Educators at Arts Academy in the Woods in Fraser are frequently asked about what side of the brain is creative. This is because there’s a long-held belief that the right brain dictates creativity while the left brain is in charge of logic.
But just because a notion or belief is long-held, it doesn’t necessarily make it true. Yes, the right and left hemispheres do have certain strengths, but it’s not as clear-cut as simply creativity vs. logic.
Still, humans love to categorize and put themselves in boxes. And there has always been something so seductively simple about the whole creative right brain, logical left brain myth. Even as science has shed new light on the more complicated truth, people still resist letting go of the myth.
How This Myth Was Established
There’s a bundle of fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain. It’s called the corpus callosum and it’s a circuit of communication for the two.
In the 1960s, neurosurgeons posited that cutting the corpus callosum in patients with severe epilepsy could ease their seizures. They were correct. Meanwhile, researchers and psychologists took advantage of this radical treatment as a means for understanding what each half of the brain did.
The patients in the study were presented stimuli to each hemisphere and the researchers noticed that the right and left halves acted like
completely independent entities. Especially in the way they processed information. The right side appeared to be more abstract and emotional while the left brain was indicated in actions that required more logic.
As such, they determined that the right brain was the creative brain. End of story. What they didn’t take into account, however, is that most of us are walking around with our right and left hemispheres still connected by the corpus callosum. And it turns out, this connectivity has allowed the hemispheres to evolve to operate together and share information.
Arts Integration Education Was Born of This Understanding
It’s a romantic idea to think that creativity bursts forth from pure spontaneity and shimmering brilliance. Most of the time, it doesnt. There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes work that has to be addressed.
Among other things, creativity requires imagination, as well as the ability to make contributions, reconfigure existing ideas, or/and solve problems in a new but useful way. And these require study and discipline.
At Arts Academy in the Woods, we help students learn topics like math or science through art. This model of education strives to make learning a whole-brained experience while appealing to students who are just more naturally inclined toward expressing themselves creatively.
Conversely, arts-integrated educators aim to help students understand
what it takes to thrive creatively in their artistic field(s) by teaching them to strike the perfect balance between skill and spontaneity.
By learning these habits that allow their brains’ two hemispheres to freely communicate, students are more likely to thrive as creative problem-solvers when they enter the world at large.
As to What Side of the Brain is Creative, There’s No Simple Answer
It seems that creativity is both right brain and left brain. And so too is logical thinking.
Still, there is evidence from those early studies that there IS a difference between the hemispheres. Even when they’re connected. In general, activities that require spatial reasoning and appreciation of beauty stimulate the right hemisphere. Meanwhile, activities that require more analytical thinking light up the left side.
But there is frequent crossover. For example, while the left hemisphere dictates language, it’s the right hemisphere that has a hand in the intonation and emphasis of HOW language is expressed.
Another for instance might be in the action of buying a house. Such an activity relies on doing cost analyses and making logical decisions rooted in reason. But reason relies on emotion. The house you choose will be just as based on your emotional responses. Once again, we’re crossing back and forth over that delightful corpus callosum bridge.
So it’s just not that clear-cut.
Let Your Child Reach Their Full Potential
In determining what side of the brain is creative, scientists now understand that creativity and logical thinking – as well as just about every other activity we partake in – are whole-brained ventures.
This is the beauty of art-integrated education. It’s the whole package. And it has given students who are more creatively inclined an opportunity to excel.
So if you’re ready to see how an arts-integrated middle/high school can help your child expand and grow, contact us. We want to see your child reach their full potential.