A creative pathway for the future

Things are more interconnected than we perhaps realise. 

Like the networks of roots in a native bush, or the woven threads of the harakeke, so much of how we live, thrive and survive emerges through connections. It is in making links between familiar and unfamiliar things that we invent and build and create. 

While much of modern society seems to exist in silos and attempts to package things into structured individual servings, the true nature of how we live is the opposite of that. It is in our ability to work across barriers that we have the resilience to grow and adapt. We need to have strong foundations connected to the world around us, and also to keep reaching outward to make those new connections that help to nourish us and assist in our education and understanding. 

Our education system has largely been structured in silos. Learning areas are streamlined and delivery of learning is removed from how we experience the world. Yes, it is vital to have some foundational ideas and knowledge, but it is then in understanding how those elements can connect, and how we can build and shape pathways that may not previously exist to build a new future. 

This is the current state for most students. In an AI-evolving world, the pathways for learning and employment, and future sustainability will exist in a paradigm where many of the current ideas of career will not exist. It can no longer be about learning facts and holding ideas in fixed silos, but about embracing an uncertain future through understanding the powerful tool that is creativity. 

This requires us to think more broadly about creativity and how artistic activities become a vital part of embedding this understanding in a way that can be applied in different contexts. It is not enough to treat creativity as a single component. It is often talked about in vague terms or is connected to general thought processes rather than seeing it as a broad transferable skillset that requires training and practice to effectively and sustainably access and activate. 

Susan Riley from the Institute of Arts Integration and STEAM, has recently released a book called Creativity’s Edge: Unleashing Humanity’s Greatest Advantage in the Age of AI (Bloomsbury Academic, February 2026), which utilises a framework for understanding this, which she calls the “Four Branches of Creativity”.

The branches are:

• Creative Skills: These are the technical skills that are a core part of arts education – brushwork, notation, dance steps, image composition, craft. 
• Creative Thinking: This is the ability to approach a problem in a novel way, make unexpected connections and employ mental agility. 
• Creative Expression: This is connected to how we represent our unique perspective on the world, our experiences, emotions and ideas primarily through our creative practice. 
• Creative Application: This is where things converge. The application of these branches into novel solutions. The move from imagination into reality. 

It is through the way these branches work together that we truly see the impact of this work. These components work together and can be applied in a range of different contexts. Through developing all of these things, we support learners to build skills to help them to navigate uncertainty. To draw from known skillsets and experiences and employ them in novel settings and applications. This will be vital for the future. 

As we think about the future we want for our children and their children, it is becoming more and more important that there are solid and sustainable pathways for creative education in the lives of all people. It should exist in formal education as well as in community education and activity. 

It is more than a nice opportunity for self expression. It is an act of learning as well as a positive contribution to mental health. It is building a clearer sense of self and an ability to navigate in different environments.

And it has a direct connection to brain development. Engagement with arts activity strengthens the building of neural pathways. Building creative habits as a component of daily life strengthens our ability and capacity for creative thinking that is transferable across every domain.

It is vital that we have stronger pathways for creative education in local communities. It supports better mental health, positive learner outcomes, and encourages establishing habits that support lifelong learning and positive brain health.

As researchers with the Global Brain Health Institute share:

“the more years of practice, the younger the brain. Even short-term learning made a difference”.

If you are an educator and unsure where to start, we have practical resources you can utilise. All you need to do is click on the link below and download the resources.

Find Creative Education Resources Here

Written by: Dr. Jeremy Mayall, Creative Waikato CEO