Abstract art is beautiful. Even though it does not have any form, we all appreciate it because it effectively reflects fluidity in one’s thought.
Every piece of abstract art is the result of an innovative thought. When an artist sits with paint brushes and bottles of paints with an awareness that he is free – free to use any quantity, try any colour and paint whatever he desires – his mind starts constructing; and he becomes a risk taker. The absence of impediments makes the artist’s thoughts more flexible and he/she does not shy away from exploring different hues, shapes or ideas. Using paints liberally on a blank canvas helps in easy and smooth flow of thoughts.
Making an attempt to fill a blank piece of paper with colours is a struggle for many. However, regularly engaging one-self with abstract art makes one imaginative and creative.
Similarly, mathematics is an art that needs to be approached creatively. There are no fixed set of rules in mathematics with no one way to look at things. There can be various pedagogies to reach to solutions and all methods should be considered. If we always cling on to one way, our minds will become lazy and struggle to think innovatively.
When we lay emphasis on “concept building”, we help in “forming” the mind, and when mathematics is approached traditionally in the form of formula learning with set rules, we “fill” our mind. In this technology driven era we need minds that have abilities to respond to uncertainties with creative thinking. Mathematics is a wonderful tool which helps us to build our thoughts and makes us ingenious enough to work around laid information.
The image below gives you a glance of creativity. The regular way of arranging 4 tiles in a line or in the form of a square has been ditched and instead arranged differently. There can be few more ways and we urge you to try it out.