Cages and Keys

Here’s a sketchnote I made for our son as part of our attempt to explain the value of a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset. I first read about this concept in the hugely influential book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck. This short excerpt from the book explains it well:

“People with a fixed mindset believe that fundamental abilities like creativity, intelligence, or coordination are predetermined and unchangeable. A fixed mindset leads people to defend their status quo, avoid feedback, and fear mistakes. People with a fixed mindset believe that talent alone is the key to success.

Those with a growth mindset, on the other hand, believe that fundamental abilities like creativity, intelligence or coordination can be developed and improved throughout life. Whatever their talent level, they believe that effort, perseverance, and practice are the keys to excellence. Because of their dedication to improvement, they are not afraid of feedback or of making mistakes. People with a growth mindset are more resilient and more committed to lifelong learning.”

Another way to express this idea is via the analogy of cages and keys which is perfect for a visually minded 12 year old. But perhaps you can see how these “keys” can be extremely helpful in creative photography where we can often be our own worst  critic.