An Introduction to the Correlation Between Anxiety & Creativity
In her book Beyond Anxiety, Sociologist Dr. Martha Beck examines ways creativity can be the antidote to anxiety.
Her premise is that like a switch, when are being creative, we are not being anxious.
Publish for the general public, Dr. Martha Beck makes recommendations for using creative techniques and activities to reduce anxiety.
The book accumulates research to prove that concentrating on visual tasks quietens a racing mind.
In this blog, as language educators for artists, designers and makers, I want to look at the inverse of her premise:
If we are being anxious, we are not being creative.
We’ll look at the implications for language learning for creative careers.
The Correlation between Creativity and Anxiety
An independent analysis of 59 scientific publications confirms the correlation between creativity and anxiety.
“The authors’ meta-analytic investigation of 59 independent samples finds that anxiety is significantly and negatively related to creative performance. In addition, the findings provide insights into factors such as task complexity, type of task (i.e., figural or verbal), and type of anxiety (i.e., state or trait) that moderate the relationship between anxiety and creativity-all of which are consistent with the idea that anxiety and creativity present competing cognitive demands”.
Abstract, 2011, Kris Byron
Georgia State university
Confirming that the more anxious you are, the more blocked creativity is.
Anxiety in Language Learning for Creative Careers
Aside from the obvious implications for AD Education in general, what are the implications for second language use in creative careers?
Using English as a second language is common in creative careers – not just for post-production and self-promotion but to actively collaborate – creatively.
Language anxiety is also a well-documented phenomenon.
Lastly, a second study shows that in general, anxiety is more prevalent in creative people (2).
The conclusion must be that language education that fails to tackle language-anxiety is failing their creative career students.
Language Anxiety for Second Language Speakers
Using a second language is for many a huge stress.
Up to 70% of second-language learners experience some level of anxiety when speaking a foreign language. It’s known as Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) or Second Language Anxiety (SLA).
Any ‘solutions’ for language acquisition for creatives must tackle not just currently experienced anxiety, but deeply ingrained resistance to the vulnerability of language learning, that a history of poor classroom-based language education breeds.
For the majority of creatives, pursuing a language education without simultaneously tackling any language anxiety can ultimately be detrimental to your creativity, your English – and ultimately your career.
3 Tips to Fix Language Anxiety
Use Your Hands
In some ways, Dr. Martha Beck conflates executing creative tasks with creativity.
How creative is knitting following a pattern for example? Or drawing following a line?
However, there is plenty of research to show that concentrating on visual tasks does indeed quieten a racing mind.
Even fidget toys will help you listen and learn without importing layers of anxiety in the process.
Mindfulness
Including mindfulness practices in class content creates calming and positive language associations. It could be as simple as noticing the weather, and finding similarities and differences in people’s clothes.
Most good teachers incorporate mindfulness practices into class delivery when they slow the pace of a class down to focus deeply (whether you/they are aware of them as ‘mindfulness’ or not).
Nature
Again, Blue Noun Languae Hub have had great results with this.
If you can’t get outside, bring nature inside: even if it’s just a leaf.
People with language anxiety can try listening to podcasts while walking outside or at least find a learning environment/space that feels open and free.
Language Anxiety in AD Education
Most art school English courses measure and grade language progress only through pass/fail ways such as testing, ultimately furthering a student’s likeliness to link anxiety and the language.
There are other ways to grade English for AD Education
High school style, early-career language pressure has a detrimental effect on sustainable future language acquisition when they should be finding their identity and power as an English language speaker.
Convenient for a university’s grading system but ultimately causes harm.
Ask for a consultation on how we can improve your Art School’s English language tuition.
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