Gousul Alam Shaon discusses ways to unlock creativity

The ongoing pandemic has affected our lives in innumerable ways, isolating us from various social practices. For the past eight months, most of us have spent our days rediscovering our creativity, be it through painting, reading or any other activities. In the pre-pandemic time, various institutional clubs played a major role in building creative individuals. During the keynote session of Midas Financing Limited Presents Campus Club Summit 2020, Gousul Alam Shaon, Managing Partner and Country Head, Grey Group Bangladesh, talked about the importance of creative practices. The two-day event is a joint initiative of Midas Financing Limited, The Daily Star and Excellence Bangladesh with Star Youth, The Daily Star, as the youth engagement partner.

While looking back at his childhood, Shaon shared that his maternal family has always been a constant source of inspiration for him. "In addition, my father's library introduced me to reading and was very influential for me," he recalled. With age, our inner creativity is depleted and this must be restored. "We grow up with various dreams and talents and unfortunately these are not recognised by our education system. We always tend to prioritise academics over anything else but the inner creativity is crucial for our well-being," he said. Over time, this creativity and dream is lost under the pressure of the society. Since the education system does not provide much space for creative interests, this where the clubs step in with a plethora of co-curricular activities.

Creativity also helps individuals flourish professionally, Shaon noted. He highlighted  the role of creativity in helping him build a career in branding and advertisement. "How you present your ideas, solve your problems and interact with people depends on your inner creativity. These skills make you stand out from the rest," he added. While talking about ways to balance creativity with professional life, he emphasised on the importance of self-discipline. "Furthermore, you need to perceive the surroundings through a different perspective. This shall also foster curiosity, observational skills and inquisitiveness," he said. If one has more than one field of interest, their ideas must not be limited into a single channel. "Being multipotential is absolutely fine and you must not restrict your dreams into one ambition. But, you need to prioritise and manage your time effectively," he shared.

He also urged clubs and youth organisations to cultivate a sense of nationalism among the members. He regards the nationalism spirit as the sole force, which led Bangladesh's fight for independence. "During one of my projects with Grameenphone, I talked to various freedom fighters. One of them said that we have found a country but have not yet discovered a nation," he added.

Despite living in the same country, people have conflicting ideologies that differentiate us as a nation. We need to nurture nationalists from early on, he further noted. "We do not need to have serious discussions on this. Even the fact that we make paper boats during monsoon is also nationalistic," he asserted.

The session ended with Shaon answering a few questions asked by the audience. The two-day event will be exploring various student club-related experiences through different online discussions.

Maisha Islam Monamee likes to read her way through life, and you can always find her scribbling and planning. To send recommendations and help, reach out to her at [email protected].