules or laws.

However, even the best-known creativity tests are somewhat invalid because

of the subjective nature of the elements they measure and the lack of a

predetermined correct answer (Gomez, 2007). An idea is creative when it

brings a new insight into a given situation. The creative process includes

the ability to change the approach to a problem, to produce relevant and


unusual ideas beyond the immediate situation and to redefine the problem

or certain aspects of it (De Bono, 2015). All individuals are creative at

certain levels, although some are much more creative than others. Although

a small part of this difference may be the result of inheritance, this largely

results in individuals' inability to express their creative potential. Many of

the essential features of creativity are discouraged in conventional

classrooms.

Like Erica McWilliam’s “The Creative Workforce” (2008) Robinson’s book

positions creativity as a key literacy for the knowledge era and argues for an

urgent change to education practices rather than more of the same

education and training practices that are failing many students (and

educators):

Some of the most brilliant, creative people I know did not do well at

school. Many of them didn’t discover what they could do—and who they

were—until they’d left school and recovered from their education (p. 9).

With much flair and panache, Robinson cited how many top achievers in

diverse fields like acting, singing, dancing, visual art, directing and writing

were poor students. Many of them only shone when they escaped from the

stiflingly rigid constraints of the education system, traditional vocations, or

their own family’s homes. Robinson tackles this issue by focussing on what

he calls “the element” that “a place where the things you love to do and the
things that you are good at come together” (p. 8 ) and describes how people,

himself included, have discovered their ‘element’.

Importance of finding one’s “Element”

In advocating this book, Ken Robinson asks, "Why is it important to find

your element? The most important reasons are personal. Finding your

element is essential to understanding who you are and what you can do and

live with they are often buried under your surface and you have to make an

effort to find them. The third thing is economical. While the author

suggests, "There are economic reasons for finding your element. . . Knowing

what your element is, you will have a better sense of direction than just

dancing from one job to another. Whatever your age, this is the best way to

find a job that pleases you. . . If you know what your element is, you are

more likely to find ways to live.

This book combines well-researched tales and examples, derived from the

personal experience of the author and by those he has encountered along

his way, teaching lessons, essential to the process of getting the element

and your questions to explore for yourself. Starting from his work on

creativity, innovation and potential, the author suggests techniques such as

mind design, meditation, vision boards, and so on. Recognizing the

serendipitous nature of life, he notes: "Many people began their lives by


moving the streets just to move in a different direction later. He advises:

"You can not plan all your life journey and you do not need to do it, but you

have to plan for the next steps." The diversity of the author's stories

highlights his message of individual uniqueness.

Key Lessons from the book

 Do not write others off

The author emphasizes the shortcomings of the judgment of the success

simply of the current educational system. There are many other ways to

succeed and people should use their natural talents and tendencies. There

are many different databases of information to understand. As such, placing

people in boxes at any age is not beneficial.

 Creativity is the instigator of talent

Creativity is the vector of imagination. Creativity involves doing things that

exploit the different talents at your disposal. He also discusses the need to

open the mind beyond logic, linearity and analysis. Creativity uses both our

brain and our body while penetrating deep into our intuitive and

unconscious minds and feelings

 We should seek to be “in the Zone”


Creative practitioners in all fields - medicine, music, math, art or sports -

can easily resonate with the feeling of being in the zone. Defined by the

well-known psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as "flow", it is the state of

euphoric absorption and intense concentration where one is so focused and

absorbed by the task that the rest of the world disappears. When this

happens, delay time.

 Be unafraid of swimming against the tide

Along the way, you may experience personal, social and cultural barriers to

achieving your true potential. When this happens, you may have to take the

drastic step of “swimming against the tide” or uproot yourself to find a

different place to operate from.

 Nothing to do with luck

Luck has nothing to do with it. Rather, our attitudes, beliefs, and

perseverance help us to shape our respective destinies while making the

best out of seemingly adverse situations.

 Seek mentors and coaches

Having good mentors and coaches in your journey is an important

ingredient in finding your element. They can be for short, medium or long

periods, or even span decades.

 You can find your element at an old age


It is never too late to start, subject to your physical and mental limitations

of course.

Benjamin Franklin invented the bifocal lens at 78, Agatha Christie wrote The

Mousetrap at 62, while Jessica Tandy won the Oscar for Best Actress at age

80.

 Don’t belittle the importance of recreation

You can either be a professional or an amateur indulging in your passion

while holding down a full-time job. This is the idea behind recreation – an

active and engaged process which uses one’s energies and engages one fully

while recharging his or her being.

 The value of experiential learning

Education - not in a traditional form - is a key element. I liked the example

cited by Robinson of the town of Grangeton. This is not technically a "city"

per se, but an environment run by students from Grange Primary Primary

School in England. As a typical city, Mayor of Grangeton, City Council,

Newspaper, TV Studio, Food Market and Museum. What was amazing was

that the entire city was run by children under the guidance of their

teachers. Such approaches in relevant experiences and learning can lead to

better social and academic outcomes.


Summary

Mr Ken Robinson in The Element shares one of the most important ideas of

our time that can transform our thinking, the future of education and what

we pursue in professional life. Robinson makes a passionate plea to

discover, pursue and honour the talents we manage. He further says: "The

activities we love fill us with energy even when we are physically exhausted.

Activities that we do not like can drain us in minutes, even when we

approach our physical climax." What do we like to continue and develop our

innate abilities? Robinson emphasizes several challenges including

 Disinterest from within

 Lack of self-assurance

 Fear of failure

 The people closest to you

 Others’ image and expectations

 The general culture

 “Self-sustaining web of social roles and expectations that forms a tacit

boundary”

How do you overcome these challenges?

 Find a mentor

 Attitude
 Maximize opportunities

 Create opportunities

 Believe in a positive outcome

 Engage in the domains that interest you

 Connect with the people (the field) that are passionate in your domain

 Push through fear

 Keep mind and body healthy

Read this book if you want to be inspired, are looking for filling a creative

void in life or you want to give those around you (such as your children) the

chance to reach their potential through maximizing innate talent.

References

Brott, T.M., 2016. A Model for Stabilized Creative Education: Using Creativity

in the Arts to Promote Student Success.

Csikszentmihalyi, M., 1993. The evolving self: A psychology for the third

millennium (Vol. 5). New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

De Bono, E., 2015. Serious Creativity: How to be creative under pressure and

turn ideas into action. Random House.


Gomez, J.G., 2007. What Do We Know about Creativity?. Journal of Effective

Teaching, 7(1), pp.31-43.

Liao, K.H., Chang, C.C., Lin, J.S. and Liang, C., 2014. Thinking Skills and

Creativity.

Reid, A. and Petocz, P., 2004. Learning domains and the process of

creativity. The Australian Educational Researcher, 31(2), pp.45-62.

Silvia, P.J., 2015. Intelligence and creativity are pretty similar after

all. Educational Psychology Review, 27(4), pp.599-606.

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