Creativity from adversity

There is nothing like a threat to life to spark and accelerate the creative process. There is a need to think differently to solve problems and find alternative solutions.

It is well known that in the face of war eg world war 2, the inventions and technological advances developed at an accelerated rate. Rocket technology shot up with the race to create missiles such as the V2, designed to cause devastation at long distance targets. It was essential to become to win the battle of communications technology in order to get the upper hand in the war itself. The race to develop the atomic bomb and the technologies surrounding that, in the end, led to winning in the end (if one can call the destruction of so many, a win).

One might consider that all of this was to have a negative affect on humanity but the the creativity, inventions and new ways of thinking that came out of these developments led to so many advances later on, that might never have happened or not least happened at a much slower rate.

From the communications realm came Computing developments, software techniques, radio and wireless techniques that later led to the components of the smart phone, the internet, signal transmission etc enabling the social media explosion that there is now. The V2 and other missile technologies led to the acceleration of the space programme and the ability for humans to explore more than just this world. The atomic bomb programme led to advancements towards nuclear energy production, allowing us power resources that would our last the current reliance on fossil fuels.

On a personal level, the COVID pandemic has allowed me to meet people from all over the world using Zoom and other video conferencing platforms. In education (one of my professions) it has pushed us into enhancing the technological capabilities and ways of working remotely that we otherwise may not have explored. In my artistic world, I have been given the time, time to explore different ways of creating and collaborating. We have been forced into creativity through adversity.