First, I want to define for you what Imagination is for me: a gap! It’s the gap between what exists and what doesn’t exist.
Imagination helped get people to the moon, it helped create movable type, it filled the gap between promise and product, between ah ha and cha-ching. It’s still around, that imagination thing, it’s just a touch harder to find.
Culprit: Lego
Sure, there are other thieves out there – but this is the big one. Remember when Lego was just multi-coloured, multi-shaped bricks. There was the occasional motor, roof, door or wheels, but for the most part bricks. Lots of bricks. Blue, red, yellow, fours, sixes, flat ones that always hurt to pry apart with your fingernails. And those bricks could be whatever you wanted them to be – they were the gap between an idea and finished. Spaceships, cars, offices, etc. – it didn’t matter what we made. We made it first in our heads.
Today you can still get a tub of Lego – but when you can barely find the link, it means very few ‘kids’ are getting just the bricks. They are instead getting Harry Potter, Star Wars, Disney’s Cars – and many other branded versions of Lego. Even the non-branded packages are specific build projects. For instance this product has very unique parts – allowing you to configure the pictured items. And, that’s what most kids seem to want, a step-by-step guide to being creative. Or, maybe it’s the parents. Now, let’s be clear, I’m not saying all kids are like this, although it seems that we want ready made creative.
Now, full disclosure – Lego has now an Architecture series. And I would love to have most of the buildings, most notably the Robie House by (perhaps the great architect in history) Frank Lloyd Wright. But, as much as I would love to have that Lego version of a classic – I’d almost rather build it from existing bricks.
I think as long as we are short cutting the creative process by offering pre-packaged solutions we are stunting the growth of imagination in kids, and thus future adults.
What’s your take on imagination and youth?
Scott McMann – bald guy pontificating 