The Significance of an Opposable Thumb.

The current nature of the world is the belief that extreme change must be absolute to save the planet. Whether it’s going vegan, use of sustainable products, or practice of political correctness, the world demands change overnight. Certain changes within the community are necessary, and whether it’s overthrowing a system or it needs gradual change needs to be determined depending on the peculiarity of the problem. Humans have the ability, not only to make it a suitable place for people to live in, but to create an ecosystem where wildlife and nature are considered even in the smallest scale to make sure that the interests of all three areas align in the best interest.

People have difficulty comprehending how to coexist because that is not embedded in our way of thinking. Different cultures, religions, and upbringings clash with the lack of understanding and acceptance, and the lines are blurred between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. To change generations old behaviour conditioning, there needs to be a subtle change embedded into the essence of what it means to live on this planet.

This is where the creative community takes precedent as creatives are trained to solve problems specific to user experience, and are advocates of the most effective method of comprehension: visual creativity. The creative community, focused on asking the right questions, finding the right insights, and solving the right problems can affect change in human behaviour in a multi-disciplinary scope. This could lead to changes not only within the design spectrum, but in other industries where intellectual visual communication can add to making the right changes to create a more sustainable world.

Applied Imagination in the Creative Industry will offer me the opportunity to learn more on how to ask the right questions when conducting research, and to come up with better insights about the problems not only within the Sri Lankan community, but on a more global scale as well. More importantly, it will allow me to ‘test out’ solutions within the classroom utilising the multicultural student base. The opportunities and the platforms gained in this MA can create negotiators between the creative community and the community we live in.

In a world where different industries try to tackle large scale problems to offer long-term solutions, this degree platform will allow me to look at a multitude of problems, and pinpoint the origin of the solution where a butterfly effect can take place, and where I can use it to elevate Sri Lankan creativity. From the beginning of the course and in the name itself, the idea of ‘imagination’ is prioritised, and that is what this course offers me; the idea that imagination is no longer unattainable, but with the right guidance and tools, it can be reality.

This course gives me the freedom to let my imagination take me to places that other courses don’t always allow. As creatives, as creators, and as humans, we are given the opportunity to use our one difference from animals and nature; our opposable thumb to create a stream of individuals that can adapt to the changing world and come up with solutions on the spot.