If only Jamie could draw…
Two thoughts on Adolescence
All images are pictures taken of Netflix show “Adolescence”
I just finished watching Adolescence like many other people in the UK. It is the number 1 TV programme in the UK on Netflix which follows the story of a fictional 13 year old boy, Jamie, who murders his schoolmate. What makes this show so potent is that although the characters may be fictional, the storyline shines light on the discourse around knife crime in the UK. This is no new topic, but the way it has been presented is what is gripping families around the UK and elsewhere. This blog post is short. There is so much to unpack from this series, but I have chosen to focus on two. They both start with the need to be creative.
If you haven’t already watched the series, this is your warning that there will be spoilers as you read on.
1) Why creativity must be encouraged
It doesn’t take a therapist to see that Jamie had low self esteem. It can be seen in his countenance to the negative language used to refer to himself such as “ugly”. He didn’t believe he was good at anything and thought that was normal. But he was wrong about both of those things. Whether or not people realise it, everyone has a talent, a skill, a gift - his was drawing. He could draw and he could do it well. However, this was not encouraged, it was overlooked and dismissed.
Am I saying he wouldn't have done what he did if someone appreciated his work, I don’t know. But it has been proven time and time again that sometimes all you need is one person to encourage you in order for you to feel like you are worth something. Even the police officer in the series mentioned that sometimes all you need is that one teacher. His father pushed him towards sports and ignored where Jamie’s real talent was.
How many Picassos have been forced into medicine? How many Da Vinci’s are hiding behind tills? How many people have been told that their creativity is not worth something. What will it take to make people realise that creativity is all around us, made by those who had the courage and support to dare to allow their imagination to come to life. Creativity is not an industry, it can be found in every single career. I truly believe that. The creative mind has no choice but to create, how much greater will it be when it is given an environment to release its full potential.
2) What happens when you get creative
People don’t like to be told what they are doing wrong. So if they won’t hear, you must show them which is exactly what the creators of this show did. When I first saw that this series prompted a discussion about knife crime in Parliament, I was really annoyed to say the least. Shouldn’t they already know about this and do something about it? Did it really take a series to bring to their attention to what is really going on? Yes, yes it did.
As I spoke with my sisters I realised that this is exactly why the world needs creativity. It’s not just a series. It’s a creative form of expression to address this heavy topic that has been heard yet not listened to. The creators saw a need and used their creativity to confront it.
I’m not a film expert, but I did notice multiple artistic techniques that contribute to the overall story. For example, each episode is shot in one take which elongates every scene and really takes you along the whole journey. It’s uncomfortable, tiring and exactly what the audience needs to experience to realise that a crime like this is built up overtime and every single little detail matters. There is no need to add crazy transitions, special effects or dramatic music all the time. This is not just a series, it is a reflection of the life many are living.
We’ve all heard the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child”. Well, what makes a village and what happens when it fails? At no point is the finger directly pointed at anyone. There is only one person arrested for the murder, but there are multiple contributing factors in this case. I’ve outlined the ones I picked out from the series and they are all intertwined. It reminds me of the “Why did the cup break theory?”, it’s not a singular answer:
family - loving but overlooked his creativity
peers - had some friends but was bullied
school - not a healthy environment to learn
education - not catered to fulfilling creative pursuits or personal interests
government - lack of understanding of what is happening with this demographic of youth
social media - exposed to misogyny and cyber bullying
Notice that I separated school and education because too often they are blurred together. School is where you are taught whereas education is what you are taught. The school is an environment which should encourage out of the box thinking and care for the students who spend most of their week there. However, the series displayed teachers who can’t even arrive on time and toxic interactions between students. Similarly, education should be at a standard that challenges and cultivates insightful thinking, yet that has been overshadowed by the learned behaviours and doctrines such as misogyny online.
Jamie is the villain in this story, but the creators, Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, used their creativity to show who is involved in this joint enterprise. In this story, Katie was Jamie’s victim. Jamie was wrong. Jamie is also a victim of his environment. How many more Jamies are going to be let down?
I unfortunately don’t have the answers. If I really think about it, it’s not my responsibility to. But it is all of our responsibility to ensure we are creating environments where creativity is nurtured. Creativity is our life line. This blog is part of my ecosystem of creativity where I encourage others to foster their own. Make sure to subscribe for more content.
