In episode 24 of Lit’EDTech Fiesta, Daastan invites Komal Shamsi to talk about the importance of creative expression as it is very much the need of the hour. Without further ado, let’s hear from Komal Shamsi to find about Creative Mozart.
Meet Komal Shamsi
Komal Shamsi is a business graduate from IOBM. She has also been a part of short courses with Oxford University. Apart from that, she is an aspiring writer and a literary enthusiast. Being a literary enthusiast, Komal is currently running a book club by the name of “Readers Club”. Moreover, she also designs and teaches creative courses to young people.
Defining Creative Expression
Komal’s short courses centre around creative writing. For her, creative writing is a component of the umbrella term creative expression.
“Creative expression is how a person choose to express themselves. It is a combination of perception, observation and imagination. Courage is also a huge part of one’s creative expression. For the society we live in, it suppresses creativity. Thus, it is courageous to express yourself in a society as such.”
Discovering Creative Expression
Each one if us express ourselves in a different manner. For some of us creative expression is through art, music and dance. However, for others it can look like reading and writing.
“Everyone expresses their creativity differently. For instance, some kids are good at pouring their heart outs in the form of a painting rather than words. Whereas for some creativity can look like a sport, a musical activity or a baking routine.”
When it comes discovering one’s creative expression, there is no fixed timeline. Each person discovers their inner artist, writer, poet, dancer, baker, etc at their own pace. For most people, the process of self-discovery comes later in life.
Role of Environment
While speaking of discovering one’s creative expression, environment becomes of great significance. The environment in which a child grows determines one’s creativity, says Komal. She believes constant criticism leads to the death of creativity. When kids do not get enough support from their surroundings, they can easily start to close off emotionally, creatively and academically. Therefore, Komal openly talks about the role of home and school environment in the development of a child’s creativity .
Types of Learners
As a teacher, Komal points out the shortcomings of the education system. In her opinion, the current educational model is restricting creativity in children. She brings the audience’s attention towards the struggles a child has to face. She enlists social rejection, unfair grading system and students paying the price of being different as few of the things that are wrong with our education system.
Komal believes there are different types of learners who require different set of variables to grow academically and emotionally. The solution lies in devising a system that caters to different needs of the students. Once we create a system, that encourages creativity and individuality, students will become more involved in learning.
What is Creative Mozart?
In 2nd semester of university, Komal found herself at crossroads academically. She had to make a choice between Literature and Business. Even though she chose business, she did not let her love for literature go. Soon enough, she thought to put her literary and teaching skills to use. One thing led to another and in 2016 Komal hosted her first creative session with 6 kids. The session later transformed into a short course of creative writing. Fast forward to 2021, Komal now runs Creative Mozart, a platform that teaches young adults to discover and explore their creative expression.
Message to the Audience
In the end, Komal emphasises on the importance of giving undivided attention to students in order to help them learn. Give time and space to every student. Make them feel included.
“There is no such thing as a bad student. If you have not been able to teach a student, maybe you are not the teacher for that kid.”
We hope you are enjoying the Lit’EDTech Fiesta. You can stream the full episode here. For more literary goodness, stay tuned!
